AmNo°v.I.i?9h3arm-}  Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  547 
This  eminent  specialist  has  kindly  placed  at  my  service  his 
reports1  on  picked  cases  which  he  has  treated,  with  the  oil  in  capsules 
each  containing  10  minims.  He  briefly  summarizes  his  remarks 
thus  :  "  The  oil  possesses  undoubted  therapeutic  powers,  all  the 
patients,  with  one  exception,  acknowledging  much  benefit  from  its 
exhibition.  I  am  told  bv  patients  that  it  is  less  nauseous  to  take, 
repeats  less,  but  is  less  potent  in  its  effects  than  the  copaiba  oil  at 
present  in  the  market  (South  American).  I  have  used  it  in  pros- 
tatic inflammation,  fresh  and  chronic  urethritis,  stricture  and 
pyelitis." 
Reference  has  been  made  in  the  previous  communication  to  the 
crystalline  substance  deposited  from  the  crude  oleoresin,  which  by 
recrystallization  from  petroleum  ether  was  obtained  almost  color- 
less. The  crystals  are  distinctly  acid  to  litmus,  electrical  by  friction 
and  melt  at  1240  C.  The  properties  are  similar  in  many  respects  to 
those  possessed  by  the  oxycopaivic  acid,  separated  by  Fehling  from 
a  deposit  from  the  Para  variety  of  the  oleoresin. 
From  these  experiments  it  will  be  seen  that  in  many  respects  the 
so-called  African  copaiba  corresponds  with  that  imported  from 
South  America,  and  points  to  the  possibility  of  its  being  derived 
from  one  of  the  Copaifera  which  are  known  to  exist  in  tropical  Africa. 
ABSTRACTS  FROM  THE  FRENCH  JOURNALS. 
Translated  for  The  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy. 
The  action  of  nitrohydrochloric  acid  on  carbon  bisulphide  has  been 
studied  by  Schlagdenhauffen  and  Bloch  {Jour,  de  Pharm.  etde  Chim.> 
September,  1893,  p.  241).  A  mixture  of  carbon  bisulphide  with  an 
excess  of  nitrohydrochloric  acid  was  distilled,  when  white  crystals 
were  found  to  have  deposited  on  the  neck  of  the  apparatus, 
becoming  very  abundant  upon  several  redistillations.  These  crystals 
were  very  volatile,  and  upon  increasing  the  heat,  passed  to  the 
receiver,  which  was  cooled  with  a  freezing  mixture.  The  remaining 
acid  liquid  yielded  an  abundant  precipitate  to  barium  chloride, 
while  the  product  of  the  distillation,  deprived  of  acid  by  washing  with 
water,  deposited  upon  spontaneous  evaporation,  white,  volatile  crys- 
tals, possessing  an  irritating,  intolerable  odor ;  they  sublimed  slowly 
1  I  regret  that  the  details  of  the  reports  preclude  their  publication  in  a  phar- 
maceutical paper. 
