Am.  Jour.  Pharm.) 
April,  1920.) 
Current  Literature. 
275 
terminal  cell.  The  powdered  leaves  of  0.  majorana  have  been  adul- 
terated with  the  two  last-named,  and  as  they  are  difficult  to  dis- 
tinguish, the  above  characters  may  be  useful.  (Griebel  and  Schaefer, 
Pharm  Ztg.,  64:  p.  784;  through  The  Pharm  Jour.  &  Pharm.,  Mar.  6, 
1920.) 
Active  Principi^KS  oi''  Pituitary  Gland. — A  method  of  pre- 
paring crystalline  residues,  very  active  physiologically,  from  ex- 
tracts of  the  posterior  lobe  of  the  pituitary  gland  is  described  by 
Dudley.  It  consists  in  extraction  of  the  dried  and  powdered  in- 
fundibulum  with  acidulated  water,  treatment  of  the  solution  with 
colloidal  ferric  hydroxide  and  subsequent  continuous  extraction  of 
the  filtrate  with  butyl  alcohol  at  reduced  pressure.  This  extract 
yields  a  crystalline  residue  which  contains  all  the  uterine  stimulant, 
together  with  some  of  the  pressor  principle  and  contaminating  sub- 
stances. Dudley  claims  the  uterine  stimulant  and  histamin  are 
not  indentical,  as  suggested  by  Abel  and  Kubota,  but  are  two  dis- 
tinct chemical  substances.  The  only  point  of  similarity  observed 
is  that  both  are  readily  extracted  from  alkaline  solution  by  butyl 
alcohol.  The  pituitary  uterine  stimulant  is  more  readily  extracted 
from  acid  solution  than  the  pressor  principle.  (From  Jour.  Pharm- 
acology and  Exper.  Therapeutics,  Baltimore;  through  Jour.  Amer. 
Med.  Assoc.,  March  6,  1920.) 
ANTHHiyMiNTic  Action  of  Bknzyl  Alcohol  and  Benzyl  Es- 
ters.— Experiments  were  made  by  Macht  on  both  earthworms  and 
roundworms  of  the  pig  with  benzyl  alcohol,  benzaldehyde,  benzyl 
acetate  and  benzyl  benzoate.  It  was  found  that  all  of  these  drugs 
exerted  a  toxic  effect  on  the  worms  but  not  in  the  same  degree. 
The  least  effective  was  benzyl  benzoate.  Its  weak  action,  however, 
must  be  for  the  most  part  due  to  its  poor  solubility  and  penetrating 
power.  Benzyl  alcohol  was  found  to  be  the  most  powerful  anthel- 
mintic of  the  drugs  studied.  A  0.5  per  cent,  solution  of  it,  and 
even  weaker  solutions,  killed  earthworms  rapidly.  Benzaldehyde 
came  r^ext  in  its  efficiency  and  benzyl  acetate  was  third.  (From 
Jour.  Pharmacology  and  Exper.  Therapeutics,  Baltimore;  through 
Jour.  Amer.  Med.  Assoc.,  March  6,  1920.) 
Toxicology  of  Hydrocyanic  Acid. — Chelle  reports  experi- 
mental research  which  demonstrated  that  hydrocyanic  acid  and  the 
alkaline  cyanides  become  transformed  under  the  influence  of  putre- 
