Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Nov.,  1879. 
Reviews,  etc. 
573 
sitions  have  been  made  looking  towards  the  entire  or  partial  abandonment  of  the 
use  of  measures  of  capacity  in  medicine  ;  but  it  should  be  remembered  that  at  the 
present  time  prescriptions  written  in  the  United  States  by  physicians  educated  in 
Europe  are  almost  invariably  written  in  weights  alone,  as  is  customary  on  the  conti- 
nent of  Europe,  in  South  America  and  in  Mexico,  in  fact,  we  believe,  in  all  coun- 
tries except  those  inhabited  or  governed  by  English  speaking  nations,  who  direct 
most  liquids  by  measure.  The  adoption  of  the  metric  system  would  evidently  not 
prevent  a  physician  from  prescribing  liquids  by  volume  instead  of  by  weight,  but 
the  latter  course  would  be  preferable  as  being  the  most  correct  one,  and  the  one 
followed  by  most  nations.  One  of  the  strongest  arguments  in  favor  of  a  change  is- 
ignored  or  overlooked  by  Dr.  Baldwin,  namely,  the  fact  that  the  measures  and 
weights  of  the  British  Pharmacopoeia  differ  from  those  in  use  in  this  country,  and  he 
is  by  no  means  correct  in  asserting  that  the  English  and  American  books  use  the 
"  old  system;"  nor  do  we  subscribe  to  his  assertion  advanced  as  a  truism,  that 
"  decimals  are  advantageous  in  large  transactions,  but  are  unnatural  in  small  ones," 
Untersuchungen  aus  dem  Pharmaceutischen  Institut  der  Unwersitat  Dorpat.  Mit- 
getheilt  von  DragendorfF. 
Investigations  from  the  Pharmaceutical  Institute  of  the  University  of  Dorpat;  com- 
municated by  Prof.  DragendorfF. 
The  pamphlets  contain  investigations  on  the  composition  of  the  seeds  and  roots  of 
Pasonia  peregrina ;  on  mannit  as  a  secondary  product  in  the  preparation  of  lactic 
acid  from  cane  sugar  ;  on  the  origin  of  resins  and  the  chemistry  of  volatile  oils. 
Untersuchung  der  chrysophansdureartigen  Substanz  der  Sennesblatter  und  der  Fran- 
gulinsaure.    Inaugural  Dissertation  von  E.  von  Keussler,  Dorpat. 
Investigation  of  the  compound  from  senna  leaves  resembling  chrysophanic  acid  and' 
of  frangulic  acid. 
The  author  succeeded  in  preparing  the  compound  named  in  a  pure  state  and  in 
proving  its  identity  with  chrysophanic  acid  from  rhubarb,  with  which  frangulic  acid, 
is  not  identical. 
Das  Verb  alt  en  <von  Harnbacterien  gegen  einige  Antiseptic  a.  Inaugural-Dissertation 
von  Theodor  Haberkorn,  Dorpat. 
The  behavior  of  bacteria  in  urine  to  several  entiseptics. 
The  development  of  bacteria  in  urine  is  best  prevented  by  corrosive  sublimate, 
one  part  being  sufficient  for  25,000  parts  of  urine.  To  produce  the  same  effect 
larger  quantities  of  thymol,  volatile  oil  of  mustard,  creasot,  benzoic  acid,  carvol  and 
carbolic  acid  are  required  in  the  order  named. 
Ueber  den  Japantalg  (On  Japan-wax).    Von  Arthur  Meyer. 
This  is  a  very  creditable,  critical  review  of  the  literature  on  this  subject,  and  an 
account  of  experiments  performed  by  the  author,  and  of  information  received  from 
Prof.  Rein.  The  pamphlet  contains  two  wood  cuts  and  three  litographic  plates  of 
Rhus  succedanea,  D.  C,  its  fruit  and  of  various  tissues  of  the  latter. 
