Am  juiy''i87h7arm'}  Gleanings  from  the  Foreign  Journals.  373 
quantity  of  the  latter,  so  that  the  soluble  compound  of  soda  and  oxide 
of  zinc  was  formed. — Revista  farmac.  (Buenos- Aires),  Feb. 
Impure  Acid  Sulphite  of  Sodium. — Of  six  samples  of  this  salt 
sold  as  being  "pure  for  analysis,"  W.  F.  K.  Stock  has  found  five  to 
contain  different  and  notable  quantities  of  hyposulphite. — Chem.  News, 
March  29. 
Iodide  of  Starch  as  an  Antidote  to  Poisons. — Dr.  Bellini  has  read 
a  paper  before  the  Medical  Society  of  Florence,  Italy,  in  which  he 
recommends  iodide  of  starch  as  an  antidote  which  admits  of  very  gen- 
eral application  in  cases  of  poisoning,  more  particularly  when  the  result 
of  alkalies,  alkaline  or  earthy  sulphurets,  or  of  alkaloids.  The  prepa- 
ration is  easily  administered  in  large  doses,  has  not  the  irritating  proper- 
ties of  free  iodine,  and  readily  forms  with  the  substances  named  either 
harmless  or  insoluble  compounds.  To  avoid  the  subsequent  decompo- 
sition of  the  latter,  its  administration  may  be  followed  by  an  emetic. — 
Rep.  de  Phar.,  1877,  p.  17. 
Protiodide  of  Mercury. — Mr.  Le  Canu,  of  Caen,  recommends  to 
prepare  mercurous  iodide  by  triturating  5  grams  of  mercury  with  about 
20  drops  of  alcohol  until  the  mercury  is  finely  divided,  adding,  if  neces- 
sary, a  little  alcohol  to  replace  that  which  may  have  evaporated.  Three 
grams  of  iodine  are  now  added,  in  small  portions,  and  the  whole  tritu- 
rated as  rapidly  as  possible.  The  finely  divided  mercury  rapidly  com- 
bines with  the  iodine,  any  biniodide  formed  is  almost  instantly  reduced, 
and  at  the  end  of  10  to  20  minutes  a  very  pure  mercurous  iodide  is 
obtained  without  the  necessity  of  washing  with  alcohol. — Ibid.,  139 — 
141. 
Lunar  caustic  is  occasionally  ordered  by  physicians,  diluted  with  a 
certain  amount  of  potassium  nitrate,  also  in  sticks  of  a  given  diameter. 
Where  metallic  moulds  are  not  available,  they  may  be  substituted  by  a 
•  hollow  cylinder  made  of  parchment  paper,  with  the  edges  secured  by 
means  of  mucilage.  These  moulds  may  be  placed  into  an  ordinary 
test  tube,  and  when  the  mass  has  solidified,  the  paper  may  be  removed, 
the  stick  being  quite  white. — Scbweiz.  Wochenschr.  f.  Phar.,  No.  7. 
A.  Huber  draws  the  fused  mass  carefully  into  glass  tubes  of  the 
proper  diameter,  so  as  to  avoid  the  formation  of  air  cavities  ;  after  the 
mass  has  solidified,  the  glass  tube  is  heated  over  a  spirit  or  gas  lamp, 
