328  Serum  Treatment  of  Hay  Fever.      { Amju°iy!'iSSfrm* 
While  manipulating  it,  a  few  drops  of  chloroform  may  be  put  into 
the  mortar  to  exclude  air  and  prevent  any  likelihood  of  oxidation; 
the  pills  when  finished  may  be  coated  with  a  little  mucilage  of  gum 
arabic,  or  ethereal  extract  of  tolu,and  rolled  in  finely  powdered  sugar. 
Pills  containing  essential  oils  are  often  a  trouble  to  the  dispenser, 
particularly  if  more  than  a  drop  is  directed  in  each  pill ;  this  is 
especially  the  case  when  resinous  substances  are  directed  with  it. 
This  trouble  is  readily  obviated  by  a  small  quantity  of  powdered 
castile  soap. 
Camphor  also  is  troublesome  to  make  into  pills,  as  they  have  so 
little  coherence.  This  annoyance  is  easily  obviated  by  adding  a 
small  quantity  of  powdered  resin  to  the  camphor;  a  quite  coherent 
mass  is  thus  obtained.  It  is  not  desirable  to  use  it  if  the  pills  are  to 
be  long  kept,  as  they  will  become  quite  soft. 
Nitrate  of  silver  is  frequently  prescribed  in  pilular  form,  and  the 
great  tendency  of  this  salt  to  be  decomposed  in  the  presence  of 
organic  matter  renders  it  proper  to  seek  a  substance  free  from  this 
objection.  It  is  best  found  in  pure  kaolin,  or  precipitated  silica,  the 
salt  being  first  reduced  to  powder,  and  a  sufficiency  of  the  clay  or 
silica  made  ductile  by  a  very  small  quantity  of  glycerite  of  traga- 
canth  (2  parts  of  the  gum  to  100  parts  of  glycerin) ;  the  mass  then 
well  mixed  and  divided,  observing  to  refrain  from  the  use  of  steel 
spatulas  in  dividing  it. 
Permanganate  of  potassium  is  also  troublesome  material  to  form 
into  pills,  as  it  is  so  powerful  an  oxidizing  agent.  In  this  case  the 
salt  is  to  be  powdered,  and  then  incorporated  with  butter  of  cocoa, 
which,  having  no  solvent  power  over  it,  makes  a  satisfactory  vehi- 
cle ;  if  the  weather  be  very  warm,  a  little  white  wax  may  be  melted 
with  the  butter  of  cocoa  before  making  the  mass. 
ON  THE  SERUM  TREATMENT  OF  HAY  FEVER.1 
By  Dr.  A.  Luebbert. 
A  number  of  investigations  on  the  etiology  and  specific  therapy 
of  hay  fever,  which  have  been  conducted  in  this  institute,  have  been 
1  Abstract  of  a  paper  prepared  at  the  suggestion  of  Prof.  Oscar  Liebreich,  by 
Dr.  Luebbert,  of  the  State  Hygienic  Institute  of  Hamburg,  of  which  Prof. 
Dunbar  is  director,  and  published  in  the  Therapeutische  Monatshefte  for 
December,  1904. 
