304  Current  Literature.  {Am'AJP°rii!'  I££.m' 
dose  of  which  is  60  to  180  minims.  Its  use  has  been  reported  in 
cases  where  emetine  has  failed. 
In  the  third  annual  report  of  the  Medical  Research  Committee 
reference  is  made  to  this  drug  by  the  biochemical  department. 
Preparations  of  the  plant  have  given  promising  results,  and  chem- 
ical examination  has  resulted  in  the  isolation  of  two  crystalline 
principles,  both  of  which  are  being  clinically  tested.  (From  The 
Prescribe?.) 
Iodinized  Liquid  Paraffin. — Liquid  paraffin,  as  is  well  known, 
passes  through  the  intestinal  tract  unchanged  and  is  not  absorbed 
into  the  general  circulation.  This  fact  suggested  to  Julius  H. 
Hoelscher  (Therap.  Gas.,  1917,  33,  689;  Oct.)  the  possibility  of 
using  liquid  paraffin  as  a  vehicle  for  drugs  whose  action  it  is  de- 
sired to  confine  to  the  intestine,  such  as  internal  antiseptics,  astrin- 
gets,  vermifuges,  etc.  His  first  experiment  was  with  iodine,  which 
was  dissolved  in  the  oil  in  the  proportion  of  one  grain  to  two  ounces. 
The  mixture  is  of  a  violet  color,  the  iodine  apparently  being  fixed 
by  the  oil.  Several  cases  of  "intestinal  putrefaction"  (the  term 
being  used  for  lack  of  more  descriptive  words  for  such  cases)  were 
treated,  half-ounce  doses  being  given  once  or  twice  daily,  with  satis- 
factory results.  Hoelscher  finds  that  (1)  the  iodine  is  not  absorbed 
into  the  general  circulation  and  cannot  be  detected  in  the  urine ; 
(2)  iodine  can  be  detected  in  the  faeces;  (3)  there  is  no  indication 
of  iodism  or  toxic  effects ;  (4)  the  laxative  effect  of  the  oil  is  nol 
interfered  with.  He  thinks  there  are  great  possibilities  for  a  com- 
bination of  mineral  oil  and  remedies  for  intestinal  parasites 
(chenopodium,  turpentine,  thymol,  etc.),  but  this  calls  for  further 
investigation. 
A  similar  solution  of  iodine  in  liquid  paraffin  is  used  by  R.  T. 
Dobson  {British  Med.  Jour.,  1917,  2,717;  Dec.  1)  as  an  applica- 
tion in  trench  foot.    (From  The  Prescriber.) 
Use  of  Soy  Bean  as  Food. — T.  B.  Osborne  and  L.  B.  Mendel's 
study  shows  that  the  soy  bean  is  relatively  poor  in  calcium  and 
chlorine.  The  addition  of  a  small  amount  of  calcium  carbonate  to  a 
food  in  which  the  soy  bean  was  the  sole  source  of  mineral  con- 
stituents tended  to  stimulate  growth  to  some  extent,  though  not  so 
efficiently  as  the  addition  of  the  more  complex  salt  mixture.  On 
diets  containing  either  the  soy-bean  meal  or  the  commercial  soy- 
