138  Progress  in  Pharmacy.  {^mSSST* 
The  Preservation  of  Medicinal  and  Chemical  Properties. — Mr.  F.  A. 
Upsher-Smith  reviews  the  methods  that  have  been  suggested  from 
time  to  time  to  prevent  the  decomposition  of  liquid  preparations. 
With  few  exceptions  it  may  be  taken  as  a  rule  that  all  medicinal 
and  chemical  substances  should  be  stored  in  a  cool  place,  protected 
from  light,  in  well-closed  bottles.  Protection  from  light,  i.e.,  chem- 
ical or  actinic  rays  of  light,  whether  their  source  is  the  sun  or  arti- 
ficial, is  attainable  by  the  use  of  amber  glass  bottles.  Mr.  Smith 
believes  that  the  use  of  preservatives  should  be  discouraged  in  offi- 
cial pharmacy.    {Chem.  and  Drug. ,  January  13,  1906,  page  56.) 
Acetanilid  in  Bromo- Seltzer. — It  is  not  generally  known  that 
bromo-seltzer  is  in  reality  one  of  the  numerous  acetanilid  mixtures 
that  are  now  so  widely  exploited  and  used  as  panaceas  for  all  sorts 
and  kinds  of  pain.  According  to  the  Journal  of  the  American  Medi- 
cal Association  (February  10,  1906,  page  454)  this  preparation  con- 
tains as  its  active  constituents:  potassium  bromide,  1053  parts; 
acetanilid,  4-58  parts,  and  caffeine,  1-20  parts.  Or,  that  the  adver- 
tised dose,  5-0  grammes,  contains,  approximately,  potassium  bro- 
mide, 0-5  gramme ;  acetanilid,  0-2  gramme,  and  caffeine,  0-05 
gramme. 
Alcho. — This  is  the  proprietary  name  that  has  been  given  to  a 
basic  aluminum  carbonate  that  occurs  as  an  amorphous  powder,  in- 
soluble in  water,  alcohol  or  ether.  Alcho  has  been  recommended 
as  an  efficient  local  disinfectant  and  astringent.  (Apothek.  Zeit'g., 
1905,  page  1003.) 
Artificial  Albumin. — Emil  Fisher,  Professor  of  Chemistry  at  Berlin, 
announced  in  an  address  held  in  Berlin  on  January  6,  1906,  that 
he  had  succeeded  in  blending  together  certain  amino  acids  resulting 
in  compounds  that  possess  properties  which  correspond  closely  to 
those  of  the  peptones.  These  compounds,  which  he  calls  peptids, 
are  optically  inactive  like  the  natural  proteins.  The  more  compli- 
cated peptids,  it  is  asserted,  closely  resemble  natural  albumin  in  their 
various  properties.  {Jour.  Am.  Med.  Assoc.,  February  10,  1906, 
page  443.) 
Barutine. — Barutine  is  a  compound  of  barium  and  theobromine, 
which  combines  the  physiological  diuretic  properties  of  theobromine 
with  those  of  barium  in  increasing  the  blood  pressure.  The  toxicity 
of  barutine  is  said  to  be  much  less  than  that  of  a  corresponding  quan- 
tity of  barium  chlorides.    In  affections  of  the  heart  or  kidneys  it  is 
