Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
March,  1903. 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
139 
the  ointment  and  then  weighing  the  same  quantity  of  the  ointment 
base,  or  of  a  mercuric  ointment  of  known  mercury  content ;  the 
difference  in  weight  would  indicate  the  per  cent,  amount  of  mercury. 
For  testing  the  non-volatile  materials,  used  as  adulterants,  such 
as  powdered  slate  or  powdered  coal,  the  same  writer  heats  a  portion 
of  the  ointment  to  redness  in  a  porcelain  dish.  Genuine  mercuric 
ointment  is  completely  volatile. 
Formaldehyde  in  Milk,  test  for.— Manget  and  Marion  (Jour,  de 
Phar.  et  de  Chem.y  1902,  page  532)  say  that  if  a  minute  quantity  of 
amidol  or  diamidophenol  be  sprinkled  on  the  surface  of  the  sus- 
pected milk  it  will  assume  a  bright-yellow  color,  while  pure  milk 
assumes,  after  a  few  moments,  a  salmon  pink.  This  reaction  is  said 
to  be  a  sensitive  one,  as  little  as  1  in  50,000  of  formaldehyde  still 
giving  the  reaction  very  distinctly. 
Sulphurous  Acid  in  dried  fruits.  Marpmann  (Sud.  Deutsch. 
Apothek.  Zeitg.,  1902,  page  881)  gives  the  results  of  a  number  of 
examinations  of  dried  fruits  immediately  after  being  opened,  two 
days  later,  and  also  after  being  exposed  to  the  air  for  eight  days. 
He  also  gives  the  results  of  another  series  of  experiments  before  and 
after  washing  with  water.  Marpmann  concludes  that  the  addition 
of  sulphur  fumes  does  not  injure  the  fruit — on  the  contrary  tends  to 
preserve  it.  By  prolonged  exposure  to  air  or  through  washing  in 
water  it  is  possible  to  eliminate  all  traces  of  the  acid  or  its  salts. 
The  thorough  washing  of  dried  fruits  is  recommended  in  all  cases. 
Fictitious  Mace. — At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Liverpool  Chem- 
ists' Association  Mr.  J.  H.  Wardleworth  (Chem.  and  Drug.,  1902, 
page  1002)  exhibited  a  sample  of  fictitious  mace  which  had  been 
cleverly  treated  with  aniline  dye  to  make  it  resemble  the  genuine. 
This  fictitious  or  Malabar  mace  shows  very  little  difference  in  struc- 
ture microscopically,  but  is  entirely  devoid  of  taste  or  odor. 
Arsenic  in  Potassium  Carbonate. — C.  E.  Carlson  (Phar.  Central- 
halle,  1902,  page  617)  reports  that  a  lot  of  crude  potassium  carbonate 
that  he  examined  contained  appreciable  quantities  of  arsenic.  The 
salt  was  of  German  origin,  and  was  supposedly  obtained  from  the 
wool  washeries.  In  view  of  the  extensive  use  of  potassium  car- 
bonate by  bakers  and  others  the  possible  dangers  are  self-apparent. 
Occurrence  of  Arsenic  in  the  Animal  Organism. — Gautier 
(Compt.  Rend.,  1902,  page  1434)  reports  finding  arsenic  in  various 
organs  and  parts  of  animals,  particularly  in  those  portions  contain- 
