AmNov.?i887arm*}     Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  561 
alcohol  exerts  any  influence  on  the  digestive  power  of  pepsin  in  solu- 
tion, Bardet  made  a  series  of  experiments,  showing  that  the  percentage 
of  alcohol  present  in  solution  plays  an  important  part.  The  presence 
of  20  per  cent,  had  no  influence  on  the  digestive  power,  but  it  was 
very  visibly  decreased  by  a  larger  amount,  and  entirely  destroyed 
when  the  amount  reached  80  per  cent.;  thus  prescribing  pepsin  in 
combination  with  wine  is  entirely  rational,  but  combinations  of  pepsin 
with  tinctures  must  be  avoided. — Pharm.  Ztg.,  1887,  p.  398. 
Test  for  castor  oil. — Finkener  (Mittheil.  d.  kgl.  techn.  Vers.  Stat. 
zu.  Berlin,  IV,  141,  Zeitschrift  J.  Anal.  Chem.,  1887)  gives  the  fol- 
lowing :  Pure  castor  oil  agitated  with  5  volumes  alcohol  sp.  gr. 
0*829,  at  normal  temperature  (15°  C),  forms  a  clear  solution,  but  if 
the  suspected  oil  contains  only  10  per  cent,  of  other  fat  oils,  as  olive, 
sesame,  rape,  cotton,  or  linseed  oil,  the  solution  becomes  turbid  and 
does  not  clear  at  20°  C,  the  undissolved  oil  settling  to  the  bottom. — 
Pharm.  Centra/halle,  1887,  p.  294. 
Extract  of  may -bells  (lily-of-the-valley). — Extract  jasmin,  100  gm. ; 
extract  ylang-ylang,  25  gm.  ;  cardamom  seed,  5  gm. ;  oil  of  orris-root, 
100  drops.  Should  the  odor  of  cardamom  predominate,  increase  the 
amount  of  extract  of  ylang-ylang. — Drog.  Ztg. ;  Rundschau,  Prag, 
1887,  p.  431. 
Phenol-cocaine,  prepared  by  gently  heating  phenol  1,  with  cocaine  2, 
is,  according  to  Viau,  in  Nouv.  Remedy  recommendable  as  a  powerful 
local  anaesthetic,  and  worthy  of  a  trial  for  toothache.  For  this  pur- 
pose it  can  be  prepared  extemporaneously  by  dissolving  0*03  cocaine 
pur.  in  50*0  of  a  2  per  cent,  solution  carbolic  acid. — Rundschau,  Prag, 
1887,  p.  448. 
Discoloration  of  lithium  salicylate  solution. — Julliard  (Bullet.  Com- 
merc,  1»87,  June),  relates  an  interesting  experience  with  lithium  sali- 
cylate. He  dispensed  an  aqueous  solution,  made  by  carefully  neutral- 
izing lithium  carbonate  with  salicylic  acid  obtaining  a  colorless  solu- 
tion, but  in  a  few  days  the  solution  was  returned,  having  changed  to  a 
coffee-brown  color.  Colorless  and  unchangable  solutions  were  ob- 
tained from  several  commercial  samples  of  lithium  salicylate ;  but 
nearly  all  had  a  weak  acid  reaction  and  contained  sodium  compounds. 
The  estimated  amount  of  salicylate  of  sodium  present  was  12  to  15  per 
{sent.  The  question  arose  whether  the  salicylate  of  sodium  or  the 
free  salicylic  acid  prevented  the  discoloration,  and  he  found  that  this 
favorable  effect  is  produced  by  free  salicylic  acid,  even  when  present 
36 
