Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
December,  1906.  f 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
58i 
The  basic  salt  may  be  given  in  doses  of  0.4  grammes.  (Phar. 
Centralh.,  1906,  page  831,  from  Bollet.  Chim.  Farm.) 
Somnos. — A  series  of  experiments  on  the  physiologic  action  of 
somnos,  in  comparison  with  a  5  per  cent,  solution  of  hydrated  chloral, 
published  in  the  Journal  of  the  American  Medical  Association  (Sept. 
15,  1906,  page  872),  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  somnos,  which  is  a 
solution  of  trichlorethidene  propenyl  ether,  or  chloral  glycerinate,  is 
practically  indistinguishable,  in  its  pharmacologic  action,  from  a  5 
per  cent,  solution  of  hydrated  chloral. 
The  urine  of  rabbits  which  had  been  given  somnos  contained  a 
levorotatory  compound  which  reduced  Fehling's  solution  readily. 
This  substance  is  probably  urochloraiic  acid,  the  same  substance  as 
is  found  in  the  urine  after  the  administration  of  hydrated  chloral. 
An  interesting  reference  to  the  history  of  the  chloral  compounds 
may  be  found  in  Bulletin  No.  1  of  the  American  Pharmacologic 
Society,  and  republished  in  American  Medicine,  for  October,  1906, 
page  432.  This  reference  says  that  the  reaction  of  glycerin  on 
chloral  was  studied  qualitatively  at  least,  as  early  as  1874.  "  Louis 
Henry,  of  Louvain,  Belgium,  in  an  article  published  in  Berichte  der 
Deutschen  Chemischen  Gesellschafi,  VII  (1874),  page  764,  states  as 
follows  with  regard  to  chloral  addition  compounds:  '  Chloral  unites 
with  energy  with  water  and  with  alcohol  to  form  compounds  of  the 
general  types 
OX 
/ 
CCI3CH 
\ 
OH 
in  which  X  is  a  positive  radical  derived  from  a  monatomic  or  poly- 
atomic alcohol  or  an  alcohol  acid.'  Henry  says,  in  addition,  '  I  have 
established  this  fact  with  a  large  number  of  alcohol  compounds, 
which  by  their  nature  and  function  were  very  different,  as,  for  in- 
stance, with  the  polyatomic  alcohols  such  as  glycol,  glycerin,  the 
basic  ethers  such  as  ethylene  chlorhydrin,  glycerin  dichlorhydrin, 
etc.,'  and  concludes :  '  I  believe  that  chloral  can  be  considered  to  be 
a  kind  of  reagent  for  all  bodies  with  alcoholic  nature.'  " 
Sophol. — This  is  said  to  be  a  combination  of  formic  aldehyde, 
nuclein  and  silver  and  to  contain  22  per  cent,  of  metallic  silver.  It 
is  soluble  in  water  and  is  recommended  as  a  substitute  for  other 
