AjaSaryPih898m*}      Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  45 
with  distilled  water  the  tissues  are  less  fully  developed,  but  more 
strongly  lignified.  Thus,  in  a  saline  solution,  both  the  roots  and  the 
stem  become  longer ;  the  size  both  of  the  vessels  and  of  the  air 
cavities  is  increased,  while  the  walls  of  the  vessels  are  less  strongly 
lignified. — Comptes  rendus,  cxxiv,  p.  1467,  through  Pharmaceutical 
Journal,  November  27,  1897. 
IRRITATION  CAUSED  BY  WINTERGREEN  OIL. 
In  the  course  of  treating  cases  of  rheumatism  by  means  of  the 
absorption  of  methyl  salicylate,  Vidal  noticed  that  some  samples 
of  oil  of  wintergreen  caused  irritation  of  the  skin,  in  some  cases 
even  causing  an  eruption.  Investigation  showed  that  irritation 
invariably  followed  the  use  of  the  natural  oil  of  wintergreen,  and 
that  when  pure  synthetic  methyl  salicylate  was  employed  simul- 
taneously on  the  same  subject  no  discomfort  whatever  was  felt.  It 
is  evident,  therefore,  that  the  natural  oil  contains  some  irritant  body, 
and  that  the  pure  synthetic  oil  is  to  be  preferred  for  application  to 
the  skin. — Nouv.  Rem.,  xiii,  615,  through  Pharmaceutical  Journal, 
November  27,  1897. 
DOUBLE  RICE. 
In  the  Proceedings  of  the  Asiatic  Society  of  Bengal,  for  April, 
1896,  Dr.  D.  Prain  describes  and  figures  what  is  known  in  India  as 
double  rice.  In  all  cases  the  phenomenon  was  found  to  be  due  to 
an  increase  in  the  number  of  ovaries,  the  other  parts  of  the  flower 
being  invariably  of  the  normal  number.  In  the  gynseceum  of  over 
1 50  flowers  examined,  not  one  was  found  with  fewer  than  four  ovaries, 
all  apparently  perfect,  the  usual  number  being  five.  A  few  flowers 
were  found  to  have  six,  and  one  or  two  had  seven  ovaries.  When 
five,  six  or  seven  ovaries  were  present,  sometimes  only  three,  but 
usually  four  or  five,  appeared  to  be  perfect.  The  ovaries  may  be 
one-,  two-,  or  three- styled.  Usually  only  two  ovaries  develop  into 
grain,  sometimes  three,  and  their  shape  is  modified  accordingly. — 
Kew  Bulletin,  April,  1 897. 
SORGHUM  SUGAR. 
The  sugar  sorghum  or  broom-corn  (Andropogon  Sorghum,  Brot, 
var.  Saccharatus,  Koern.),  is  a  grass  largely  cultivated  in  Northern 
India,  China  and  Japan,  as  well  as  in  the  United  States.  It  is,  how- 
ever, native  of  none  of  these  countries,  and  its  original  home  is  ob- 
