82  Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  {AFebJruar^i899m* 
alcohol ;  this  turns  brown  and  changes  to  violet  upon  the  addition 
of  phosphorus  trichloride. — Bull.  Soc.  roy.  Pharm.  Brux ,  1898. 
ASSAY  OF  SPIRITUS  CAMPHORS. 
Eschenburg  proceeds  (Zeitsch.  Allg.  Oest.  Apoth.  Ver.y  1898,  668) 
using  a  medicine  as  follows:  Mix  50  grammes  of  the  spirit 
of  camphor  with  200  grammes  water,  and  add  45  grammes  benzin 
(0-716).  The  solution  has  a  specific  gravity  of  0739  at  130,  cor- 
responding to  a  10  per  cent,  solution  of  camphor  in  benzine.  Sub- 
stituting petroleum  ether  the  solution  had  a  specific  gravity  of 
0-673  at  1 50,  showing  again  an  increase  of  0-222. 
PLANT  ASHES. 
A  useful  paper  on  the  percentage  of  ash  in  various  drugs,  published 
by  Hockauf  (Zeitschr.  d.  allgem.  Oest.  Apoth.-Vex.y  1898,  p.  49). 
The  following  are  the  results  of  some  of  the  best-known 
plants : 
Total.  Insoluble. 
Belladonna  leaves  10-5-15-0  -08-2-15 
Stramonium  20-3  -21*3  2-4 
Senna  10  0  -11*4  -4  -  i*8 
Indian  hemp  13*0  -14*0  1-73 
Santal  wood    2*0  — 
Pimenta   3-9  '03 
Coriander   6-85  n 
Cascarilla   8-00-24-6  *i  -  6-5 
Male  fern   1-4-3-0  *i  -  -5 
Licorice   3 '6  — 
Jalap   4-1-6-0  -2-0-5 
Ipecacuanha   2"    -  5  3  1*3 
Digitalis   7'1  -IO'2     .  #I  "  r9 
Coca   5"o  -ii*5  '3  -  2*0 
Conium   8*o  -12*0  — 
Saffron   5-1  -  6'i  — 
Cubebs   5-9-8-0  -1-0-4 
Anise  iro  -43-  3  '6  -32-8 
Nux  vomica   2-0-8-40  -5-2-0 
Cinchona   i"8  -  6*o  -1-1-85 
Calumba   5-4-8-0  -2-3-0 
Gentian   4"°  -14'0  — 
Belladonna  root   "3  -13*7  — 
Catechu   2-2-5-9  .1  -  i'6 
THE  CONFERVA  AT  NERIS-LES-BAINS. 
M.  P.  Carles  (Bull.  Soc.  Pharm.,  Bordeaux,  1898,  262)  describes 
the  handsome  cryptogams  that  grow  around  the  basin  of  a  warm 
