588 
Quarterly  Review  on 
|  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
December,  191 7. 
Uranium  Acetate — 
Aloes,  Cascara,  and  Senna :  No  color  change. 
Rhubarb :  Reddish  mahogany  color  in  water  layer. 
Ammonium  sulphate,  persulphate,  and  oxalate  bring  forth  no 
color  changes  (/.  Ind.  and  Eng.  Chem.,  igiy,  9,  518-521,  through 
The  Analyst,  vol.  47,  p.  277,  W.  S.  Hubbard). 
Hydrastis  Canadensis. — It  is  reported  that  this  exceedingly 
valuable  drug  plant  is  now  being  successfully  grown  in  Austria. 
Careful  examination  shows  that  the  yield  is  of  very  much  better 
quality  than  was  expected,  and  that  the  drug  is  the  equal  or  even 
the  superior  of  the  American-grown  plant;  this  statement  is  justi- 
fied because  of  its  greater  alkaloidal  content,  which  after  all  is  the 
only  fair  criterion  (Pharm.  Zeitung,  vol.  62,  104,  through  The 
Pharm.  Jour,  and  Pharmacist,  July  21,  1917,  p.  29). 
American  Synthetics. — The  Council  on  Pharmacy  and  Chem- 
istry, assisted  by  such  support  as  the  American  Medical  Association 
chemical  laboratory  can  give,  announces  that  it  will  undertake  the 
task  of  making  a  study  of  the  quality  of  American-made  synthetics. 
Important  unofficial  synthetic  drugs  submitted  by  their  manufac- 
turers will  be  examined  and  later,  when  these  drugs  are  placed  on 
the  market,  the  Council  will  make  purchases  and  report  on  their 
purity.  The  Council  is  also  willing  to  examine  specimens  of  Amer- 
ican-made drugs  when  submitted  by  dealers,  provided  the  origin  of 
these  specimens  is  made  known.  Such  control  of  synthetic  drugs 
now  made  in  this  country  because  of  war  conditions  will  not  only 
safeguard  the  public,  but  will  in  reality  be  of  great  service  to  those 
engaged  in  this  industry,  an  industry  necessarily  as  yet  in  the  ex- 
perimental stage  (Jour.  A.  M.  A.,  Sept.  22,  1917,  p.  1018). 
Halazone. — Chemically  this  substance  is  parasulphonedichlor- 
amidobenzoic  acid.  It  is  said  to  be  powerfully  germicidal  and  is 
mainly  recommended  as  a  safe  and  ready  means  of  sterilizing  water. 
It  is  said  to  act  like  chlorine  but  to  have  the  advantage  of  being 
stable  in  solid  form.  Dakin  and  Dunham  report  that  in  the  presence 
of  alkali  carbonate,  borate  and  phosphate,  this  chemical  in  the  pro- 
portions of  1  : 200,000  to  1  :  500,000,  and  in  from  thirty  to  sixty 
minutes'  time,  sterilized  polluted  water  contaminated  with  the  fol- 
lowing microorganisms :  Bacillus  coli,  Bacillus  typhosus,  Bacillus 
paratyphosus  A  and  B,  Cholera  vibrio  and  Bacillus  dysenteries. 
