Am'oc"yis87.arm'}    Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  491 
The  Beactions  of  Acetanilid  (antifebrin)  are  given  in  the 
Arch,  de  Phar.,  Sept.  5.  Warm  solutions  redden  with  perchloride  of 
iron,  and  dilute  chromic  acid  gives  a  darker  shade  of  the  same  color. 
When  acetanilid  is  heated  with  nitrate  of  mercury  it  dissolves ;  the 
addition  of  sulphuric  acid  gives  a  bright  red.  This  reaction  is  com- 
mon to  resorcin,  phenol,  thymol  and  salicylic,  tannic  and  gallic  acids ; 
benzoic  acid  is  an  exception.  It  may  be  isolated  with  ether  or  chloro- 
form from  urine  to  which  it  has  been  previously  added.  But  this 
reaction  does  not  take  place  in  the  urine  of  patients  who  are  taking 
the  medicament,  showing  that  it  had  undergone  a  change  before  reach- 
ing the  urinary  organs.  Such  urine  should  be  treated  by  ether,  then 
by  caustic  soda;  this  should  be  neutralized  with  sulphuric  acid  and 
the  ether  evaporated.  By  this  means  Cahn  and  Hepp  claim  to  have 
obtained  crystals  presenting  the  characteristics  of  acetanilid.  Delia 
Cella  also  obtained  these  crystals,  but  states  that  they  did  not  give  the 
reactions  indicated  above. 
Ptomaines. — Following  are  the  principal  facts  and  conclusions 
developed  in  the  recent  researches  of  Brouardel,  Ogier  and  Minovici, 
upon  the  cadaveric  alkaloids,  and  communicated  to  the  Paris  Academy 
of  Medicine,  June  28, 1887.  (See  also  American  Journal  Phar- 
macy, May,  1887).  The  liver  and  kidneys  furnished  residua  which 
generally  gave  the  same  reactions.  The  most  abundant  residua  were 
given  by  amylic  alcohol  (alkaline  solution),  next  came  benzin  and 
chloroform  (acid  solution).  In  a  single  case  (foetal  and  free  from  pu- 
trefaction), no  alkaloidal  reaction  was  presented.  In  all  others,  basic 
substances  were  obtained  capable  of  precipitation  by  the  general  re- 
agents ;  the  most  sensitive  of  the  latter  was  liq.  iodinii  com  p.  The 
residua  appeared  in  notable  quantity  in  viscera  newly  putrefied  (two 
to  four  days  in  summer) ;  they  were  more  abundant  in  cadavers  of 
eight  to  twenty  days.  After  two  years  or  over,  the  amount  of  pto- 
maines visibly  diminished.  An  examination  of  our  tables  will  give 
an  idea  of  how  much  confidence  should  be  accorded  to  the  various 
colored  reactions  in  searching  for  toxic  vegetable  bases,  and  will  show 
the  influence  of  the  ptomaines  upon  these  reactions.  For  example  : 
perchloride  of  iron  gave  no  coloration ;  hence  it  is  a  good  reagent  for 
morphine;  alcoholized  potassa,  after  oxidation  by  nitric  acid,  gave 
no  violet  reaction,  comparable  with  that  which  atropine  w7ould  give; 
nitric  acid  alone  generally  produced  yellow  or  orange  colorations, 
much  less  intense  than  brucine  would  have  given,  but  capable,  up  to  a 
