412 
GLEANINGS  FROM  THE  FRENCH  JOURNALS. 
change  from  this  agency  when  kept  in  red  glass  bottles.  The 
author  thinks  that  many  bottles  in  the  shop  should  be  made  of 
glass  of  this  kind  to  prevent  the  destructive  action  of  light  on 
certain  officinal  preparations. — (Repertoire  de  Pharm.,  June, 
1861.) 
On  the  action  exercised  on  PhospJiorus  hy  the  aromatic  princi- 
ple of  Tar^  by  M.  Deschamps. — If  tar  is  put  in  a  wide-mouthed 
bottle,  and  allowed  to  stand  awhile  with  the  mouth  closed,  so 
that  the  air  enclosed  shall  become  penetrated  with  the  odorous 
portion  of  the  tar,  the  air  ceases  to  exert  any  action  on 
phosphorus  when  a  small  mass  of  that  substance  is  suspended  in 
the  bottle,  neither  vapors  or  luminosity  in  the  dark  are  observa- 
ble. To  explain  this  phenomenon  either  the  air  must  be  depri- 
ved of  its  oxygen,  a  supposition  wholly  untenable,  or,  the  tar 
must  act  simply  by  its  presence.  This  last  appears  to  be  the 
true  state  of  the  case,  as  the  oxygen  is  simply  rendered  inactive 
or  paralyzed  by  the  aromatic  particles  of  the  tar.  The 
author  details  several  experiments  which  prove  this  power  of 
tar,  but  shows  that  it  is  also  possessed  by  the  volatile  oils  of 
mint,  lemon,  turpentine,  benzine,  ether,  &c.  Whilst  the  oils  of 
cloves,  anis,  and  mirbane,  and  chloroform,  idoform,  musk,  tolu 
and  benzoin  have  no  action  (Report,  de  Pharm.,  Mai,  1861.) 
Chloroform  for  masking  the  taste  of  substances^  by  M.  Grave. 
— The  author  has  observed  what  he  considers  a  new  property  of 
chloroform — that  of  modifying  the  taste  of  substances,  as  for 
instance,  removing  the  bitterness  of  bitter  substances.  Mixed 
in  certain  proportions  with  tincture  of  aloes  and  gentian,  and 
with  sulphate  of  quinine  suspended  in  water,  chloroform  deprives 
them  almost  entirely  of  bitterness.  He  leaves  for  others  to 
ascertain  to  what  extent  it  modifies  the  properties  of  these  sub- 
stances.—(Rep.  de  Pharm.  Mai,  1861,) 
Abortion  in  Cows  occasioned  by  the  ingestion  of  Ustilago 
madis. — This  Ustilago  is  a  parasitic  mushroom,  which  occurs  on 
maize  as  ergot  does  on  rye.  In  a  cow-house,  where  cows  were 
fed  on  Indian  corn  infested  with  this  parasite,  eleven  of  their 
number  aborted  in  eight  days.  After  their  food  was  changed, 
none  of  the  others  aborted.    The  better  to  be  convinced  of  the 
