6oo  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  {Am-Dec.a£i.arm" 
alcohol,  dissolving  in  water,  and  extracting  the  alkaloids  by  agitation 
with  chloroform  (Pictet)  or  benzol  (crystallized) ;  a  more  recent  pro- 
cess depends  upon  the  precipitation  of  the  alkaloids  (no  reagent  or 
precipitant  is  mentioned.  F.  X.  M.),  and  extracting  the  tuberculo- 
cidinum  from  this  precipitate  with  water ;  by  this  process  its 
properties,  such  as  being  precipitated  by  absolute  alcohol  and 
ammonium  sulphate,  also  its  physiological  action,  and  its  behavior 
towards  albuminoidal  reagents,  are  not  impaired.  The  use  of  this 
substance  is  harmless;  it  does  not  produce  fever,  and  speedily 
shows  an  improvement  in  the  condition  of  the  patients ;  the  hectic 
fever  and  night-sweats  disappear,  the  appetite  increases,  the  catarrhal 
process  in  the  lungs  with  its  symptoms,  cough  and  expectoration,  is 
noticeably  arrested,  the  bacilli  in  the  expectoration  become  granular 
and  the  portions  capable  of  absorbing  dyes  become  smaller  and 
smaller,  and  finally  disappear  entirely.  In  some  thirty  patients  treated 
no  objectionable  symptoms  could  be  discovered ;  to  thoroughly 
test  its  action,  a  number  of  physicians  have  been  supplied  with  the 
remedy. — Dcutsch.  Med.  Wocliensclir.; ,  Pharm.  Ztg.,  1 891 ,  700. 
Eserine  salicylate  is  readily  made  from  the  sulphate  by  the  following 
process :  100  parts  eserine  sulphate  are  dissolved  in  a  suitable 
quantity  of  water,  and  an  excess  of  a  solution  of  sodium  bicarbonate 
added  and  agitated  with  several  portions  of  absolute  ether  ;  the 
ethereal  solutions  are  filtered  into  a  beaker  containing  35-5  parts 
salicylic  acid  dissolved  in  ether,  thoroughly  mixed  and  the  eserine 
salicylate  collected  upon  a  filter,  washed  with  absolute  ether  and 
dried,  protected  from  sun-light  and  air.  Any  excess  of  salicylic  acid 
that  may  have  been  present,  is  removed  by  the  washing  with  ether ; 
the  theoretical  quantity  of  the  salicylate  is  106-5  parts;  in  practice 
this  is  a  little  too  high.  The  success  of  this  method  depends  upon  rapid 
manipulation  and  preventing  exposure  to  sun-light,  otherwise  the 
salt  obtained  will  be  of  a  red  color  due  to  the  decomposition  of 
eserine  and  formation  of  rubeserine  ;  washing  the  crystals  with  alco- 
hol will  remove  any  red  color  but  with  loss  of  eserine  salicylate. 
P.  Birkenwald,  Pharm.  Ztschr.  f.  Russl.,  1891,  637. 
Phenerythen,  the  red  coloring  substance  of  carbolic  acid,  has  been 
more  thoroughly  examined  by  its  discoverer,  E.  Fabini ;  it  forms, 
when  pure,  an  amorphous,  resinous,  odorless  and  tasteless,  dull  black 
powder,  having  the  composition  C30H30NO  and  melting  at  98  °C; 
