Am.  Jour.  Pharm.\ 
December,  1906.  J 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
579 
nations  included  in  the  British  Dominions.  He  invited  discussion 
on  the  proposal  with  a  view  of  developing  the  present  British  Phar- 
macopoeia into  a  generally  acceptable  Imperial  Standard. 
Alkaloids  of  Calnmba  Root. — Calumba  root  contains  at  least  two 
bases  allied  to,  but  differing  from  berberine,  which,  as  Gordin  has 
pointed  out,  does  not  occur  in  this  drug.  Like  berberine  these  bases 
are  quaternary  yellow  alkaloids  which  are  readily  reducible  to  color- 
less tertiary  hydro-compounds.  One  of  these  bases,  Calumbamine, 
has  been  separated  as  a  crystalline  iodide.  {Phar.  Jour.,  Sept., 
1906,  page  283.) 
Aspirophen. — This  is  said  to  be  amido-acet-paraphenetidin  acetyl 
salicylate  and  is  obtained  by  combining  molecular  quantities  of  acetyl 
salicylic  acid  and  amido-phenacetin.  The  resulting  compound  is 
readily  soluble  in  hot  water  but  only  sparingly  soluble  in  water  at 
ordinary  temperatures.    {Phar.  Zeit.t  1906,  page  808.) 
Bactericidal  Action  of  Silver  Compounds. — C.  R.  Marshall  and  E. 
F.  Macleod  Neave,  at  the  request  of  the  Therapeutic  Committee  of  the 
British  Medical  Association,  made  a  comparative  test  of  the  various 
silver  compounds  in  common  use. 
The  percentage  of  silver  in  the  several  compounds  was  determined 
and  subsequently  solutions  were  made  to  contain  definite  proportions 
of  silver.  The  experiments  showed  that  so  far  as  bactericidal  action 
was  concerned  the  several  silver  compounds  investigated  fall  into 
one  of  three  groups : 
(1)  Powerfully  bactericidal. 
(2)  Slightly  bactericidal. 
(3)  Practically  inert. 
The  first  group  includes  the  greater  majority  of  well-known  silver 
salts  such  as  the  nitrate,  fluoride,  citrate,  lactate  and  a  number  of 
the  organic  compounds,  such  as  casein  silver,  albargin,  protargol, 
largin  and  novargan. 
The  second  group  contains  but  one  preparation,  nargol. 
The  third,  or  practically  inert  group,  contains  two — collargol  and 
argyrol.    [Phar.  Jour.,  Aug.  25,  1906,  page  237.) 
Citrocoll. — This  is  said  to  be  neutral  amido-phenacetin  citrate.  It 
is  readily  soluble  in  water  and  occurs  as  a  white  crystalline  powder 
melting  at  1930  C.  It  has  been  recommended  as  an  antipyretic, 
antirheumatic  and  a  nervine.    {Phar.  Zeit.y  1906,  page  865.) 
Formurol — Formurol  is  a  trade  name  for  hexamethylentetramin 
