174 
Various  Notes. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
t      April,  1878. 
Artichokes,  the  unexpanded  flower-buds  of  Cynara  scolymus, 
ankynaros  of  the  Greeks,  are  among  the  most  favorite  vegetables  in 
the  Orient.  The  juice  colors  the  skin  a  beautiful  reddish-brown,  which 
color  is  with  difficulty  got  rid  of.  The  involucral  scales  are  used  for 
dying  the  hair  brown,  also  for  staining  wood  of  a  mahogany  color.  The 
name  cynara  is  supposed  to  be  derived  from  kyon  (dog),  because  the 
scales  of  the  anthodium  are  hard  and  pointed  like  the  eye-teeth  of  a  dog. 
Adulteration  of  Ferrum   Hydrogenio  Reductum. — A  sample 
offered  for  analysis  had  a  blueish-black  color,  and,  under  a  magnifyer, 
could  be  distinguished  small  light-blue  grains.  Boiled  with  liquor 
potassae,  cyanide  of  potassium  was  formed  and  red  hydrated  oxide  of 
iron,  thus  showing  that  the  iron  in  question  had  been  prepared  by  insuf- 
ficient ignition  of  ferrocyanide  of  iron  (Prussian  blue).  Its  proper 
name  would  be  iEthiops  martialis  or  Ferrum  oxydulatum  cum  carbone. 
Catching  Fish  by  Poisoning  Them. — Although  the  laws  of  Greece 
are  quite  severe  respecting  the  use  of  poisonous  substances  in  fishing, 
different  species  of  Euphorbia  are  generally  resorted  to,  occasionally 
also  Cocculus  indicus.  Once  a  seal  (Phoca  vitulina)  was  found  stupefied 
by  feeding  on  poisoned  fishes,  and  as  its  oil  is  very  generally  used  in 
Greece  as  a  substitute  for  cod-liver  oil,  it  can  be  easily  understood  that 
the  above-named  practice  must  be  considered  as  quite  dangerous,  so 
much  the  more  so,  as  the  meat  of  poisoned  fishes  easily  spoils. 
Pitch  is  collected  in  the  Orient  from  Pinus  maritima  and  Cephalonica, 
and  is  used  in  millions  of  okkas  for  making  pitch-wine  (retsinato,  which 
has  been  in  use  since  the  time  of  Homeros).  The  collectors  {retino- 
lektes)  are  not  content  with  making  incisions  through  the  bark,  but  cut 
deeply  into  the  wood  itself,  sometimes  nearly  half  way  through  the 
trunk.  Trees  mutilated  in  this  way  are  destroyed  in  a  few  years  and 
present  a  curious  appearance,  since  the  leaves  on  one  side  are  withered 
and  rust-coiored,  while  on  the  opposite  side  they  are  still  green. 
Substitutes  for  Q  uinia. — Although  quinia  is  the  only  reliable  remedy 
for  the  chronic  fevers  of  the  Orient,  its  high  price  forbids  its  use  among 
the  poorer  classes,  and  therefore  several  substitutes  are  resorted  to. 
Physicians  use  often  with  success  an  extract  of  olive  leaves  and  imma- 
ture olives,  made  with  diluted  sulphuric  acid.  A  popular  remedy  with 
poor  people  is  Cayenne  pepper,  in  doses  of  one  to  two  drachm  with  rum 
or  mastichonaki. 
