AmFe°buri886arm' }         Gleanings  in  Materia  Medica.  93 
Naphthalin  is  a  good  antiseptic,  and  when  applied  to  ulcers  causes 
the  rapid  disappearance  of  any  offensive  odor.  Being  non-irritant,  its 
application  is  painless;  moreover,  it  induces  rapid  healing  and  cicatri- 
zation of  the  ulcers. — V  Union  Med.,  Dec.  12,  1885. 
Hydronaphthol,  a  derivative  of  naphthalin,  according  to  Dr.  G.  R. 
Fowler,  is  a  more  efficacious  antiseptic  than  carbolic  acid.  It  crystal- 
lizes in  silvery  white  or  grayish  lamina?,  has  a  slight  aromatic  odor 
and  taste,  is  not  irritating  or  poisonous,  does  not  volatilize  at  ordinary 
temperature,  but  sublimes  at  about  90°  C,  is  soluble  in  about  1,000 
parts  of  water  and  dissolves  freely  in  alcohol,  ether,  chloroform,  gly- 
cerin, benzol  and  fixed  oils.  Its  compounds  with  alkalies  and  alkaline 
earths  are  readily  decomposed  by  carbonic  acid.  The  saturated  aqueous 
solution  will  perfectly  preserve  for  an  indefinite  time  animal  tissues 
and  fluids ;  when  volatilized  for  purposes  of  fumigation  the  vapor  of 
hydronaphthol  has  no  obnoxious  effect  upon  the  organs  of  respiration, 
nor  will  it  injure  textile  fabrics.  The  powder  mixed  with  50  times 
its  weight  of  magnesium  carbonate,  fuller's  earth  or  kaolin  may  be 
dusted  on  wounds  and  drainage  tubes;  and  absorbent  gauze,  cotton, 
jute,  wood  flour,  sawdust,  etc.,  may  be  impregnated  with  it  by  means 
of  the  alcoholic  or  benzol  solution.  The  10  per  cent,  alcoholic  solution 
perfectly  sterilizes,  and  sufficiently  hardens  and  preserves  catgut. — 
N.  Y.  Med.  Jour.,  Oct.  3,  1885. 
Essence  of  Lemon. — By  G.  Bouchaedat  and  J.  Lafont 
i^Compt.  rend.,  ci,  383-385). — The  authors  have  carefully  fractionated 
essence  of  lemon  and  examined  the  products  obtained  by  the  action 
of  dry  hydrogen  chloride  on  the  different  fractions.  In  most  cases 
distillation  was  conducted  under  reduced  pressure.  The  results  lead 
to  the  conclusion  that  essence  of  lemon  is  a  highly  complex  substance 
consisting  mainly  of  hydrocarbons  of  the  composition  C10H16,  and  a 
little  cymene.  The  most  abundant  of  the  C10H16  hydrocarbons  is  a 
citrene,  which  boils  at  about  178°,  has  a  rotary  power  higher  than 
-j-  105°,  and  yields  directly  a  solid  inactive  dihydrochloride.  The 
essence  also  contains  small  quantities  of  several  terebenthenes,  which 
begin  to  boil  below  162°,  and  yield  monohydrochlorides  differing 
from  one  another  in  their  rotatory  powers. — Jour.  Chem.  Soc, 
1885. 
