1 0  Sulphocarholic  Acid,  etc.  { ^^j  ^^^yj;  p?^,'^"- 
the  wrong  barrel.  We  could  adduce  an  instance  where  a  long  chap- 
ter of  trouble  arose  from  this  cause  in  a  neighboring  citj.  Only 
lately  one  of  the  best  dispensers  jof  Dublin  caused  the  death  of  a 
prominent  citizen  by  an  error  arising  from  sending  an  ignorant  agent 
to  the  store-room  to  fill  the  carbonate  of  ammonia  bottle — cyanidoj^of 
potassium  being  substituted.  Hence  the  importance  of  an  intelligent 
and  frequent  supervision  of  these  depositories  to  insure  order,  out  of 
which  comes  safety  and  dispatch,  and  untold  satisfaction. 
But  the  danger  of  getting  prosy,  from  the  very  extent  of  the  theme, 
admonishes  us  to  be  brief.  Our  young  friend  should  bring  to  his  aid 
an  earnest  intention  to  succeed,  an  obliging  disposition,  and  all  the 
patience  that  his  nature  admits  of.  Let  him  keep  wide  awake  to  what 
is  going  on,  but  especially  to  all  that  relates  to  the  business  in  hand  ; 
let  him  gain  the  respect  and  confidence  of  his  seniors  by  steady  and 
reliable  service ;  let  him  read  attentively  the  preliminary  chapters  of 
Part  Second  of  the  United  States  Dispensatory,  and  such  portions  of 
the  special  works  on  Pharmacy  as  relate  to  his  duties,  and  we  will 
venture  to  predict  that  his  difiiculties  will  rapidly  disappear,  and  be 
replaced  by  a  consciousness  of  growing  knowledge  and  developing 
power. 
ON  SULPHOCARBOLIC  ACID  AND  SULPHOCARBOLATBS. 
By  J.  Creuse,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
Sulphocarholic  acid  and  its  compounds  are  attracting  more  and  more 
attention  ;  they  are  noticed  in  all  medical  and  pharmaceutical  publi- 
cations. It  is  to  be  regretted  while  processes  for  their  preparation 
multiply,  and  so  many  have  new  ones  to  propose,  that  nobody  should 
attempt  to  enlighten  us  on  their  chemical  composition,  and  that  our 
knowledge  of  them  should  remain  so  incomplete. 
For  example,  all  the  writers  almost  take  for  granted  that,  in  analogy 
with  sulphovinic  acid,  sulphocarholic  acid  consists  of  two  equivalents 
of  sulphuric  acid  and  one  equivalent  of  carbolic  acid.  In  all  cases, 
every  one  takes  also  for  granted  that  to  effect  the  combination,  it  is 
only  necessary  to  mix  the  two  acids  in  that  proportion  and  apply  a 
moderate  heat. 
My  intention  is  to  prove  that,  1st,  sulphocarholic  acid  is  composed 
of  three  equivalents  of  sulphuric  acid  and  one  of  carbolic  acid ;  2d, 
to  combine  carbolic  and  sulphuric  acids,  without  waste  of  carbolic  acid, 
