Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
September,  1914.  J 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
427 
determination  can  be  made  only  by  experiment. — /.  Am.  M.  Assoc., 
1914,  vol.  63,  pp.  469-473- 
Algocratine. — Mannich  and  Leemhuis,  from  the  pharmaceutical 
laboratory  of  the  University  of  Gottingen,  report  an  examination 
of  a  powder  offered  as  an  infallible  remedy  for  migraine,  neuralgia, 
grippe,  influenza,  and  other  diseases.  The  preparation  was  found 
to  consist  essentially  of  a  mixture  of  50  Gm.  phenacetin,  caffeine  10 
Gm.j  and  pyramidon  40  Gm.  The  claims  made  for  the  composition 
of  the  preparation  were  found  to  be  quite  untrue. — Apoth.-Ztg., 
1914,  vol.  29,  p.  553. 
Antimeningitis  Serum.  (Auer,  John.) — It  is  an  established  fact 
that  the  administration  of  antimeningitic  serum  by  intraspinal  injec- 
tion has  practically  turned  the  former  70  per  cent,  mortality  from 
epidemic  meningitis  into  70  per  cent,  recoveries.  Accumulated  ex- 
perience, however,  has  apparently  shown  that  the  injection  of  the 
serum  itself  may  have  been  the  cause  of  death  in  a  very  small  num- 
ber of  cases.  S.  P.  Kramer  holds  that  they  were  caused  by  tri- 
kresol  which  had  been  added  as  a  preservative  to  the  serum,  a  con- 
tention which  has  recently  been  supported  by  Hale  on  the  basis  of  ex- 
perimental work  on  dogs  and  cats. — /.  Am.  M.  Assoc.,  1914,  vol.  62, 
p.  1799. 
Transformation  of  Barbaloin  into  Beta-barbaloin.  ( Leger,  E.)  — 
When  barbaloin  is  kept  for  some  time  near  its  melting-point,  it 
becomes  converted  into  its  amorphous  isomer,  beta-barbaloin,  which 
accompanies  barbaloin  in  Cape  and  Socotrine  aloes.  The  action  of 
acetic  anhydride  on  barbaloin  at  ioo°  to  no°  also  brings  about  the 
same  change. —  (Compt.  rend.,  1914,  vol.  158,  p.  1903.)  Pharm.  J., 
1914,  vol.  93,  p.  83. 
Bichloride  Tablets.  (Vanderkleed  and  E'we.) — "Bichloride" 
antiseptic  tablet  with  tartar  emetic  administered  to  a  dog  produced 
profuse  vomiting  in  seven  minutes.  During  this  time,  however,  a 
sufficient  amount  of  the  bichloride  had  been  absorbed  to  cause  the 
death  of  the  dog  in  6J/2  hours.  This  experiment  indicates  that  to 
be  effective  the  emetic  must  act  more  promptly  than  it  did  in  this 
instance,  as  the  absorption  of  bichloride  takes  place  apparently  very 
rapidly. — Druggists'  Circular,  19 14,  vol.  58,  p.  465. 
Calcium  Therapy  of  Tuberculosis.  (Kahn,  M.) — In  looking 
over  the  mass  of  literature  relating  to  the  use  of  calcium  in  tuber- 
culosis one  is  left  in  doubt  whether  the  use  of  lime  in  the  treatment 
of  tuberculosis  is  to  be  recommended.   There  is,  however,  no  danger 
