44 
Book  Reviezvs. 
i  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I    January,  1914. 
on  the  German  market.  One  of  these  consisted  of  small  quantities 
of  oil  of  cinnamon  and  cloves  in  12  per  cent,  of  alcohol.  For  two 
ounces  of  this  wonderful  and  efficient  (?)  preparation  the  modest 
sum  of  one  dollar  was  asked.  Another,  called  "  Menstruationpulver  " 
consisted  of  a  very  poor  quality  of  powdered  Roman  Chamomile, 
and  for  the  small  (?)  sum  of  seventy-five  cents  the  buyer  received  a 
package  containing  35  grammes. 
An  interesting  report  is  given  of  an  examination  of  a  fixed  oil 
sent  to  the  Institute  by  a  German  missionary  pastor  from  Venezuela. 
This  oil  is  used  by  the  Indians  in  the  region  of  Orinoco  as  a  remedy 
in  the  treatment  of  tuberculosis.  The  results  are  reported  as  good. 
This  oil  is  yellow  in  color,  slightly  cloudy,  and  in  odor  and  taste 
somewhat  resembling  olive  oil ;  at  room  temperature  fluid ;  on  cool- 
ing there  was  separated  a  small  mass  of  fatty  acid  which,  on  warm- 
ing, disappeared.  At  120  C.  the  oil  congealed  to  a  soft  butter-like 
mass.  It  was  miscible  in  all  proportions  with  ether,  chloroform, 
petroleum  benzine,  benzol,  and  carbon  disulphide  and  on  the  con- 
trary immiscible  with  absolute  alcohol  and  glacial  acetic  acid.  On 
the  addition  of  HC1  and  furfurol  no  red  coloration  appeared.  The 
test  for  cotton-seed  oil  by  the  addition  of  sulphur  and  carbon  disul- 
phide gave  negative  results.  The  constants  were  ascertained  in  the 
usual  manner  and  found  as  follows : 
Specific  gravity  at  150  C   0.9125 
Acid  number   4.46 
Saponification  value    200.45 
Iodine  value  according  to  Hiibl  after  2  hours   69.9 
Iodine  value  according  to  Hiibl  after  6  hours   71.0 
Unsaponifiable  constituents    0.48  per  cent. 
Refractometer  number  in  a  Zeiss  butter-refractometer  at  250 .  59-60 
Optical  rotation  in  200  ccm.-tube   o 
The  oil  also  gave  the  reaction  for  elaidin.  Hehner's  method  for 
the  separation  of  the  fatty  acids  was  used  and  the  melting  point  of 
these  was  found  to  be  30.31  °,  the  congealing  point  22 0  and  the 
saponification  value  195.5.  The  fatty  acids  also  gave  an  iodine  value 
of  75.25.  After  recrystallization  from  alcohol  twice,  the  elaidic  acid 
showed  a  melting-point  of  51  °.  Experiments  on  mice  proved  this 
Ceje-Ol,  as  it  is  termed,  to  be  non-toxic.  Whether  it  will  be  of 
any  more  value  than  other  better-known  fatty  oils  in  the  treatment 
of  tuberculosis  remains  to  be  proven  clinically. 
