464  Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  {AmsJe°Putr;Sarm- 
A  syncopal  condition  was  constantly  threatened.  Reflexes  and  sen- 
sibility normal.  These  symptoms  continued  for  'three  hours,  when 
they  gradually  subsided.  On  the  next  day  the  man  had  a  violent 
cephalalgia. — Nouv.  Rem.,  July  8. 
Variability  of  Medicinal  Strength  in  Extracts. — In  a  paper 
upon  this  subject  read  before  the  Societe  de  Therapeutique  and 
reported  in  Nouveaux Remedes,  July  24, 1 89 1 ,  M .  Patein  formulates  the 
following  conclusions  :  In  order  to  remedy  the  irregularity  of  action  of 
the  present  officinal  preparations  we  must  take  care  :  (1)  To  employ 
for  pharmaceutical  uses  only  those  plants  which  contain  a  propor- 
tion of  active  principles  which  has  been  officially  determined.  (2) 
To  conserve  only  those  officinal  preparations  in  which  the  active 
principles  of  the  plants  employed  have  undergone  but  slight  altera- 
tions and  which  correspond  to  an  official  standard.  (3)  To  employ 
only  those  active  principles  of  plants,  or  those  chemical  products  by 
synthesis,  which  have  a  determined  elementary  composition,  and 
which  respond  to  certain  processes  of  chemical  and  physiological 
identification  which  have  been  officially  formulated. 
Massive  Injections  of  Creasotized  Oil. — In  a  communication  to 
La  Societe  de  Dermatologie  (reported  in  La  Rev.  a"  hyg.  and  L  Union 
pilar.,  July,  1891),  Dr.  Burlureaux  has  constructed  an  apparatus  by 
which,  with  the  aid  of  compressed  air,  he  makes  hypodermic  injec- 
tions of  "  50  to  100,  and  even  200  gm.  of  creasotized  oil  (1  in  14 
parts),  equal  to  3  to  14  gm.  of  creasote."  "  It  is  very  evident,"  says 
the  latter  journal,  "  that  a  massive  dose  of  creasote  thrown  into 
the  blood  must  singularly  inconvenience  the  bacilli."  During  the 
administration  of  these  doses,  the  author  nourishes  the  patients  by 
injections  of  a  pure  oil.  At  a  single  sitting  he  has  thus  injected 
320  gm.  of  the  latter. 
"  Poudre  de  Pistoia." — This  preparation,  made  in  a  convent  of 
Pistoia  is  one  of  the  most  renowned  of  the  remedies  for  gout.  It 
is  sold  in  boxes  containing  365  powders  (for  30  francs),  of  which 
one  is  to  be  taken  daily  in  hot  infusion,  or  even  a  glass  of  cold 
water,  the  ingestion  of  the  medicament  to  be  followed  by  bodily 
exercise.  M.  Chastaing  has  lately  analyzed  the  powder  and  the 
result,  as  follows,  was  given  to  the  Paris  Society  of  Pharmacy: 
Colchicum  (bulbs),  20  per  cent.;  bryonia  root,  10  per  cent.; 
betonica,  50  per  cent.;  gentian,  10  per  cent.;  chamomile  flowers, 
10  per  cent.;  the  whole  to  be  finely  pulverized;  daily  dose  2  to 
