Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
December,  1915. 
}  Advances  in  Materia  Medica  and  Pharmacy.  565 
Magnesium  Glycerophosphate  in  Tetanus. — Magnesium 
glycerophosphate  is  said  to  be  very  efficient  in  the  treatment  of 
tetanus ;  in  fact,  far  superior  to  the  sulphate.  It  acts  immediately, 
and  the  severest  spasms  rapidly  subside  under  it,  while  in  the  moder- 
ately severe  cases  10  mils  of  a  25  per  cent,  solution  every  three  or 
four  hours  keep  the  convulsions  under  control  and  the  patient  free 
from  nearly  all  pain.  Six  or  eight  injections  of  the  solution  have 
been  given  for  days  at  a  time  without  the  least  harm  to  the  patient. 
The  pulse  does  not  alter  under  this  dose,  and  tests  on  animals  have 
shown  that  the  glycerophosphate  causes  only  a  slight  drop  in  the 
blood-pressure,  as  against  a  considerable  drop  under  magnesium 
sulphate.    {Berlin,  klin.  Wochen.,  June  28,  1915.) 
Oil  of  Turpentine  as  a  Hemostatic. — A  severe  case  of  bleed- 
ing after  an  operation  on  the  elbow  resisted  all  treatment  until  the 
wound  was  packed  with  gauze  soaked  in  turpentine.  The  hemor- 
rhage, which  had  previously  been  severe  and  long  continued,  at  once 
ceased.  The  successful  use  of  this  oil  has  been  proved  on  many 
other  occasions.  It  is  chiefly  valuable  in  secondary  hemorrhage.  The 
oil  is  also  antiseptic.  Doubt  is  expressed  as  to  the  value  of  the  oil 
as  a  haemostatic  when  taken  in  the  mouth.  (.Lancet,  July  31,  191 5, 
p.  226.) 
Government  Subsidies  for  Chemical  Manufacturers. — The 
Japanese  Government  has  taken  action  with  regard  to  the  encour- 
agement of  the  manufacture  of  coal-tar  colors  and  synthetic  chem- 
ical products  used  in  medicine  which  is  similar  in  some  respects  to 
the  British  Government  scheme  for  establishing  this  industry  on  a 
large  and  permanent  basis  in  Great  Britain.  A  bill  has  been  passed 
by  the  Japanese  Parliament  which  provides  for  the  granting  of 
subsidies  to  companies  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  dyestuffs  and 
chemicals  in  Japan,  provided  that  more  than  half  of  the  capital  in  any 
such  company  is  subscribed  by  Japanese  subjects.  The  subsidies  will 
be  for  a  period  of  ten  years,  and  the  amount  will  be  sufficient  to 
enable  the  payment  of  a  dividend  of  8  per  cent,  per  annum  on  their 
paid-up  capital.  (The  Pharmaceutical  Journal  and  Pharmacist, 
September  18,  191 5.) 
Strength  of  Picric  Acid  as  an  Antiseptic — Picric  acid  has 
been  used  very  successfully  for  the  sterilization  of  the  skin  before 
operation  in  strengths  of  2  or  3  per  cent,  in  alcohol.  Investigation 
has  shown  that  the  Rideal-Walker  carbolic  acid  coefficient  of  picric 
acid  is  exactly  6;  a  0.165  per  cent,  solution  of  picric  acid  has  the 
