84 
MISCELLANY. 
the preparation of this salt, which he says may be preserved a long time 
without decomposing : — Mix in a glass vessel half an ounce of iodine, a 
drachm and a half of iron filings and an ounce of water ; when the reaction 
is completed, the mixture is to be slightly shaken until it becomes of a 
clear green color, due to the ioduret of iron. Then dilute it with four 
ounces of water, filter and also pass some water through the filter. After- 
wards add to the solution two drachms of iodine, which is readily and 
quickly dissolved. A deep reddish brown liquid results, to which a suffi- 
cient quantity of water is added to make the weight of the whole ten 
ounces. Each drachm contains about four grains and a half of iodine. 
This preparation has been long employed at the General Hospital, Ham- 
burgh ; its effects are the same as those of the ioduret of iron; it must be 
given internally, however, in smaller doses. The best form for its admin- 
istration is in syrup. — Zeitschrift fur die gesammte Medicln, June, 1840. 
In our number for February last, (p. 449,) we gave a formula for a sy- 
rup of ioduret of iron, which, from considerable experience, we can recom- 
mend as a most valuable preparation. It can be preserved for a longtime 
without becoming decomposed, and produces the best effects of the two ar- 
ticles which enter into its composition. The comparative value of this 
and the sesqui-ioduret must be decided by future experience. — Am. Joum. 
Med. Sciences. 
Socotrine Aloes. — " This plant (the aloe) has rendered Socotra famous 
from the earliest period. It is found growing on the sides and summits of 
the limestone mountains, at an elevation of from 500 to 3000 feet above 
the level of the plains. The plant appears to thrive only in parched and 
barren places ; its leaves are plucked at any period, and, after being placed 
in a skin, the juice is suffered to exude from them. This is afterwards 
carried principally to Muscat, where the price varies according to the qual- 
ity, from two to four shillings the English pound. Socotrine aloes, if care 
were taken in collecting them, would be the finest in the world ; but this 
is not the case, and their value becomes proportionably deteriorated. 
"When the authority of the sultans of Kisseen was better acknowledged 
than at present, they monopolized the whole produce of the island; and 
stonewalls, dividing its surface into separate portions, were carried with 
immense labor over hill and dale. These still remain, but now any one col- 
lects the plant, when or where he thinks proper, and this they only care to 
do when the arrival of a ship or buggalo creates a demand. Every part of 
the island affords this useful plant, but more especially the western, where 
the surface is thickly covered for miles. In 1833, only two tons were ex- 
ported." — Ibid, from Wtllsted' l s Tour on the Island of Socotra. 
Dragon's Blood. — " The trees of this are not usually met with at a less 
elevation than 800 feet, and they frequently occur as high as 3000 feet 
above the level of the sea. The trunk, at the height of six feet from the 
