VARIETIES. 
183 
should  give  the  preference,  or  by  the  aid  of  which  one  we  can  obtain  the 
most  satisfactory  results.  M.  Pedrelli  (Giornale  Italiano  delle  Malattie 
Veneri  et  Bulletin  de  Therapeutique),  physician  to  the  Hospital  of  St. 
Ursula,  at  Bologne,  recommends  the  following  formula,  which  has  in  his 
hands  produced  most  excellent  results  in  various  diseases  of  the  skin  (ob- 
stinate syphilides,  lupus,  etc.): — 
Iodide  of  arsenic,  20  centigrammes  ; 
Distilled  water,  120  grammes. 
Dissolve  in  a  glass  vessel  by  the  aid  of  heat,  and  add 
Biniodide  of  mercury,  40  centigrammes; 
Iodide  of  potassium,  3  or  4  grammes. 
Filter  and  preserve  in  a  well  stoppered  and  colored  glass  bottle.  The 
liquor  thus  obtained  is  clear,  and  has  a  light,  pale  tint.  Four  grammes 
of  this  preparation  contain  about  six  millegrammes  of  iodide  of  arsenic, 
and  twelve  of  biniodide  of  mercury.  The  dose  which  he  administers  va- 
ries from  four  to  one  hundred  drops,  given  in  distilled  water,  three  times 
daily.  He  increases  the  dose  each  day  by  one  or  two  drops. — N.  Y.  Med. 
Joum.,  Feb.,  1867. 
Capsicum  in  Delirium  Tremens. — (Medical  Press  and  Circular,  April 
18,  and  June  20,  1866.)  Dr.  Lyons  urges  the  use  of  capsicum  in  from 
twenty  to  thirty  grain  doses  in  the  invasive  stages  of  delirium  tremens. 
He  administers  it  either  in  bolus  or  capsules.  A  simple  dose  sometimes 
produces  profound  and  refreshing  sleeps  and  thus  cuts  short  the  disease. 
Several  cases  are  narrated,  showing  the  beneficial  efficacy  of  the  drug  when 
thus  used.  As  capsicum  belongs  to  the  great  order  of  the  Solanaeese,  Dr. 
Lyons  suggests  the  possibility  of  its  containing  a  narcotic  principle  hitherto 
undiscovered.— N.  T.  Med.  Joum.,  Feb.,  1867. 
The  Preservation  of  Sulphate  of  Iron. — (London  Lancet,  June  9,  1866.) 
Signor  Pavisi  recommends  the  following  method  of  preserving  sulphate  of 
iron  from  oxidation.  Mix  four  parts  of  pure  crystallized  sulphate  of  iron, 
and  an  equal  quantity  of  finely  powdered  gum  arabic,  with  distilled  water, 
and  evaporate  the  solution  in  a  water  bath,  at  a  low  heat,  till  it  has  a  suf- 
ficient consistency  to  be  poured  out  on  plates  of  glass.  When  it  has  been 
poured  out  in  this  way  and  allowed  to  dry  at  a  temperature  of  30°  Cent, 
in  the  dark,  it  may  be  cut  up  into  lozenges,  which  can  be  kept  for  any 
length  of  time  in  a  colored  stoppered  bottle.  A  further  account  of  this 
method  is  published  in  the  Tijdschrift  voor  Wettenschapplijke  Pharm. — K. 
F,  Med.  Joum.,  Feb.,  1867. 
A  Permanent  Mass  for  Pilula  Feiri  Iodidi. — (The  Medical  Press  and 
Circular,  June  6,  1866.)  Iodide  of  iron  being  so  unstable  when  exposed 
to  air,  Mr,  Gross  proposes  the  following  form  for  a  permanent  pill-mass, 
which  may  be  prepared  extemporaneously  : — 
