Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  1 
September,  1!»14.  / 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
431 
of  rendering  liquid  paraffin  sterile. — Pharm.  J.,  1914,  vol.  93,  pp. 
81,82. 
Paraffin  Cancer.  (Davis,  Benjamin  Franklin.) — Report  of  a 
case  of  cancer  in  one  of  the  employees  in  the  paraffin  department  of 
a  large  oil  refining  company  located  near  Chicago,  with  discussion 
of  coal  and  paraffin  products  as  causes  of  chronic  irritation  and  can- 
cer. From  a  comprehensive  review  of  the  literature  the  author  con- 
cludes that  it  would  seem  fair  to  assume  that  the  chronic-irritation 
cancer  produced  by  coal  and  petroleum  products  is  a  chemical-irrita- 
tion cancer,  and  that  it  is  not  impossible  that  the  cancer  following 
chronic  irritation  of  other  origin  may  be  of  an  essentially  similar 
nature. — /.  Am.  M.  Assoc.,  1914,  vol.  62,  pp.  1716-1720. 
Influence  of  Diet  on  the  Toxicity  of  Phosphorus.  (Opie  and 
Alford). — The  toxicity  of  phosphorus,  which  causes  fatty  degenera- 
tion of  the  liver,  is  greater  in  animals  which  have  received  a  diet  of 
meat  than  in  those  which  have  received  diets  consisting  in  large  part 
of  carbohydrates  or  of  fat. — /.  Am.  M.  Assoc.,  1914,  vol.  63,  p.  137. 
Detection  of  Picric  Acid  in  Urine.— Among  the  French  troops 
in  Algeria  a  new  form  of  malingering,  by  stimulating  the  symptoms 
of  jaundice  by  taking  picric  acid,  is  not  uncommon.  To  detect  this 
the  following  reliable  test  for  the  acid  in  the  urine  has  been  devised : 
Five  mils  of  the  urine  of  the  suspected  case  is  heated  to  boiling,  with 
an  equal  volume  of  saturated  sodium  hydroxide  solution.  Then  1 
mil  of  ammonium  sulphide  solution  is  carefully  floated  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  liquid.  In  presence  of  picric  acid,  a  red  ring  due  to  pic- 
ramic  acid  will  be  formed  at  the  zone  of  contact. —  (Repertoire,  1914, 
vol.  26,  No.  193.)    Pharm  J.,  1914,  vol.  93,  p.  195. 
Pituitary  Extract.  (Roth,  George  B.) — Report  of  an  examina- 
tion of  some  commercial  preparations  made  from  the  posterior  lobe 
of  the  pituitary  body.  The  relative  values  of  five  preparations  by 
the  blood-pressure  method  varied  from  1  to  15,  and  the  relative  value 
of  six  samples  by  the  isolated  uterus  method  from  1  to  7.5.  The  use 
of  beta-iminazolylethylamin  hydrochloride  is  suggested  as  a  standard 
for  use  on  the  isolated  uterus  method  which  is  the  only  one  appli- 
cable to  all  preparations. — /.  Am.  M.  Assoc.,  1914,  vol.  63,  pp.  476- 
479-  » 
Prophylactic  Use  of  Quinine  in  Malaria.  (Carter,  H.  R.) — The 
use  of  quinine  in  small  doses  is  an  efficient  method  for  preventing 
malarial  fever.  This  method  is  especially  adapted  for  use  in  a  farm- 
ing community  where  it  is  not  practicable  economically  to  get  rid  of 
