Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
September,  1905.  J 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
445 
the  advantage  of  being  comparatively  stable.  (Apothek.  Zeitg.,  1905, 
page  310.) 
The  Production  of  Extracts  and  Tinctures. — The  most  desirable 
methods  for  extracting  drugs  in  the  production  of  extracts  and 
tinctures  have  received  considerable  attention  recently  in  the  phar- 
maceutical press  of  Germany.  Among  the  contributors  to  the 
controversy  are  Dr.  J.  Herzog,  Dr.  Bruns,  Dr.  W.  Lenz  and  others. 
The  present  status  of  the  theory  and  practice  of  drug  exhaustion  in 
Germany  has  more  recently  been  carefully  reviewed  in  a  lengthy 
article  in  the  Pharmaceutische  Centralhalle  (1905,  page  420,  et  sea.) 
by  Dr.  J.  Katz.  In  this  article  the  writer  devotes  considerable  space 
to  a  critical  review  of  the  several  methods  that  have  been  in  use,  or 
that  have  been  suggested  from  time  to  time,  for  the  preparation  of 
extracts  of  organic  drugs  and  practically  agrees  with  Herzog,  that, 
all  things  considered,  percolation  offers  by  far  the  most  satisfactory 
method  for  the  complete  and  at  the  same  time  economical  extraction 
of  drugs. 
Acidol. — Betain  hydrochloride,  a  colorless  crystalline  powder,  acid 
taste  and  reaction,  soluble  in  2  parts  of  water  and  in  30  parts  of 
90  per  cent,  alcohol.  Aqueous  solutions  of  acidol  are  said  to  hydrol- 
ize  rapidly  and  the  substance  then  acts  as  pure  hydrochloric  acid. 
It  is  indicated  as  a  substitute  for  hydrochloric  acid  and  on  account 
of  its  pleasant  fruity  taste  is  said  to  be  more  readily  taken.  Acidol 
may  be  given  in  aqueous  solution,  in  tablets  or  as  powder  diluted 
with  pepsin  or  inert  materials.  Dose,  0.50.  {Phar.  Centralh.,  1905, 
page  371.) 
Indoform. — A  white  crystalline  powder  obtained  by  the  action  of 
formaldehyde  on  acetyl- salicylic  acid.  Indoform  is  sparingly  soluble 
in  water  and  has  an  acid  astringent  taste.  It  is  decomposed  by 
alkaline  solutions,  liberating  formaldehyde.  Indoform  has  been 
given  in  gout,  rheumatism  and  neuralgia,  in  the  form  of  tablets  con- 
taining 0.50  of  the  substance.    [Phar.  Centralh.,  1905,  page  316.) 
Metakalin. — This  name  is  applied  in  Germany  to  what  appears  to 
be  a  cresol  soap  solution  in  solid  form.  Metakalin  is  said  to  be 
composed  of  80  parts  of  a  pure  metacresol-metacresol  potassium 
combination  and  20  parts  of  a  hard  soda  soap. 
When  fresh  the  substance  occurs  as  a  white  powder,  but  gradually 
becomes  yellow  on  keeping.  It  is  soluble  in  I  to  2  parts  of  water, 
this  concentrated  solution  becomes  cloudy  on  the  addition  of  water, 
