Am  Feb.^Ss™'}  Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  73 
ABSTRACTS  FROM  THE  FRENCH  JOURNALS. 
Translated  for  The  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy.  (} 
Creasote  Pills. — M.  Limbo  {four,  de  Pharm.  et  de  Chim.y  Oct.,  1892} 
recommends  the  following  process  for  these  pills,  by  which  he 
obtains  a  preparation,  having  the  odor  and  taste  of  the  creasote  com- 
pletely masked  :  The  creasote  is  mixed  with  about  twice  its  weight 
of  pulverized  gum  arabic,  and  when  the  liquid  has  been  well 
absorbed  a  few  drops  of  glycerin  are  incorporated  with  the  mass. — 
See  also  Amer.  Jour.  Pharm.,  1889,  p.  559;  1890,  p.  17;  1891,  p. 
291  ;  and  1892,  pp.  189  and  462. 
Antiseptic  properties  of  guaiacol  carbonate:— The  employment  of 
guaiacol  as  a  pulmonary  antiseptic  is  prevented  by  its  caustic  and 
irritant  properties,  and  the  remedy  can  only  be  prescribed  in  small 
doses.  This  is  not  the  case  with  the  guaiacol  carbonate,  which  is  a 
well-defined,  odorless,  tasteless  salt,  insoluble  in  water,  and  has  no 
irritant  action  on  the  mucous  membranes.  It  is  not  toxic  and  acts 
as  an  antiseptic  in  phthisis;  it  is  found  in  the  urine  a  half  hour 
after  its  ingestion. — J.  Brissonnet,  in  Rep.  de  Pharm.,  Oct.,  1892. 
Guaiacol  carbonate  and  creasote  carbonate  in  the  treatment  of  pul- 
monary phthisis, — The  excellent  results  obtained  with  guaiacol  and 
creasote  constitute  these  remedies  true  specifics  for  phthisis.  But 
as  it  is  necessary  to  resort  to  subcutaneous  or  rectal  administration,, 
in  order  to  obtain  the  necessary  doses,  M.  Chaumier  (Bull,  gen* 
de  Therap.,  Dec,  1892,  p.  519,  recommends  the  use  of  the  respec- 
tive carbonates.  He  says  he  has  administered  6  gm.  a  day  of  the 
guaiacol  salt,  while  of  the  carbonate  of  creasote  he  has  given  as. 
much  as  5  gm.  per  day.  The  author  prefers  the  carbonate  of  crea- 
sote to  that  of  guaiacol,  although  the  latter  is  a  solid  and  more 
easily  administered,  because  the  creasote  salt  contains  not  only  the 
carbonate  of  guaiacol,  but  also  the  carbonates  of  the  other  bodies 
present  in  the  creasote. 
Empyreumatic  oil.  of  birch. — By  dry  distillation  of  Bctula  albay 
there  is  obtained  an  empyreumatic  tarry  oil,  known  by  the  name 
"  daggett."  When  rectified  it  furnishes  a  slightly  colored  greenish 
oil,  showing  the  remarkable  property  of  dichroism.  This  is  known, 
in  French  commerce  as  brozun  oil.  The  empyreumatic  oil  is  used 
in  the  manufacture  of  Russian  leather,  which  owes  its  peculiar  odor 
to  the  phenol  present  in  it.    In  medicinal  use  it  discolors  the  skin 
