206 
Varieties. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I      April,  1885. 
VARIETIES. 
Amyl  nitrite  as  an  anidote  to  strychnine  is  recommended  by  Dr. 
H.  O.  Hare.  It  cannot  be  used  by  inhalation,  but  must  be  given  in  such 
quantities  and  at  such  times  that  its  full  physiological  action  be  present 
constantly  ;  it  is  useful  only  for  tiding  over  the  patient  until  more  persist- 
ent antidotes  can  be  administered. — Bost.  Med.  and  Surg.  Jour.,  Nov.  20, 
1884. 
PiCROTOXiN  was  used  by  Dr.  Cauldwell  for  the  relief  of  phthisical  night 
sweats,  and  was  found  to  be  by  fat  the  best  remedy.  The  dose  recom- 
mended by  Ringer  and  Murell,  gi'ain,  being  too  small,  he  gave  to  j\ 
grain  in  one  dose  at  bedtime,  to  be  repeated  at  midnight,  if  necessary. 
Success  was  invariable,  and  there  were  no  disagreeable  results.— *S'/'.  Louis 
Med.  and  Surg.  Jour.,  Nov.,  1884;  N.  Y.  Med.  Jour. 
Rhigolene,  a  ver\^  volatile  hydrocarbon  of  petroleum  boiling  at  about 
70°  F  ,  is  noticed  in  several  medical  journals  as  a  new  local  ansesthetic.  It 
was  introduced  and  recommended  for  this  purpose  by  Dr.  Henry  J.  Bigelow 
in  a  paper  read  before  the  Boston  Society  for  Medical  Improvement,  April 
9,  1866,  and  somewhat  earlier,  "  kerosolene  "  was  similarly  employed  by 
Prof.  Simpson  of  Edinburgh.    See  Anier.  Jour.  Phar.  1866,  p.  363. 
Use  of  Oii^  of  Peppermint  and  Menthol.— Dr.  Brame  states  that  oil 
of  peppermint  gives  immediate  relief  of  the  pain  in  burns  if  applied  after 
immersing  the  parts  burned  in  water  {Lancet).  The  itching  of  urticaria 
and  mosquito  bites  is  said  to  be  much  alleviated  by  the  application  of  men- 
thol.— Cine.  Lane,  and  Clinic. 
New  An.ksthetic  Compound. — An  experimental  and  clinical  study  on 
a  new  method  of  producing  anjesthesia  is  the  subject  of  a  work,  recently 
published,  from  the  pen  of  M.  Colombel.  A  combination  of  atropine  (two 
centigrams),  morphine  (twenty  centigrams),  and  chloroform  (twenty 
grams),  is  the  mixture  recommended.  Some  of  the  surgeons  at  Lyons 
speak  very  favorably  of  its  use. — Lancet,  Oct.  25,  1884;  Quarterly  Ther. 
Review. 
OiD  OF  Thyme. — Camperdon  {Bull.  gen.  de  therapeut.)  arrives  at  the  fol- 
lowing deductions  :  1.  In  therapeutical  doses  (three  to  fifteen  grains),  oil  of 
thyme  causes  mental  excitement  or  stimulation  ;  hence  it  is  a  valuable 
diffusible  stimulant  in  depression  following  anaemia,  in  conditions  of  col- 
lapses, etc.  2.  It  is  an  active  diaphoretic  and  diuretic.  3.  From  its  direct 
action  upon  mucous  surfaces  it  is  to  be  recommended  in  catarrhal  affections 
of  the  respiratory  and  genito-urinary  tracts.  4.  It  is  a  prompt  hsemostatic. 
5.  Thyme  possesses  powerful  antiseptic  proj^erties,  and  is  well  adapted  for 
use  in  surgery.  6.  It  is  recommended  that  the  internal  administration  of 
the  drug  be  supplemented  by  its  employment  in  the  form  of  baths,  fumi- 
gations and  inhalations.— A^e?^'  York  Medical  Journal. 
