AmA${;£%™'}   Selections  from  the  Banish  Journals.  169 
fresh  bulb  are  much  more  active  than  when  prepared  from  the  dried  slices. 
Powdered  squill  not  being  very  reliable,  Mr.  J.  recommends  to  mix 
the  tincture  with  a  certain  proportion  of  sugar,  and  evaporate  at  very 
iow  heat  to  dryness.  The  constituents  of  squill  are  :  8  tannin,  14 
sugar,  30  mucus,  10  red  coloring  principle,  2  yellow,  volatile  principle, 
5  salts,  1  scillitin  and  a  trace  of  iodine. — Ibid.,  1876,  p.  485,  from  Ph. 
Zeits.,  1876,  No.  85. 
Sydenham's  Laudanum,  Wine  of  Opium,  etc. — Bellecret  re- 
commends to  replace  100  parts  of  the  wine  by  glycerin,  which  pre- 
vents, in  a  great  measure,  formation  of  deposit,  and  withal  makes  the 
preparation  keep  better. — Ibid.,  1877, p.  31  from  Rep.d.  Ph.,  1877,  p.  5. 
Silico-tungstic  acid  has  been  recommended  by  R.  Godeffroy  as 
the  most  sensitive  reagent  for  alkaloids.  For  instance,  a  solution  of 
muriate  of  quinia  (1  :  25,000)  yielded  a  precipitate  with  one  drop  of  an 
aqueous  solution  of  the  above  acid  (likewise,  muriate  of  cinchonia 
[1  :  200,000]  and  muriate  of  atropia  [1  :  15,000.]  ).  The  precipitates 
are  very  little  soluble  in  concentrated  muriatic  acid,  and  the  alkaloids 
can  be  separated  by  solution  of  caustic  potassa.  The  silico-tungstic 
acid  is  best  prepared  by  boiling  pertungstate  of  sodium  with  freshly 
precipitated  silicic  acid  ;  precipitate  with  solution  of  mercurous  nitrate, 
wash  the  precipitate,  decompose  with  muriatic  acid,  and  filter.  Con- 
centrate the  filtrate  by  evaporation  and  let  crystallize.  The  crystals 
fuse  at  360  C,  and  are  very  soluble  in  water  and  in  alcohol. — Nij 
Pharm.  Tid.,  1877,  p.  5,  from  Ph.  C,  1876,  No.  51. 
Icteric  Urine. — Dr.  Constantine  Paul  recommends,  as  a  test, 
Violet  de  Paris  (methylanilin  violet)  5  parts  in  100  parts  water  or 
alcohol  ;  1-5  drops  poured  on  10  cc.  healthy  urine  produces  a  circle 
of  a  pure  blue  color  ;  icteric  urine  colors  the  circle  intensely  carmine 
red.  This  test  is  reliable,  since  no  other  substance  produces  this 
change  of  color,  and  it  is  more  sensitive  than  either  iodine  or  nitric  acid. 
— Arch,  for  Pharm.,  1877,  P*  32>  fr°m  Union  Ph.,  Sept.,  1876. 
Nutrition  of  Infants. — Dr.  Altherr  has  examined  into  the  relative 
nutritive  power  of  different  kin.ds  of  infants'  food.  He  found  the  aver- 
age daily  increase  in  the  weights  of  babies  by  using  mother's  milk  7*2 
grams  ;  nurse's  milk,  4  grams  ;  mother's  milk  at  first  and  afterwards 
cow's  milk,  3*8  grams  ;  cow's  milk  alone,  2  grams  ;  condensed  milk,  1 
gram  ;  Nestle's  Infants' Food,  0*5  gram.  The  number  of  babies  examined 
