GLEANINGS  FROM  FOREIGN  JOURNALS. 
139 
It  is  highly  important,  that  in  so  active  a  substance  as  the 
active  principle  of  colocynth,  the  nature  of  the  substance  em- 
ployed should  be  well  understood  and  not  liable  to  vary.  The 
pure  principle  of  Walz  requires  too  complicated  a  process,  and, 
with  the  exception  of  Mouchon's  article,  made  by  Mr.  Shivers, 
we  are  not  well  informed  of  the  nature  and  mode  of  preparation. 
It  is,  therefore,  believed  that  apothecaries  will  do  right  to 
adopt  Mouchon's  colocynthin  as  an  active,  uniform,  and  easily 
obtainable  representation  of  colocynth.  Mr.  Shivers  informs 
me  that  in  doses  of  two  grains  it  has  acted  powerfully,  and  we 
believe  in  half-grain  doses,  associated  with  calomel  and  other 
agents,  it  is  an  effective  aperient. 
GLEANINGS  FROM  FOREIGN  JOURNALS. 
Purification  of  Amylie  Alcohol. — By  M.  Kirsch.  (Neues  Rep. 
fur  Phar.)  The  oil  of  potato  spirit  (fusel  oil)  contains  ordi- 
narily 70  to  80  per  cent,  of  amylic  alcohol,  and  from  20  to  30 
per  cent,  of  alcohol.  It  is  commonly  purified  by  washing  it  first 
with  water  and  afterwards  distilling  it,  collecting  the  product 
only  after  the  boiling  point  of  amylic  alcohol  269°  F.  is  attained. 
This  process  involves  considerable  loss,  which  the  author 
avoids  in  the  following  manner  :  the  crude  oil  is  agitated  with 
water  saturated  with  salt ;  three  or  four  operations  appear  suffi- 
cient for  eliminating  the  greater  part  of  the  alcohol.  It  is  then 
mixed  with  three  or  four  times  its  volume  of  water,  and  distilled 
with  a  naked  fire  or  steam,  as  in  rectifying  a  volatile  oil ;  the 
alcohol  is  all  thus  abstracted  by  the  water  from  the  amylic  al- 
cohol. The  product  consists  of  two  liquids,  the  upper  oily  one 
being  the  amylic  alcohol,  which  is  separated  mechanically  by  a 
funnel  in  the  usual  manner  (Jour,  de  Pharm.,  Dec.  1861.) 
Manufacture  of  Quinine — M.  Clark,  suggests  the  prepara- 
tion of  quinia,  by  submitting  cinchona  to  ebullition  with  water 
containing  muriatic  or  sulphuric  acid,  then  treating  the  decoc- 
tion with  an  alkaline  carbonate  as  long  as  it  forms  a  precipitate, 
adding  a  small  quantity  of  stearic  acid,  and  boiling.  The  fat  acid 
fuses  and  floats  on  the  surface ;  little  by  little  the  quinia  and 
cinchonia  unite  with  it  and  form  an  insoluble  soap  whilst  the  pre- 
cipitate blackens.     When  cool  the  stearate  solidifies  and  is  re- 
