47  8  Gleaninge  from  the  French  Journals.  { AmbJc°tu)r \^m- 
precipitate  with  Mayer's  solution,  and  a  brown- yellow  one  with  com- 
pound solution  of  iodine.  The  author  proposes  to  name  the  alkaloid 
granatina ;  its  hydrochlorate  was  obtained  in  crystals. — Jour .  de  Ph arm, 
et  de  Chim.,  August,  p.  168. 
Scammony. — C.  Govaerts  has  obtained  from  three  different 
samples  of  scammony,  as  found  in  French  commerce: 
Resin,  ....  85  20  8 
Gum,       ....  4  10  3 
Starch,         .  .  .  .  —  63  75 
Mineral  matter,  etc.,        .  .  11  7  14 
The  author  favors  the  abandonment  of  scamony  as  an  officinal  drug, 
and  its  substitution  by  the  resin  prepared  from  scammony  root. — Rep* 
de  Pharm.,  August,  from  Jour,  de  Pharm.  d>  Anvers. 
Batiator  root,  a  substitute  for  ipecacuanha,  is  described  by  Stan. 
Martin  as  being  2  or  3  decimeters  long,  thin,  cylindrical,  slightly 
flexuose,  longitudinally  striate  or  wrinkled,  often  with  circular  divisions,, 
forming  more  or  less  elongated  annulations,  the  fissures  penetrating  to 
the  central  thread  like  wood  fibre.  It  is  yellowish  or  grayish-brown,, 
internally  yellowish,  breaks  with  a  smooth  fracture,  is  inodorous,  has  a 
slight  acrid  taste,  and  on  mastication  leaves  in  the  mouth  a  nauseous 
impression,  similar  to  that  from  ipecacuanha.  The  roots  are  in 
fascicles  from  a  knotty  uneven  rootstock  which  is  covered  with  short 
and  appressed  gray-brown  silky  hairs.  The  plant  is  found  on  the 
Senegal,  and  is  now  being  propagated  in  Paris  from  the  seeds.  The 
root  has  properties  very  similar  to  those  of  ipecacuanha,  and  is  given 
in  similar  doses. — Bull.  gen.  de  Tber.^  July  30,  p.  74. 
Syrup  of  ipecacuanha  is  proposed  by  Mr.  Martin  to  be  made 
from  an  alcoholic  extract  of  the  root,  dissolved  in  water,  filtered  and 
again  evaporated  to  an  extract  containing  15  per  cent,  of  moisture* 
1-50  gram  of  this  extract  is  dissolved  in  enough  warm  simple  syrup 
to  obtain  1,000  grams.  The  author  regards  this  process  as  yielding  a 
syrup  more  uniform  in  medicinal  properties  than  if  prepared  from  the 
root. — U  Union  phar.,  June,  p.  165. 
Syrup  of  Liquorice. — Stan.  Martin  proposes  two  formulas,  one 
made  with  the  commercial  extract,  the  other  with  the  root ;  similar 
preparations  are  known  in  France  as  strop  de  Calabre  and  sirop  de  pauvre 
gens.  1.  50  grams  of  powdered  liquorice  are  left  in  contact  with 
150  grams  of  cold  distilled  water,  and  when  dissolved,  filtered;  the 
