16  Gleanings  from  the  European  Journals.  {AM7a0™i,  Km*' 
Peschiers  Tapeworm  Pills  are  made,  according  to  Hager,  of  1*6 
grm.  (25  grs.)  each  of  oleo-resin  and  powdered  male  fern,  divided  into 
20  pills,  which  are  rolled  in  lycopodium,  and  taken  10  in  the  evening 
and  the  remaining  10  next  morning.  An  hour  after  the  last  dose  a 
clyster  is  given,  consisting  of  2  grm.  oleo-resin  of  male  fern,  15  grm. 
gum  arabic,  and  sufficient  water. — Ibid.,  No.  47. 
Death  from  the  Inhalation  of  the  Vapors  of  Phosphorus  Paste. — 
An  apothecary  had  poisoned  several  bushels  of  wheat  with  strychnia, 
which  was  to  be  used  for  the  destruction  of  field-mice,  but  previously 
to  be  covered  with  phosphorus  paste.  Instead  of  performing  the  last 
operation  in  the  open  air,  upon  small  quantities,  the  deceased  worked 
upon  the  wheat,  in  two  portions,  in  his  cellar,  and  continued  at  this 
labor  notwithstanding  he  fainted  several  times.  The  inhalation  of  the 
gases  evolved  prostrated  him  completely,  and  he  died  within  a  week. 
— Pharm.  Zeitung,  No.  96. 
Potassa  Soap  for  Soap  Liniment  and  Liquid  Opodeldoc  is  recom- 
mended by  G.  H.  Barckhausen,  on  account  of  its  perfect  solubility  in 
alcohol  even  at  the  freezing  temperature.  The  commercial  soft  soap, 
however,  is  unfit  for  this  purpose,  because  it  contains  variable  quanti- 
ties of  free  alkali,  is  often  adulterated  with  starch,  &c,  and  varies 
considerably  in  color.  The  author  suggests  the  following  manipula- 
tion :  100  parts  of  rape-seed  oil  are  mixed,  near  the  temperature  of 
boiling  water,  with  15  parts  of  potassa,  previously  dissolved  in  some 
alcohol ;  the  remaining  alcohol  is  then  added,  and  the  digestion  con- 
tinued until  the  oil  is  dissolved,  when  the  water  is  added,  whereby  the 
complete  saponification  is  facilitated.  This  gives  a  slight  excess  of 
alkali,  which,  however,  is  necessary  to  avoid  retaining  unsaponified 
oil  in  the  solution.  Alcohol  decomposes  soaps  when  dissolving  them, 
setting  alkali  free ;  hence  less  alkali  is  requisite  if  the  soap  is  made 
in  alcohol.  Based  on  the  amount  of  fatty  acids,  the  author  finds  that 
100  parts  of  rape-seed  oil  are  equal  to  300  p.  potassa  soap,  or  150  p. 
Oastile  soap.— Archiv  d.  Pharm.,  1872,  Oct.,  289—299. 
Decomposition  of  Dilute  Hydrocyanic  Acid. — Pettit  states  that 
aqueous  hydrocyanic  acid  containing  10  per  ct.  of  acid,  decomposes 
very  rapidly,  while  if  dissolved  in  1000  parts  of  water  (=  T\  per  ct. 
acid),  it  will  keep  for  six  months  almost  without  alteration.  If  a  10 
^er  ct.  acid,  which  has  already  commenced  to  decompose,  is  diluted 
