614  Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  'B0eZ'imarm' 
it ;  and  it  dissolves  very  slowly  and  only  after  prolonged  agita- 
tion. A  litre  of  water,  therefore,  takes  up  only  about  20  cgm. 
of  naphtol.  To  the  reactions  given  by  the  German  chemists,  the 
following,"  says  the  writer,  "  should  be  added :  potash,  soda,  and 
certain  alkaline  salts  give  the  aqueous  solution  of  /?  naphtol  the  same 
violet  fluorescence  as  ammonia ;  this  disappears  on  the  addition  of  an 
acid.  2.  Chloride  of  lime  in  solution  gives  a  yellowish  tint ;  but  the 
solution  must  be  added  drop  by  drop.  3.  A  mixture  of  concentrated 
sulphuric  and  nitric  acids  determines  a  beautiful  rose  color,  lasting  for 
a  few  seconds  ;  it  then  passes  to  &'  red  currant '  color,  which  deepens 
to  a  purplish-red  and  changes  with  alkalis  to  a  yellowish  color.  4. 
Nitric  acid,  charged  with  nitrous  vapors,  gives  a  rose  color,  which 
gradually  passes  to  yellow.  5.  Hypobromite  of  soda  gives,  like 
chloride  of  lime,  a  yellow  color,  which  an  excess  of  the  reagent  causes 
to  disappear.  6.  Bromine  water  and  chlorine  water  give  a  white  pre- 
cipitate. /?  naphtol  often  has  a  rose  tint,  which  it  holds  pronouncedly 
in  its  alcoholic  solution.  It  is  slightly  soluble  in  glycerin  and  liquid 
paraffin. 
Chloride  of  Methyl  foe  local  Anesthesia. — At  a  sitting 
of  the  Soc.  de  Therap.,  June  22  (Prog.  Med.,  Oct.  15, 1887),  Dr.  Bailly, 
who  uses  the  actual  cautery  largely  for  certain  manifestations  of  hydar- 
throsis,  tuberculosis  and  scrofulosis,  stated  that  in  a  search  for  the  best 
local  anaesthetic  he  had  used  ice  and  salt,  cocaine,  with  and  without 
phenic  acid,  etc.,  but  found  them  all  inferior  to  the  chloride  of  methyl 
spray  as  used  by  Debove.  As  soon  as  the  skin  becomes  whitened,  the 
spray  should  be  discontinued  and  the  cauterizations  commenced  at  once. 
These  are  effected  without  pain. 
The  Terpin  Elixir  proposed  a  year  ago  by  P.  Yigier,  being 
unstable  on  account  of  the  crystallization  of  the  sugar  contained  in  it, 
that  pharmacist  proposes  (17  Union  Pharm.,  Oct.)  the  following  :  Ter- 
pin,  50  cgm. ;  glycerin,  alcohol  95  per  cent.,  and  honey,  of  each 
7  grn. ;  vanillin,  2  mgm.,  for  one  tablespoonful. 
Pedictjli  and  their  Eggs  are  easily  destroyed,  so  says  M.  Narta- 
nian,  a  Constantinople  pharmacist,  by  the  use  of  a  single  application  of 
the  following  preparation,  which  is  rubbed  upon  the  affected  part  with 
a  bit  of  woolen  :  salicylic  acid,  2  to  3  gm. ;  toilet  vinegar,  25  gm. ; 
alcohol  at  80  per  cent.,  75  gm.  The  mixture  is  not  toxic,  and  does 
not  stain  linen  fabrics. 
Absorption  of  Mercury. — Ferrari  and  Asmondo  (Gaz.  d.  Osp.; 
