414 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
( Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I  September,  1903. 
some  extent  in  solutions  of  from  o-oi  to  o-i  per  cent.  (Phar.  Centralh., 
l9°3>  Page  3°3»  ^rom  les  Nov.  Rem.) 
Hyoscyamus  Muticus. — As  a  direct  result  of  the  published  investi- 
gations into  the  composition  of  this  plant  the  Pharmaceutical  Journal 
(r903»Page  585)  records  the  importation  and  sale  of  several  bales  of 
Hyoscyamus  muticus,  presumably  to  manufacturers  of  hyoscyamine, 
which  alkaloid  has  been  demonstrated  to  be  present  in  unusually 
large  quantities. 
Ichthyol  Applications  in  Smallpox. — A  Siberian  physician,  Dr. 
Kolbassensko  (quoted  by  Sud-Deut.  Apoth.  Zeitg.,  1903,  page  439) 
recommends  the  application  of  ichthyol  or  thyol,  to  prevent  the 
progress  of  this  disease.  He  ascribes  the  reported  favorable  results 
entirely  to  the  black  color,  on  the  theory  that  the  development  and 
progress  of  smallpox  is  largely  dependent  on  the  chemically  active 
rays  of  the  spectrum. 
Iodeugenol. — A  preparation  somewhat  similar  to  aristol,  made  by 
allowing  iodine  to  react  with  eugenol  in  an  alkaline  solution.  It  is 
described  as  being  a  yellowish  powder  having  a  slight  odor  of 
eugenol.  Iodeugenol  is  insoluble  in  water  but  freely  soluble  in 
ether,  fatty  oils  and  solution  of  sodium  hydrate.  It  is  said  to  be  a 
more  efficient  disinfectant  than  aristol.  [Phar.  Zeitg.,  1903,  page  487.) 
Manganese  Saccharate  and  Syrup  of  Manganese. — The  following 
formula  for  this  appears  in  one  of  the  recent  pharmaceutical  journals 
(Sud-Deut.  Apoth.  Zeitg.,  1903,  page  298) : 
Dissolve  87  grammes  potassium  permanganate  in  from  4  to  5 
liters  of  hot  water,  allow  to  cool  to  about  300  C.  and  pour  into  a 
mixture  of  250  grammes  of  syrup  with  I  liter  of  water.  After  com- 
plete reduction  of  the  permanganate,  the  resulting  magma  is  washed 
with  irom  6  to  8  liters  of  a  I  per  cent,  solution  of  sugar,  and  final  y 
strained  and  pressed  to  free  it  from  an  excess  of  water,  then  add 
about  an  equal  weight  of  sugar;  finally  add  a  solution  of  7  5 
grammes  of  sodium  hydrate  in  30  grammes  of  distilled  water  and 
allow  to  stand  for  about  twelve  hours  at  about  200  C. ;  finally  dilute 
the  whole,  with  distilled  water,  to  weigh  1,500  grammes.  The 
syrup  contains  about  2  per  cent,  of  manganese. 
Methyl  Acetyl  Salicylate — Methyl  Aspitin,  has  been  recommended 
as  an  anti-rheumatic.  Methyl  aspirin  occurs  as  colorless,  insoluble 
crystals  in  water,  but  soluble  in  alcohol,  glycerin,  chloroform  and 
the  fatty  oils.    It  is  not  decomposed  by  dilute  acids,  but  is  readily 
