8  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  {Amjan"i8£harm' 
gaultheria,  creasote,  either  alone  or  with  cod-liver  oil,  copaiba,  oil  of 
sandalwood,  apiol,  and  others.  The  capsules  are  filled  with  a  minim 
graduate,  and  then  capped  in  the  way  described  by  Mr.  C. 
Carroll  Meyer,  before  the  College  Meeting  in  December,  1891.1 
The  capsules  referred  to  are  the  familiar  medium-hard,  empty  con- 
tainers, with  removable  caps. 
What  I  wish  to  bring  before  you  now,  however,  is  a  new  capsule 
— an  elastic,  empty  gelatin  capsule,  or  the  so-called  Merz  capsule, 
made  by  the  Merz  Capsule  Co.,  of  Detroit.  These  capsules  are 
ovoid  gelatin  containers,  filled  with  air,  perfectly  elastic  and  claimed 
to  be  as  easily  swallowed  as  an  oyster. 
To  use,  the  directions  are  to  place  them  upon  a  stick  perforated 
with  holes,  remove  tops  with  scissors,  and  fill  with  a  medicine  drop- 
per. The  capsules  are  then  sealed  with  a  hot  solution  of  gelatin, 
made  of  gelatin,  3  parts  ;  glycerin,  2  parts,  and  water,  5  parts  (heated 
in  a  water-bath  until  clear  of  bubbles),  and  allowed  to  harden.  They 
come  in  5,  10,  15,  40  and  75  minim  sizes. 
Personally,  my  experience  with  them  has  not  been  sufficient  to 
warrant  a  positive  opinion  as  to  their  worth  ;  what  experience  I 
have  had,  has  been  limited  and  unfavorable.  The  products  are 
certainly  ingenious  in  design ;  whether  they  will  become  as  accept- 
able for  every-day  practical  use  as  the  older  form  of  empty  capsules, 
remains  to  be  seen.  They  require  much  more  trouble  to  fill,  and  if 
the  increased  work  results  in  better  products,  they  may  find  favor. 
GLEANINGS  FROM  THE  GERMAN  JOURNALS. 
By  Frank  X.  Moerk,  Ph.G. 
Alumnol,  one  of  the  naphthol-sulphonatesof  aluminium,  is  a  fine, 
white,  non-hygroscopic  powder,  easily  soluble  in  cold  water ;  in  hot 
water  solutions  containing  40  or  more  per  cent,  can  be  prepared 
without  separating  the  salt  upon  cooling.  Alumnol  is  not  quite  so 
soluble  in  alcohol,  the  solution  showing  a  beautiful  blue  fluor- 
escence ;  it  is  also  soluble  in  glycerin,  but  is  insoluble  in  ether. 
The  substance  contains  5  per  cent,  aluminium  and  15  per  cent,  sul- 
phur in  form  of  the  sulphonic  group.  Alumnol  possesses  reducing 
properties  as  shown  with  silver  nitrate ;  with  ferric  chloride  even 
in  dilute  solution  a  blue  color  results.    Upon  prolonged  exposure 
American  Jour.  Pharm.,  1892,  p.  17. 
