552  Gleanings  from  the  Foreign  Journals.  {AmNo°"%8^rm' 
uniformly  fine  as  it  may  be  obtained  by  the  pharmacist.  He  suggests 
to  prepare  carbonate  of  zinc  in  the  usual  way  from  sulphate  of  zinc 
and  carbonate  of  sodium,  to  wash  the  precipitated  carbonate  thoroughly, 
and  when  dry,  reduce  it  to  a  fine  powder.  A  suitable  crucible  is  then 
heated  to  redness,  the  powder  is  introduced  and  after  some  time  stirred 
two  or  three  times.  As  soon  as  a  portion  of  it,  when  thrown  into 
dilute  acid,  dissolves  without  effervescence,  the  crucible  is  removed, 
the  powder  cooled  upon  a  shallow  dish  and  preserved  in  well-stoppered 
bottles.  If  heated  too  much  or  too  long,  the  oxide  will  be  darker  and 
gritty  ;  when  properly  made  it  is  a  yellowish,  very  fine  powder,  which 
may  be  thoroughly  mixed  with  lycopodium  or  powdered  starch,  simply 
by  agitation  and  without  the  use  of  a  mortar.  It  costs  but  little  more 
than  the  commercial  article,  and  may  be  readily  made  into  a  perfectly 
smooth  and  fine  looking  ointment.  Instead  of  lard  or  benzoinated  lard 
the  authur  prefers  a  paraffin  ointment,  made  from  heavy  cylinder  oil, 
by  purifying  it  in  the  manner  indicated  in  "Arner.  Jour.  Pilar.,"  1873, 
p.  534,  and  1874,  p.  1. 
Preparations  of  Cubebs. — Louis  F.  Griffin  found  that  light  petro- 
leum benzin  (gasolin)  dissolves  from  powdered  cubebs  16*5  per  cent, 
of  oil  and  resin,  while  wax  and  cubebin  are  insoluble  therein  ;  gasolin 
would  therefore  appear  to  be  adapted  for  preparing  an  active  oleoresin 
of  cubeb.  The  residue  left  after  preparing  tincture  of  cubeb  from  four 
troyounces  of  the  powder  yielded  to  gasolin  115  grains  of  oleoresin, 
and  the  two  pints  of  tincture  can  therefore  contain  only  200  grains  of 
the  oleoresin.  Spirit  of  nitrous  ether,  which  is  used  in  Mettauer's  tincture 
of  cubeb,  exhausts  it  thoroughly. 
GLEANINGS  FROM  THE  FOREIGN  JOURNALS. 
By  the  Editor. 
Tasteless  tannate  of  quinia  is  prepared  by  P.  J.  Haaxman  by  dis- 
solving 1  part  quinia  sulphate  in  acidulated  distilled  water,  and  precipi- 
tating the  alkaloid  with  soda  solution,  dissolving  it  in  10  parts  alcohol, 
sp.  gr.  '882,  and  diluting  this  solution  with  warm  water  so  as  to  remain 
clear  while  in  the  water-bath.  This  liquid  is  added  gradually,  and  with 
continued  stirring,  to  a  solution  of  3  parts  tannin  in  60  parts  distilled 
water,  the  mixture  thrown  upon  a  filter,  and  the  precipitate  washed  with 
warm  water  until  the  filtrate  is  colorless  and  free  from  astringent  taste, 
