274 
Varieties. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
t    June  1,1872. 
different  combinations,  in  which  it  is  firmly  held.  This  we  may  see, 
as  mentioned  already  in  my  u  Contributions  to  Toxicological  Chemis- 
try," in  the  difficult  behavior  of  flies  .towards  various  solvents.  Can- 
tharides  with  about  0  8  per  cent,  of  cantharidin  yield  to  water,  even 
after  repeated  boiling  with  fresh  portions  of  the  same,  only  about  half 
of  their  cantharidin,  while  the  remainder  is  only  yielded  to  potassa 
lye.  In  the  same  manner,  alcohol,  chloroform,  and  ether,  dissolve 
only  oO  per  cent,  of  the  blistering  substance.  If  all  the  cantharidin 
is  to  be  extracted,  bases  like  potassa  or  soda  must  be  employed,  which 
form  easily  soluble  salts  with  the  cantharidin.  Together  with  Masing, 
I  demonstrated  years  ago  that  the  salts  thus  formed  are  energetic  blis- 
tering agents.  During  the  past  two  years,  reference  has  occasionally 
been  made  to  our  observation,  especially  by  Delpech  and  Guichard,, 
recommending  the  cantharidates  of  soda  and  potassa  as  vesicants. 
Without  alluding  to  this  further,  I  would  say  that  by  the  aid  of 
soda  or  potassa  the  entire  amount  of  cantharidin  contained  in  the 
flies  may  be  rendered  active.  The  finely-powdered  flies  are  mixed  to 
a  paste  with  diluted  alkaline  lye  of  about  1-1  sp.  gr.,  heated  in  water 
bath  for  25  to  30  minutes,  when  sufficient  muriatic  acid  is  added,  to 
have  a  trifling  surplus  of  the  same,  and  the  whole  mass  is  dried  rap- 
idly in  the  water-bath.  The  residue,  which  we  may  call  "  prepared 
cantha rides,"  is  powdered  anew  and  employed  for  the  preparation  of 
the  plaster,  or  for  the  extract  with  acetic  ether  for  use  upon  tissue. 
The  small  quantity  of  potassium  or  sodium  chloride  present,  is  in  no 
case  injurious.  The  cantharidin  is  now  present  in  the  mixture  in  a 
free  state.  In  a  drug  store  in  this  city,  where  my  proposition  has 
been  followed,  no  complaints  have  been  made  about  the  preparation. 
Even  for  the  preparation  of  the  pure  catharidin,  the  above  men- 
tioned process  is  worthy  of  attention.  As  I  mentioned  before,  ether, 
alcohol,  etc.,  dissolve  from  the  cantharides,  not  "  prepared,"  only  a 
fraction  of  the  cantharidin  present. — Pharmacist  and  Chemical  Rec- 
ord, April,  1872. 
iJarictics, 
Qundurango  by  its  Friends. — Through  the  kindness  of  Dr.  John  S.  Perkins, 
of  this  city,  we  have  been  put  in  possession  of  some  very  interesting  letters 
from  persons  whose  names  appear  on  Bliss,  Keene  <fc  Co's  certificates.  The 
letters  (five  in  number)  do  not  seem  to  be  very  commendatory  of  the  drug. 
Two  of  them  from  medical  men  deny  ever  giving  any  testimonials  of  its  virtue 
