Am.  Jour.  Pharnx.  ) 
January,  1920.  ) 
Current  Literature. 
57 
odorless,  very  bitter,  long  needles;  melting  at  137°  Corr.;  [a]^ 
42.97°.  It  is  very  soluble  in  water  and  in  alcohol,  sparingly  soluble 
in  acetone  and  in  acetic  ether.  It  does  not  reduce  Fehling's  reagent 
until  hydrolyzed.  This  occurs  when  it  is  heated  with  dilute  sul- 
phuric acid  and  on  contact  with  emulsin.  The  glucoside  is  accom- 
panied in  the  plant  by  a  considerable  amount  of  glucose.  The  method 
by  which  it  is  separated  is  fully  described.  (E.  Bourquelot  and  M. 
Bridel,  /.  pharm.  chtm.,  20:  81,  118,  1919;  from  The  Pharm.  Jour, 
and  Pharmacist,  Sept.  13,  1919.) 
Substitute  i^or  Senna  IvEavES. —  Since  the  beginning  of  19 17 
large  quantities  of  so-called  Palthe  senna  leaves  have  been  imported 
into  Germany  from  Switzerland.  They  have  been  identified  as  the 
leaves  of  Cassia  auriculata  L.,  and  are  readily  distinguished  from 
senna  leaves  by  the  rounded  and  not  tapering  apex.  It  is  remarkable 
that  they  contain  no  oxymethylanthraquinones  and  are  free  from 
laxative  action.  With  Borntrager's  reaction  (shaking  an  infusion 
with  petroleum  benzine,  separating  and  shaking  the  benzine  with 
ammonia)  a  yellow  coloration  of  the  ammonia  is  produced,  whereas 
with  genuine  senna  leaves  a  rose  color  is  obtained.  {Pharm.  Ztg., 
64:  242;  from  The  Pharm.  Jour,  and  Pharmacist,  Sept.  6,  1919.) 
Microscopical,  Detection  of  Rhapontic  Rhubarb. —  Mount  a 
little  of  the  powdered  drug  in  water,  wash  three  times  by  irrigation 
with  more  water,  finally  removing  as  much  of  the  water  as  possible; 
then  allow  a  mixture  of  100  parts  of  50  per  cent,  aqueous  solution 
of  potash  with  5  parts  of  100  volume  perhydrol  to  flow  on,  and  allow 
the  preparation  to  stand  for  thirty  minutes.  Particles  of  the  rha- 
pontic powder  will  then  have  assumed  an  intense  blue  color,  ap- 
parently due  to  a  grandular  precipitate,  while  the  particles  of  other 
rhubarbs  are  colorless,  or  orange-rose,  or  quite  exceptionally  red- 
dish violet,  but  never  blue  and  granular. — C.  Winimer  {Pharm. 
Post;  through  Pharm.  Ztg.,  64:  348 ;  through  T/j^  Pharm.  Jour,  and 
Pharmacist,  Sept.  6,  19 19.) 
Stain  for  Tuberci^E  Bacilu.— Gasbarrini  has  long  contended 
that  the  acids  used  to  decolor  the  bacilli  with  the  usual  technic  are 
too  powerful  and  detract  from  the  effect.  To  avoid  this  he  uses 
methylene  blue  in  excess  in  a  solution  of  40  Cc.  lactic  acid  in  i6o  pc. 
distilled  water,  and  adds  to  this  at  the  time  of  using  four  parts  of 
