Am .  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
December,  1898.  j 
Notes  and  News. 
ix 
NOTES  AND  NEWS. 
Turpentine  Vapor. — A  fire  was  occasioned  on  the  premises  of  a  dealer  in 
chemicals  {Chem.  and  Drug.,  1898,  p.  622)  through  an  assistant  going  down 
the  cellar  with  a  naked  light,  which  came  into  contact  with  the  vapor  of  tur- 
pentine stored  there.  In  a  few  minutes  the  whole  house  was  in  flames.  Dam- 
age estimated  at  25,000  f.  resulted. 
Preventive  of  Rust  on  Metal  Work. — Lard  125  parts,  camphor  20  parts  are 
melted  together  and  a  little  graphite  added.  The  objects  are  dressed  with  this 
paste,  which  is  removed  after  twenty-four  hours. — Chem.  News,  1898,  183. 
Students'1  Insurafice. — The  Universit}'  of  Heidelberg  has  announced  ( West. 
Drug.)  an  innovation  in  the  shape  of  accident  insurance  providing  for  all 
students  attending  its  physical  and  chemical  laboratories.  While  the  Univer- 
sity pays  the  premium,  a  small  extra  charge  is  exacted  from  each  student. 
Sadtler's  Reducing  Agent. — A  slightly  acid  bath  of  hydrogen  peroxide  is 
used  as  a  reducing  agent  for  chrome  tanned  skins. — Leather  Manufact.,  1898, 
p.  101. 
Sterilized  Water. — Bizzozero  maintains  that  the  taste  frequentty  complained 
of  in  boiled  water  is  realty  caused  by  the  kettle  and  can  scarcely  be  due  to  the 
absence  of  C02  or  dissolved  air,  of  which  water  from  wells  of  great  depth 
often  contains  very  little. — Pharm.  Jour.,  1898,  118;  from  Practitioner,  IyXI,  63. 
Black  Wax. — B.  H.  Blitz  has  examined  a  sample  of  black  wax  from  the 
West  Indies,  and  finds  that  the  coloration  is  due  to  the  pollen  grains  contained 
in  the  wax. — Pharm.  Zeit.,  1898,  404. 
Mushrooms  as  Food. — The  report  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture 
(Farmer's  Bulletin,  No.  79)  compares  the  composition  of  mushrooms  with  that 
of  other  articles  of  food,  and  shows  that  edible  fungi  do  not  possess  a  high  food 
value. 
An  Honor. — Dr.  A.  B.  Griffiths  has  been  elected  an  honorary  member  of  the 
Medical  and  Surgical  Society  of  Rio  Janeiro,  Brazil,  in  recognition  of  his 
researches  in  the  ptomaines. — Chem.  News,  1898,  p.  144. 
Essence  of  Mandarins. — J.  Flatan  and  H.  Labbe  {Bull.  Soc.  Chem.  de  Paris) 
have  found  98  per  cent,  of  limonene  in  this  essence,  identical  with  that  found 
in  the  essence  of  Portugal;  a  trace  of  citral,  and  about  1  per  cent,  of  the  same 
ether  insoluble  in  alcohol  were  also  present. — Ibid.,  p.  160. 
The  Drug  Market. — Geo.  L.  Muth,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Drug 
Market  of  National  Wholesale  Druggists'  Association,  reported,  among  other 
things,  that  the  importation  of  certain  drugs  has  been  very  heavy.  Quinine 
and  its  salts,  4,372,477  ounces,  against  2,696,492  ounces  previous  year.  Balsam 
copaiba  increased  64,000  pounds  in  imports,  while  opium  imports  for  fiscal  year 
1896  to  1897,  1,072,914  pounds,  same  1897  to  1898,  only  123,845  pounds,  a  big 
decrease,  949,069  pounds.  The  supply  of  many  indigenous  drugs  was  heavy, 
owing  to  big  prices  ;  others,  where  prices  have  been  so  very  small,  are  not 
coming  to  market. 
Acid,  Boracic. — A  slight  advance  during  the  year.  There  is  very  little  news 
in  regard  to  the  California  product,  which  promised  so  well  a  few  years  ago. 
