xxvi 
Notes  and  News, 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I     August,  1899. 
particularly  suitable.  In  preparing  solutions  of  the  latter  the  presence  of 
alkalies,  as  for  example  bicarbonate  of  sodium,  liquor  ammonise  and  the  like, 
should  be  avoided,  as  otherwise  a  precipitation  of  heroin  occurs.  For  making 
solutions'of  heroin  hydrochloride  for  hypodermatic  use  the  water  should  be 
previously  sterilized  and  allowed  to  partially  cool  before  addition  of  the  drug. 
From  the  clinical  reports  thus  far  published  ( Professors  Eulenburg  and  Leo, 
Drs.  Manges,  Freudenthal,  Strube,  etc.)  it  would  appear  that  the  dose  of  heroin 
and  heroin  hydrochloride  in  adults  varies  from  ^  to  |  grain  for  internal 
administration,  while  for  hypodermatic  use  it  is  recommended  to  begin  with  a 
minimum  dose       grain),  which  is  gradually  increased  if  necessary. 
The  Glucoside  of  Cascara  Sagrada.— In  a  monograph  on  "The  His- 
tory, Pharmacognosy  and  Chemistry  of  Cascara  Sagrada  "  the  authors,  Alfred 
R.  Iv.  Dohme  and  Hermann  Engelhardt,  describe  the  method  whereby  they  suc- 
ceeded in  isolating  a  glucoside  of  the  drug.  They  have  named  the  principle 
purshianin.  It  is  analogous  to  frangulin,  the  glucoside  of  Buckthorn,  in  that  it 
yields  emodin  on  saponification.  It  is  further  described  as  a  dark  brown-red 
crystalline  substance,  melting  at  2370  C,  and  also  as  being  soluble  in  alcohol, 
ethyl  acetate,  acetone,  alkalies  and  hot  water.  The  authors  intend  to  continue 
their  investigations  so  as  to  show  wherein  purshianin  differs  from  frangulin,  or 
to  establish  the  identity  of  these  glucosides. 
Hyai,odendron  Navaijum,  a  new  genus  and  species  of  euplectellid 
sponge. — This  plant  is  described  by  J.  Percy  Moore  (Proceedings  of  the  Academy 
of  Natural  Sciences,  1898),  and  the  following  statement  concerning  its  occur- 
rence accompanies  the  description  :  The  type  of  this  genus  and  species  is  one  of 
a  small  collection  of  silicious  sponges  gathered  in  Japan  in  1893,  by  Mr.  Fred- 
erick Stearns,  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  sent  to  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences 
of  Philadelphia,  for  determination.  They  were  collected  by  native  fishermen 
and  brought  into  Yokohama  harbor  by  the  dredge  boats.  The  single  specimen 
of  Hyalodendron  is  the  only  one  which  had  been  reported  by  the  fishermen. 
Other  than  this,  no  data  relating  to  the  collection  are  available.  The  specimens 
are  accompanied  by  a  set  of  sketches  by  a  native  artist. 
Reaction  for  Vanii^in. — A  very  characteristic  reaction  for  vanillin, 
according  to  Welmans,  is  the  following:  o*i  gramme  of  vanillin  is  dissolved 
in  2  c.c.  concentrated  H2S04,  to  which  o*i  gramme  of  a-naphthol  is  added. 
Upon  agitation  there  develops  a  very  characteristic  bluish-red  coloration.  If 
one  employs  instead  o"i  gramme  /3-naphthol,  there  results  an  emerald  green 
color  changing  to  a  yellowish-red. — Chem.  Zeit.,  1898,  p.  248;  from  Pharm. 
Zeit.,  1898,  634. 
Formic  Acid  of  Ants  — C.  Janet  {Compt.  rend.,  cxxvii,  130)  has  ascertained 
that  in  the  region  of  the  mouth,  ants  secrete  an  alkaline  liquid.  From  the  glands 
in  the  abdominal  region  formic  acid  is  secreted,  which  is  secreted  only  when 
the  ants  are  in  the  act  of  flight.  The  latter  is  neutralized  by  the  former,  which 
is  secreted  by  the  ants  when  undisturbed,  and  is  considered  to  furnish  an 
"  autointoxikation." — Sudd.-Apoth.-Zeit.,  1898,  622. 
AivGAiv  Fi,ora  of  the  Hamburg  Water  Works. — In  a  work  on  this  subject, 
Herr  O.  Strohmeyer  states  that  the  green  algae  — Cladophora,  Spirogyra,  Bn- 
teromorpha,  Stichococcus,  etc. — have  a  very  powerful  effect  in  purifying  water 
