122 
Varieties. 
JAm.  Jour.  Phann. 
t       Feb.,  1884. 
Convallaria  Majalis. — Dr.  W.  S.  Gottheil,  House  Physician  of  Char- 
ity Hospital,  New  York,  contributes  to  the  "  Therapeutic  Gazette  "  for  Jan- 
uary, 1884,  a  detailed  account  of  his  use  of  convallaria  majalis  in  fifteen 
cases,  comprising  organic  heart  disease,  cardiac  failure  in  acute  rheuma- 
tism, hemorrhages  or  phthisis,  and  one  case  of  Bright's  disease.  The 
results  would  seem  to  justify  a  thorough  trial  at  the  hands  of  the  profes- 
sion of  this  proposed  substitute  for  digitalis.  It  possesses  the  very  impor- 
tant negative  property  of  producing  no  cumulative  effect,  a  desideratum 
which  has  been  long  felt  by  the  profession. 
Examination  of  Fats.  By  K.  Zulkowsky.— Groger's  modification 
("  Dingl.  polyt.  J.,"  1882  [244],  303,  and  [246],  286)  of  Haussmann's  method 
(ibid.  [240],  62)  of  testing  fats  depends  on  the  fact  that  fatty  acids  are  at 
once  saponified  by  alcoholic  potash,  whereas  neutral  fats  are  only  saponi- 
fied on  boiling. 
Phenolphthalein  is  added  to  an  alcoholic  solution  of  the  fat,  and  stan- 
dard alcoholic  potash  dropped  in  until  the  red  coloration  disappears. 
Excess  of  standard  potash  is  then  added,  the  mixture  boiled  for  half  an 
hour,  and  the  excess  of  alkali  determined  volumetrically.  In  this  way  the 
amount  of  fatty  acids  and  of  neutral  fats  is  ascertained. 
The  author  points  out  that  the  quantity  of  fat  saponified  by  a  litre  of  the 
normal  alkali  gives  a  clue  to  the  nature  of  the  fat,  and  would  for  example 
distinguish  between  artificial  and  natural  butter. 
The  amount  of  glycerol  in  fats  can  be  estimated  in  this  way,  each  cc.  of 
normal  alkali  required  to  saponify  the  neutral  fat  corresponding  with 
0-030667  gram  of  glycerol. 
If  the  fat  is  dry  and  pure,  then7the  weight  of  neutral  fat  F  —  G  [G  = 
(0'012667v)]  =  the  amount  of  fatty  acids,  when  v  =  the  cc.  of  standard 
potash  used. 
The  molecular  weight  of  the  fatty  acid  can  also  be  ascertained. — Jour 
Chem.  Soc,  Oct.,  1883;  Ber.,  16,  1140. 
Fetid  and  Sweating  Feet — Dr.  A.  M.  Vail  ("Jour.  Am.  Med.  Ass.," 
Nov.  3,  1883)  says  that  he  has  never  known  the  following  to  fail : 
R    Aluminii  et  ammon  sulph.  exsic   grs.  2 
Acidi  boracici   grs.  2 
Aquae  rosse   grs.  35 
M.  Sig.— Apply  with  soft  sponge  without  rubbing,  just  as  soon  as  the 
shoes  and  stockings  are  removed,  while  the  feet  are  yet  moist.  This  is 
quite  necessary,  as  also  the  care  not  to  rub. 
Let  this  be  repeated  every  two  or  three  days,  in  the  evening. 
Distillation  of  Wine.  By  S.  Kiticsan. — The  author  having  repeated 
Xiiebermann's  experiments  ("Ber."  [15],  154,  438,  2554)  on  the  distillation 
of  wine,  finds  that  the  distillate  contains  ammonia  and  formic  acid,  and 
that  the  precipitate  produced  on  addition  of  silver  nitrate  contains  organic 
silver  salts;  Wartha's  method  ("Ber."  [15],  437)  for  detecting  sulphurous 
acid  in  wines  is  therefore  untrustworthy.  Old  wines  contain  from  0"0057 — 
€•034  per  cent,  of  ammonia,— Jour.  Chem.  Soc.,  Oct.,  1883;  Ber.,  16,  1189. 
