500  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  {AvoCiobeTFmlm' 
required  of  the  free  uncombined  iron.  "  From  these  analyses  it  appears  that 
the  preparation  is  of  a  very  inferior  quality,  and  presents  an  item  which  should 
not  be  treated  lightly  by  pharmacists."  A  tabulated  statement  of  results 
accompanied  the  paper. 
White  Castile  Soaps.  —Samuel  R.  Knox  discussed  the  materials  from  which 
soap  is  made.    The  analyses  include  : 
(1)  Estimation  of  water. 
(2)  Estimation  of  unsaponified  matter. 
(3)  Estimation  of  the  relative  proportions  of  fatty  acid  and  alkali. 
The  author  concludes  that  white  castile  soap  of  the  market  is  highly  adul- 
terated with  other  oils.  Tabulated  results  of  the  analyses  of  eight  samples  of 
white  castile  soap  follow. 
A  Microscopical  Study  of  Cicuta  Maculata. — F.  Lyle  Robertson  has  inves- 
tigated the  structure  of  the  root.    The  paper  is  illustrated  by  seven  drawings. 
Glycerin  of  the  Market. — J.  1^.  Tegarden  examined  thirteen  samples  of  all 
grades  and  brands  and  has  tabulated  the  results  as  follows  : 
Specific  gravity,  dextrose  and  sugar,  fixed  impurities,  acids,  salts  (calcium), 
chlorides,  arsenic. 
Experimental  Work  on  the  Solvent  Power  of  Alcoholic  Menstrua. — h.  D. 
Havenhill.  "The  laboratory  notes  on  'The  Variation  of  Menstrua  in  Fluid 
Extracts,'  by  Prof.  E  L.  Patch,  appended  a  suggestion  that  we  might  enter 
upon  an  interesting  and  beneficial  line  of  experiments  to  determine  the  men- 
strua best  adapted  for  obtaining  the  active  principles  of  drugs  free  from  their 
inert  extractives.  Accordingly,  a  series  of  experiments  were  made  on  ten  of  the 
most  potent  medicinal  drugs,  using  menstrua  of  varying  proportions  of  alcohol 
and  water."  "No  general  relation  was  found  to  exist  between  the  per  cent,  of 
extractive  and  the  per  cent,  of  alkaloids."  The  author  concludes  :  "It  was 
very  gratifying  to  note  that  the  menstrua  directed  by  the  present  Pharmacopoeia 
were,  in  nearly  every  instance,  the  ones  best  fitted  for  extracting  the  active 
principles  of  the  drugs  on  which  the  experiments  were  made."  Three  very 
complete  and  valuable  tables  accompany  the  work. 
Notes  on  the  Behavior  of  Albuminate  of  Iron  and  Ferratin  with  Artificial- 
Gastric  fuice.—].  O.  Schlotterbeck  and  S.  R.  Boyce.  In  a  recent  paper  read 
before  the  Cincinnati  Academy  of  Medicine,  by  Dr.  G.  A.  Fackler,  the  follow- 
ing advantages  of  ferratin  over  all  other  artificial  albuminates  of  iron  are 
claimed  : 
(1)  In  ferratin  we  have  a  compound  which,  because  of  the  fact  that  it  is  not 
altered  in  the  stomach  or  intestinal  tract,  is  wholly  absorbed  and  made  avail- 
able. 
(2)  Ferratin,  due  to  the  intimate  union  between  it  (iron)  and  the  albumin,  is 
so  slowly  attacked  by  the  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  that  it  is  absorbed  before  an 
alteration  into  the  sulphide  can  occur. 
(3)  Since,  as  a  rule,  the  food  which  we  ingest  has  been  subjected  to  heat 
during  the  process  of  its  preparation,  and  since  in  the  above  process  (that  of  sep- 
arating the  natural  iron  compound  from  pig's  liver)  no  other  force  but  heat 
has  been  employed,  we  undoubtedly  secure  in  this  compound  that  form  of  iron 
which  enters  the  stomach  with  animal  food,  and  which  is,  in  part,  absorbed  and 
deposited  in  the  various  organs. 
