AmMarur'i87h9a[m'}  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  127 
composed  of  a  fatty  acid  combined  with  myricyl  alcohol.  When  the 
fatty  acid  is  saponified,  the  myricyl  alcohol  must  dissolve  in  the  soap 
formed.  This  appears  to  be  the  case,  and  not  only  so,  but  the  alcohol 
causes  petroleum  to  go  into  solution  also  in  the  soap.  Livache  found 
that  other  substances  besides  the  myricyl  alcohol  would  act  thus — 
methyl  and  amyl  alcohol  were  able  to  render  petroleum  soluble  in  soap. 
—  Comptes  Rendus,  87,  p.  249. 
GLEANINGS  FROM  THE  GERMAN  JOURNALS. 
By  Louis  von  Cotzhausen,  Ph.G. 
Recovering  Ether  in  Preparing  Etherial  Extracts. — Instead  of 
recovering  the  ether  by  expressing  the  exhausted  drug,  E.  Rohn  mixes 
the  drug  with  sufficient  water  to  form  a  thin  paste,  and  then  heats  the 
latter  in  a  still  over  an  open  fire  to  about  6o°C,  when  the  ether 
evaporates  and  passes  into  the  condenser.  In  this  manner  the  author 
recovered  more  than  3  kilos  of  ether  from  8  or  10  kilos  of  extracted 
male  fern. — Schw.  Wochenschr.  Dec.  6,  1878,  p.  425. 
Wooden  Suppository  Moulds.— Bernbeck  prefers  wooden  sup- 
pository-moulds to  metal  ones,  claiming  that  they  are  not  only  consid- 
erably cheaper  and  easier  to  handle,  but  can  be  used  in  many  cases 
where  metal  moulds  would  be  objectionable,  f.  i.  for  nitrate  of  silver 
suppositories.  The  principal  disadvantage  of  wooden  moulds  is  the 
difficulty  experienced  in  removing  the  suppositories,  when  the  moulds 
are  coated  with  almond  oil  or  talcum,  as  usually  directed  ;  in  the 
place  of  these  Bernbeck  uses  glycerin  with  success. — Pbar.  Zeitung, 
Jan.  11,  1879. 
The  Purgative  Effect   of  Hypodermic  Injections  of  Aloin 
has  been  investigated  by  Dr.  Fronmaeller,  who  states  that  a  solution 
of  one  part  of  aloin  in  25  parts  of  very  warm  water  will  have  the  same 
purgative  effect,  when  injected  hypodermically  as  when  taken  intern- 
ally. Two  injections  are  usually  necessary  to  produce  the  desired  effect 
in  from  6  to  14,  very  rarely  in  2  to  3  hours,  there  being  scarcely  any 
irritation  and  never  an  abscess  caused,  where  injected.  Hypodermic 
injections  with  extract  of  aloes  (1  part  in  10  parts  of  water)  also  proved 
efficacious,  but  produced  a  stronger  inflammation,  where  injected,  than 
aloin. — Pbarm.  Post,  Jan.  1,  1879,  p.  5. 
