282 
Editorial. 
J  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\     June  1,  1872. 
on  the  proposed  legislation  relative  to  medical  and  pharmaceutical  legislation. 
Mr.  Roucher  stated  that,  under  certain  circumstances,  Japan  wax  has  two 
fusing  points,  and  that  beeswax  does  not  show  this  phenomenon.  He  likewise 
exhibited  the  results  of  his  investigations  on  digitaline  and  digitine. 
Pharmaceutical  Society  of  Antwerp. — At  the  meeting  held  March  10th, 
the  President,  Mr.  De  Bruyne,  in  the  chair,  and  Mr.  Van  Pelt,  Secretary,  an 
essay,  by  Mr.  Eg.  Daenen,  on  the  preparation  of  Sydenham's  Laudanum,  was 
read,  in  which  the  author  stated  that  the  precipitate  occurring  in  this  prepara- 
tion contains  morphia  and  is  caused  by  the  tannin  of  the  cinnamon.  Chinese 
cinnamon  and  cassia  lignea  contain  a  larger  proportion  of  tannin  and  yield  a 
more  voluminous  precipitate  than  Ceylon  cinnamon.  By  substituting  the  cin- 
namon and  the  cloves  by  a  corresponding  quantity  of  their  volatile  oils,  a  lauda" 
niim  is  obtained  possessing  all  the  essential  properties  of  this  medicine  without 
the  inconveniences.  The  author  likewise  advocates  the  employment  of  an 
opium  or  its  extract,  of  a  definite  morphia  strength. 
A  paper  by  Messrs.  H.  Vande  Yelde  and  Edm.  Van  Melckebeke  was  read, 
treating  of  the  different  processes  that  have  been  proposed  for  making  Blaud's 
Pills,  and  suggesting  the  following  formula:  180  grm.  sulphate  of  iron  and  110* 
grm.  bicarbonate  of  soda  are  powdered,  and  added  to  a  heated  mixture  of  15 
grm.  water  and  5  grm.  glycerin.  When  the  disengagement  of  carbonic  acid 
has  ceased,  remove  from  the  fire,  add  35  grm.  honey,  and  incorporate  afterwards 
25  grm.  gum  Arabic  and  2  grm.  tragacanth,  previously  mixed:  make  into  pills 
weighing  25  centigrm.  each.* 
The  Austrian  Apothecaries'  Association  contemplates  publishing  a  hand, 
book  of  pharmaceutical  chemistry,  the  author  of  which  is  Dr.  Godeffroy,  the 
chemist  of  the  Association.  The  work,  which  is  completed  in  manuscript,  aims 
to  treat  exhaustively  of  all  chemicals  of  importance  in  pharmacy,  their  mode 
of  preparation,  purification  and  examination. 
iffMtorial  Department. 
Our  Journal  appears  this  month  for  the  fourth  time  with  the  edges  trimmed 
—an  innovation  which  it  was  proposed  to  have  commenced  with  the  beginning 
of  the  volume.  During  these  four  mouths  we  have  had  many  approving  com 
ments  on  the  course  adopted,  while  but  three  complaints  have  been  made  con- 
cerning it,  and  all  three  based  upon  the  supposition  that  so  much  had  been 
clipped  off  as  to  leave  less  margin  in  the  bound  volumes  than  heretofore.  We 
take  occasion  to  refer  those  of  our  readers  who  may  have  a  similar  impression, 
to  page  42  of  last  year's  volume,  where  information  was  given  that  the  printed 
matter  of  each  page  has  been  widened  and  lengthened,  while  the  size  of  the 
paper  remaining  as  before,  less  margin  is  left  in  the  fourth  series  of  our  Jour- 
nal, which  is  now  trimmed  as  close  to  the  edges  as  possible. 
*For  other  formulas  lor  the  same  pills,  see  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1871,  pa^en  307 
373,  471. 
