Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
January,  1920,  ) 
Advances  in  Pharmacy. 
25 
According  to  the  investigator  this  oil  contains  6.25  per  cent,  of  leci- 
thin and  0.5  per  cent,  of  phytosterins.  The  fatty  acids  are  mainly 
linoleic  and  oleic  acids,  and  1.5  per  cent,  of  volatile  fatty  acids. 
It  was  noticed  that  when  the  oil  is  spread  in  a  thin  layer  and  exposed 
to  the  air,  it  quickly  dries  to  a  golden  yellow,  transparent  varnish, 
which  is  insoluble  in  ether.  Therefore,  it  rightfully  belongs  to  the 
class  of  drying  oils. — H.  B.  Wunchendorff,  /.  pharm.  chim.,  1919; 
through  The  Pharm.  Jour,  and  Pharmacist,  Aug.  16,  1919. 
Benzoic  Acid  f'rom  Cows'  Urine. — No  doubt  due  to  the  un- 
settled and  chaotic  conditions  brought  about  by  the  Great  War, 
an  old  source  of  benzoic  acid  has  recently  again  been  made  use  of. 
Since  the  discovery  of  the  possibility  of  making  this  acid  synthetically 
from  toluol,  the  natural  source  does  not  appear  to  have  been  very 
much  encouraged  and  rightly  so  as  cost  of  production  is  a  very 
important  factor  in  manufacturing.  However,  it  has  been  suggested 
by  the  authors  of  this  paper  that  its  manufacture  is  still  commercially 
feasible  in  Canada.  They  found  that  hippuric  acid  equivalent  to 
one  pound  of  benzoic  acid  per  diem  is  obtainable  from  fifteen  cows. 
The  urine  is  acidified  with  hydrochloric  acid  and  cooled  to  0°  C, 
when  the  hippuric  acid  crystallizes  out.  They  believe  this  process 
could  be  profitably  worked  out  in  winter  by  Canadian  dairy  farmers. 
— P.  J.  Moloney  and  F.  T.  Shutt,  Trans.  Roy.  Soc,  Canada,  19 18- 
1919,  31,  12  (3),  149;  through  The  Pharm.  Jour,  and  Pharmacist, 
Aug.  16,  1919. 
Modified  Formula  for  Calomeiv  Prophylactic  Ointment. 
— The  claim  is  made  by  Duret  that  the  following  combination  gives 
a  preparation  of  far  greater  prophylactic  value  against  syphilitic 
exposure  than  the  original  formula  of  Metchnikoff,  which  is  now 
officially  recognized  in  France.    Buret's  formula  is  as  follows: 
Precipitated  Calomel   lo.o 
Crystalline  Magnesium  Chloride   10. o 
vSodium  Bicarbonate   7  .0 
Thymol   0.15 
Camphor   0.35 
Glycerole  vStarch   15  0 
Nut  Oil   15.0 
Anhydrous  Wool-fat   20.0 
Distilled  Water   25  .0 
