43Q 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\  September,  1914. 
male-fern  administered  in  amounts  in  excess  of  the  usual  dose,  ad- 
ministration of  which  was  followed  by  castor  oil. — /.  Am.  M.  Assoc., 
1914,  vol.  63,  pp.  242,  243. 
The  Use  of  Mate.  (Editorial.) — Attention  has  recently  been 
drawn,  by  means  of  letters  to  the  Times,  to  the  use  of  leaves  known 
as  Yerba  mate,  the  tea  plant  of  South  America.  The  consensus  of 
opinion  seems  to  be  that  an  infusion  of  the  leaves  forms  a  beverage 
eminently  suited  to  a  hot,  debilitating  climate,  its  stimulating  effect 
being  no  doubt  due  to  the  caffeine  it  contains. — Pharm.  J.,  1914,  vol. 
92,  p.  870. 
Relative  Bactericidal  Power  of  Mercuric  Salts.  (Stassana  and 
Gompel.) — Mercuric  iodide  is  found  to  be  far  more  active  as  a  bac- 
tericide than  mercuric  chloride,  mercuric  cyanide,  or  mercuric  ben- 
zoate.  It  is  at  least  ten  times  more  powerful  than  mercuric  chloride, 
which  is  generally  considered  to  be  one  of  the  most  active  of  all  anti- 
septics.— Pharm.  L,  1914,  vol.  93,  p.  147. 
The  Abuse  of  Normal  Salt  Solution.  (Litchfield,  Lawrence.)  — 
The  administration  of  any  artificial  serum  as  routine  postoperative 
practice  is  questionable  therapeutics.  Too  much  water  may  fatally 
embarrass  the  heart.  Too  much  salt  may  fatally  embarrass  the  kidneys. 
When  fluids  cannot  be  taken  by  the  mouth,  thirst  may  be  relieved  by 
tap-water  or  by  isotonic  dextrose  solution  given  by  enteroclysis. — 
/.  Am.  M.  Assoc.,  1914,  vol.  63,  pp.  307-310. 
New  Technic  for  Salt  Solutions. — Faege,  K.,  outlines  a  method 
for  the  production  of  sterile  salt  solution  from  hydrant  water, 
which  depends  on  the  addition  of  hydrochloric  acid  to  ordinary 
hydrant  water  to  sterilize  it ;  then  add  sodium  hydroxide  in  the  proper 
proportion  to  produce  sodium  chloride  in  the  desired  percentage. — 
(Munch,  med.  Wchnschr.,  vol.  41,  June  106,  No.  24.)  /.  Am.  M. 
Assoc.,  1914,  vol.  63,  p.  284. 
Liquid  Petrolatum.  (Puckner,  W.  A.) — A  review  of  the  re- 
quirements for  liquid  petrolatum  made  in  the  existing  pharmaco- 
poeias, some  discussion  of  the  history  and  present  uses  of  the  prepara- 
tion, and  descriptions  of  heavy  and  light  liquid  petrolatum,  with  titles 
to  facilitate  the  dispensing  of  the  products  desired  by  the  physician. — 
/.  Am.  M.  Assoc.,  1914,  vol.  62,  pp.  1 740-1742.  (See  this  Journal, 
p.  322.) 
The  Sterilization  of  Liquid  Paraffin.  (Maughan,  D.) — From  the 
experiments  reported  it  would  appear  that  the  application  of  heat  at 
a  temperature  of  ioo°  for  half  an  hour  is  the  most  practical  method 
