AmjunUe?i89oarm'}  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  295 
hydrate,  washing  and  drying  at  ordinary  temperature)  should  give 
no  blue  or  green  filtrate  ;  absence  of  colophony  or  copaiva  (3)  One 
volume  of  the  oil  with  three  volumes  of  70  per  cent,  alcohol  at  150  C. 
should  give  a  clear  or  only  opalescent  solution  ;  should  a  turbidity 
or  separation  take  place,  the  presence  of  petroleum,  fixed  oils,  other 
volatile  oils  or  larger  quantities  of  colophony  would  be  indicated, 
(4)  The  above  70  per  cent,  alcoholic  solution  mixed  drop  by  drop 
with  y2  volume  of  an  alcoholic  solution  of  lead  acetate  (70  per  cent, 
alcohol  saturated  at  ordinary  temperature  with  lead  acetate)  should 
produce  no  precipitate;  absence  of  colophony  or  similar  resins. 
— E.  Hirschsohn,  Pharm.  Ztschr  f.  Russl.,  1890,  225  and  241. 
Jalap  resin. — Prof.  Fluckiger  accounts  for  the  noticed  decreased 
yield  of  jalap  resin  in  the  last  twenty  years  by  the  partial  extraction 
of  the  resin  by  means  of  alcohol  before  the  jalap  is  placed  upon  the 
market  (Am.  Journ.  Pharm.,  1890,  141).  Bellingrodt  has  observed  no 
diminution  in  the  yield  of  jalap  resin  ;  he  publishes  results  of  assays 
made  in  1851-1854  with  an  average  yield  of  11-58  per  cent,  and  the 
average  for  the  last  thirty  years  he  gives  as  1 1  -6o  per  cent.  E. 
Dieterich  finds  the  yield  for  the  last  two  years  to  have  been  7-1,  7-7, 
6-6  and  8-1  per  cent,  confirming  Fliickiger's  statement.  These  last 
figures  have  reference  to  officinal  resin  and  not  to  total  extract  soluble 
in  alcohol ;  in  the  last  lot  examined  by  him  the  total  amount  soluble 
in  alcohol  was  14  per  cent.,  while  the  officinal  resin  was  only  8-1  per 
cent.    [Helfenberger  Ann.)  Chem.  Ztg.  Rpt.,  1890,  116. 
Pyoktanin,  a  new  antiseptic  introduced  by  E.  Merck,  is  one  of  the 
aniline  dyes  which  for  a  long  time  have  been  known  to  destroy 
bacteria  and  bacillus  of  all  kinds.  The  violet  aniline  dyes  in  solu- 
tions 1  :  30,000  retard  the  growth  of  bacteria  and  in  1  :  2,000  to 
I  :  1,000  prevent  putrefaction.  Two  dyes  are  at  present  put  upon 
the  market,  a  blue  one,  Pyoktanin  caeruleum  and  a  yellozv  one  Pyok- 
tanin  aureum,  the  former  used  for  surgical,  the  latter  for  ophthalmic 
purposes.  Of  each  can  be  obtained,  dusting  powders  1  and  2  per 
cent.,  ointments,  pencils,  pastilles  for  making  solutions,  and  dressings 
I  per  cent.  The  experiments  leading  to  the  discovery  of  the  value 
of  these  preparations  were  made  by  Prof.  Stilling  of  Strassburg. — 
Pharm.  Ztg.y  1890,  261. 
Pengvhawar  Djambi  is  revived  as  a  hemostatic  by  Noltenius  [Provinc. 
Med.  Jour.).    It  is  used  mixed  with  cotton,  in  tampons.    It  is  very  elastic. 
