AnVaT"i§Larm,|   Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  15 
pains.  Fennel  water  75-00,  bismuth  subnitrate  3-00;  lime  water 
6*00;  syrup  of  bitter  orange  15  00.  Give  a  teaspoonful  every  two 
hours.  In  cases  which  resist  this  treatment  the  author  uses  the 
following:  An  infusion  of  columbo,  0  5  or  1  gm.  to  75  gm.  water  ; 
subnitrate  of  bismuth  3  gm.  ;  syrup  of  bitter  orange  15  gm.  Give 
one  or  two  teaspoonfuls  every  two  hours. 
Clarification  by  milk. — /Tannin  solutions,  acid  and  alcoholic, 
particularly  if  containing  a  rather  large  proportion  of  alcohol,  are 
readily  clarified  by  Foulon  (Jour,  de  Phar.  et  de  Chim  ,  Septb., 
1892)  on  the  addition  of  from  3  to  5  gm.  of  milk  to  the  litre  of 
liquid.  By  this  means  the  preparation  of  vinous  syrup  of  cinchona 
is  greatly  facilitated,  the  syrup  being  very  limpid  and  retaining  its 
clearness  for  a  long  time. 
Action  of  formaldehyde  on  coloring  matters. — Trillat  observed 
(Bull,  de  r Assoc.  des  Chim.  de  sucrerie  et  dist.,  July,  1892)  that  this 
compound  (formol)  removes  the  natural  red  color  of  wine,  a  compound 
with  tannin  being  formed,  while  the  decoloration  of  wines  artificially 
colored  is  usually  incomplete;  rosaniline,  for  instance,  assumes  by 
this  treatment  a  characteristic  violet  blue  color.  Formol  may 
therefore  be  employed  for  recognizing  the  presence  of  foreign  color- 
ing matters  in  wine;  and  it  is  also  of  service  in  the  estimation  of 
sugar  in  natural  wine,  since  the  decoloration  produced  does  away 
with  the  treatment  with  animal  charcoal. 
Tincture  of  Rhus  radicans  is  prepared  by  macerating  one  part  of 
the  dry  leaves  in  five  parts  (by  weight)  of  alcohol  of  21  per  cent,  for 
two  weeks,  expressing  and  filtering.  This  tincture  has  been  used 
by  Dr.  Saint-Philippe  of  Bordeaux  with  good  success  in  nocturnal 
incontinence  of  urine,  a  cure  having  been  effected  in  one-third  of 
the  cases  treated,  the  remaining  ones  being  improved.  The  dose  is 
five  drops  morning  and  evening  for  children  from  2  to  6  years,  and 
for  the  latter  age  may  be  gradually  increased  to  40  drops.  The 
medicine  is  readily  tolerated,  producing  only  mild  dypncea  and 
slight  vertigo  in  certain  children.  The  author  adds  that  the  quality 
of  the  medicament  should  be  investigated  in  case  favorable  results 
be  not  obtained. — Jour.  Med.  Chir.  prat.,  1892,  761. 
Drimys  chilensis. — Otto  Witte  has  obtained  from  the  bark  of  this 
plant  a  volatile  oil,  belonging  to  the  group  of  terpenes,  also  a 
crystalline  substance,  apparently  a  camphor. — Boletin  de  Med.  de 
Santiago;  Rev.  internat.  de  Bibliog.  mid.,  1 892,  p.  984. 
