128  Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  {Xm£^*$g™' 
ing  the  mass  ;  it  is,  therefore,  best  to  work  at  a  temperature  of  about 
25 °  C.  If  the  powder  to  be  incorporated  is  bulky,  it  might  be  of 
advantage  to  add  cacao  butter,  in  the  proportion  of  two  parts  of 
the  butter  to  one  of  powder. 
(2)  Medicaments  which  are  very  soluble,  are  preferably  incorpo- 
rated with  the  chocolate  in  solution,  taking  care,  of  course,  to  use 
a  vehicle  which  is  not  incompatible  with  the  chocolate.  Santonin 
is  soluble  in  five  times  its  weight  of  chloroform  ;  this  will  liquefy 
the  chocolate,  but  will  be  largely  evaporated  during  the  manipula- 
tion; however,  the  pastilles  will  retain  the  taste  of  chloroform  for 
some  days. 
Another  way  would  be  to  dissolve  the  santonin  in  ten  times  its 
weight  of  cacao  butter  or  in  five  times  its  weight  of  castor  oil.  In 
this  latter  case,  however,  it  would  be  necessary  to  add  some  sugar 
for  maintaining  the  consistence,  and  also  to  mask  the  taste  of  the 
castor  oil,  which  is  stronger  than  that  of  the  chocolate. 
For  the  division  of  the  pastilles  M.  Pequart  uses  two  tubes,  one 
inserted  in  the  other,  the  inner  one  receiving  the  mass,  while  the 
outer  one  serves  as  a  water-bath.  The  mass  is  forced  through  the 
tube  by  means  of  a  piston,  and  as  it  emerges  is  cut  by  one  or  more 
knives  fastened  to  a  beam  worked  by  the  crank  for  driving  the 
piston.  It  is  obvious  that  by  properly  regulating  these  parts,  pas- 
tilles of  a  uniform  weight  and  containing  a  definite  amount  of  the 
medicament  may  be  obtained. — L  Union  pharm.,  Jan.,  1893,  p.  7. 
Chloralose. — This  name  is  proposed  by  Hanriot  and  Richet  for 
a  body  which  they  obtained  from  the  combination  of  chloral  and 
glucose,  and  with  which  they  obtained  excellent  results  as  a  hyp- 
notic. They  are  of  the  opinion  that  M.  Hefter,  who  had  previously 
mentioned  this  substance,  but  who  considered  it  very  toxic,  did  not 
obtain  it  in  a  state  of  sufficient  purity.  For  its  preparation  equal 
quantities  of  anhydrous  chloral  and  dry  glucose  are  mixed  and 
heated  to  ioo°  C.  for  one  hour.  Upon  cooling  treat  the  thick  mass 
with  a  little  water  and  then  with  boiling  ether.  By  removing  the 
ether-soluble  portions,  adding  water  and  distilling  five  or  six  times 
with  water,  until  all  the  chloral  has  been  driven  ofT,  a  residue  is 
obtained,  which  by  successive  crystallizations  is  separated  into  two 
bodies ;  the  first  of  these,  slightly  soluble  in  cold  water,  but  soluble 
in  hot  water  and  alcohol,  is  chloralose,  and  for  the  second,  difficultly 
soluble  even  in  hot  water,  which  is  probably  the  cause  of  its  inac- 
