326 
Editorial. 
{Am.  Jour.  Phanru 
June,  1877. 
per  cent.,  variations  amounting  to  fully  one-half  per  cent,  being  obtained  from,' 
different  layers  contained  in  the  same  tin  can.  The  apothecary,  it  seems,  in  pur- 
chasing quinia  sulphate,  always  obtains  it  partially  dehydrated  by  even  short  exposure- 
to  air,  and  Hager  estimates  the  further  loss  while  in  the  hands  of  the  pharmacist, 
even  if  kept  in  well-stoppered  bottles,  at  about  2  per  cent.,  caused  by  occasionally 
opening  the  bottle. 
At  the  meeting  of  March  20,  Mr.  Herbricht  reported  on  mercury  peptonate,  which 
is  now  used  by  Prof.  Bamberger  in  place  of  the  albuminate  formerly  employed  by 
him  ("Amer.  Jour.  Piiar.,"  1876,  p.  317),  and  which  was  found  not  to  have  the 
effects  expected  from  it,  probably  because  albuminates  as  such  do  not  enter  the 
circulation  until  after  their  conversion  to  pepton  by  the  pancreas;  animal  and  vege- 
table albumen  is  thus  converted  on  being  digested  with  pancreatic  juice.  Pepton 
is  now  largely  manufactured  by  Darby  &  Gosden,  London,  and  by  Dr.  H.  Sanders,. 
Amsterdam.  Prof.  Bamberger  has  communicated  the  following  formula  for  pre- 
paring the  solution  :  I  gram  of  dry  pepton  is  dissolved  in  50  cc.  of  distilled  water  ;. 
to  this  is  added  20  cc.  of  solution  of  corrosive  sublimate,  containing  exactly  1  gram 
of  this  salt,  and  in  order  to  dissolve  the  precipitate,  15  cc.  of  solution  of  sodium 
chloride,  containing  18  to  20  per  cent,  of  this  salt;  the  solution  is  filtered  after  a 
few  days.  In  the  absence  of  dry  pepton,  Mr.  Herbricht  recommends  to  completely 
precipitate  an  aqueous  solution  of  1  gram  of  corrosive  sublimate  with  solution  of" 
meat-pepton,  to  heat  the  flocculent  mass  with  a  little  alcohol,  wash  it  well  and. 
dissolve  it  in  2-6  grams  of  sodium  chloride  and  sufficient  water  to  make  the  solution* 
measure  100  cubic  centimeters. 
Mr.  von  Brockhusen  stated  that  abies  syluate  of  sodium,  natrum  sylvinicum  abie- 
tinatum,  which  is  prescribed  to  some  extent,  had  been  met  with  in  the  form  of  a 
yellowish  brown  non-pulverizable  amoiphous  mass,  which  has  an  agreeable  odor  and 
dissolves  in  a  small  quantity  of  water,  the  solution  becoming  turbid  with  more 
water;  it  contains  about  10  per  cent,  of  soda  and  appears  to  be  prepared  from 
Strassburg  turpentine  (obtained  from  Abies  pectinata).  When  prepared  from  the 
resin  of  common  turpentine,  it  had  the  same  properties  except  that  the  solution  was 
not  quite  as  clear  and  the  odor  less  agreeable. 
EDITORIAL  DEPARTMENT. 
State  Pharmaceutical  Societies.— In  the  list  given  on  page  268  of  our  last 
number,  we  regret  having  inadvertantly  omitted  to  mention  the  Mississippi  State 
Pharmaceutical  Association,  which  has  been  in  existence  for  several  years  and  was 
represented  by  delegations  at  three  or  four  meetings  of  the  American  Pharmaceu- 
tical Association.  The  number  of  organized  State  Pharmaceutical  Societies  is 
thereby  increased  to  thirteen,  and  from  information  recently  received,  it  is  very 
likely  that  another  association  will  soon  be  added  to  this  number.  We  are  pleased 
to  learn  that  there  are  preparations  in  progress  having  in  view  the  organization  of 
such  a  society  in  the  State  of  Iowa,  and  we  trust  that  others  may  soon  follow,  sa> 
