AVa™M872EM'}  Gleanings  from  the  European  Journals ,  209 
identical  with  the  officinal  etherial  oleo-resins,  while  Mr.  Bolton,  from 
the  tastelessness  of  the  residuary  powder,  argues  or  rather  is  inclined 
to  regard  the  two  products  as  representing  the  drugs  in  question. 
The  absence  or  presence  of  odor  and  taste,  however,  are  too  unsafe 
criteria  of  the  medicinal  properties,  since  some  decidedly  active  princi- 
ples, like  santonin,  the  resins  of  jalap  and  scammony,  &c,  are  taste- 
less or  nearly  so,  while  the  experiments  of  Dr.  Bernatzik,*  Mr.  F.  V. 
Heydenreich,f  and  of  E.  A.  Schmidt,j  prove  that  the  volatile  oil  of 
cubebs  has  no  diuretic  properties  whatever,  but  acts  as  a  carminative, 
diffusive  stimulant  and  irritant,  like  most  other  volatile  oils. 
Petroleum  benzine  is  such  an  excellent  solvent,  and  at  the  same 
time  so  low  in  price,  that  its  employment  in  the  place  of  ether  and 
even  alcohol  is  very  desirable  ;  but,  from  all  the  knowledge  we  possess 
thus  far,  based  upon  critical  experiments,  the  substitution  of  the 
liquids  in  question  for  pharmaceutical  preparations  must  be  regarded 
as  inadmissible  until  it  has  been  proven  that  the  proximate  principles 
not  acted  upon  by  the  benzine  are  medicinally  inert :  odor  and  taste 
alone  are  insufficient  to  furnish  this  proof. 
GLEANINGS  FROM  THE  EUROPEAN  JOURNALS. 
By  the  Editor. 
Analysis  of  the  Leaves  of  Periwinkle  ( Vinca  minor,  Lin.) — The 
leaves,  which  are  used  in  France  as  an  anti-lactagogue,  contain,  ac- 
cording to  Stanislas  Martin,  tannin,  extractive,  bitter  resin,  chloro- 
phyll and  wax.  Bisulphide  of  carbon  separates  from  the  powdered 
leaves  the  resin,  which  has  a  very  agreeable  odor. — Bulletin  de  la 
Soc.  roy.  de  Pharm.  de  Brux.,  1872,  Mars.  113. 
A  New  Acid  from  Aloes  was  obtained  by  Prof.  Weselsky,  besides 
orcine,  on  fusing  aloes  with  hydrate  of  potassa.  It  crystallizes 
well  and  shows  characteristic  color  reactions  with  ferric  chloride,  with 
alkalies  in  the  presence  of  oxygen,  and  with  alkaline  hypochlorites 
(purple);  when  heated  its  odor  resembles  coumarin.  Composition, 
C9H10O3.  Fused  with  potassa  until  hydrogen  is  generated,  orcine  is 
produced. — Am.  Akad.  d.  Wiss.  Wien,  1872,  No.  iv. 
*  Amer.  Jour.  Med.  Sc.,  cvii,  534.    Proc.  Amer.  Pharm.  Assoc.,  1868,  194. 
t  Proc.  Am.  Pharm.  Assoc.,  1867,  337.    Amer.  Journ.  Pharm.,  1868,  42. 
X  Amer.  Journ.  Pharm.,  1870,  222. 
14 
