12  Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.     {^^' jan^'i^^^^^ 
ABSTRACTS  FROM  THE  FRENCH  JOURNALS. 
Translated  for  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy. 
PiCHT. — In  an  article  on  Fabiana  imbricata  [Jour,  de  Phar.  et  de 
Ch.j  Nov.  1,  18^57).  Niviere  and  Liotard  conclude  that  pichi  con- 
tains no  alkaloid,  and  that  its  therapeutic  action  is  due  to  a  glucoside 
resembling  sesculin.'^  As  such  investigations  are  often  widely  quoted, 
it  is  proper  to  state  that  Limousin  siispected  the  presence  of  an 
alkoloid  in  fabiana ;  that  its  presence  was  indicated  by  Dr.  Rusby  in 
1885 ;  and  that  Dr.  Lyons  found  less  than  0.1  per  cent,  of  this  alka- 
loid. (See  Am.  Jour.  Phar.,  1886,  p.  71.  Dr.  Lyons  also  showed 
the  resemblance  to  sesculin  of  the  fluorescent  principle  of  fabiana.) 
Strophantus  and  Strophantine.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Society 
de  Phar.,  (Nov.  2),  several  members  presented  observations  upon  the 
therapeutic  uses  of  the  plant.  It  was  found  that  the  different  species 
were  very  variable  as  to  physiological  activity,  some  of  them  being 
almost  valueless.  Mr.  Wurtz  remarked,  concerning  strophantin, 
that  its  present  price — 60  francs  per  drachm — prevented  its  use  in 
therapeutics. 
Pills  of  Terpinol. — Tanret's  formula  is  given  as  follows  in 
Noav.  Rem.  Dec.  8, 1887  :  terpinol  and  benzoate  of  sodium,  aa  1  gm. ; 
sugar,  q.  s.    Make  10  pills  ;  dose  5  to  10  pills  daily. 
Therapeutics  of  Terebinthina  and  Derivatives. — Dr. 
Dujardin  Beaumetz  places  the  substances  thus,  in  the  order  of  their 
value:  for  maladies  of  the  bladder  :  oil  of  turpentine,  terpin,  terpinol  ; 
t  )r  maladies  of  the  bronchia:  terpinol,  terpin,  oil  of  turpentine. 
Nouv.  Rem.,  Dec.  8,  1887. 
Methyl AL,  according  to  a  recent  work  by  Mairet  and  Combe- 
malle,  though  without  effect  in  alcoholic  insanity  and  in  the  early  stage 
of  simple  insanity,  generally  succeeds  in  the  crises  of  the  latter;  in 
the  insomnia  of  simple  dementia  ;  in  atheromatous  dementia,  and  in 
paralytic  dementia.  The  doses  necessary  to  induce  sleep  in  these  cases 
vary  from  5  to  8  gm.  In  five  or  six  days,  patients  become  so  habitu- 
ated to  it  that  the  amount  of  sleep  then  diminishes,  even  if  the  dose  be 
augmented.  Intervals  of  two  or  three  days  should  therefore  elapse  be- 
tween each  series  of  doses.  The  action  of  methylal  is  exclusively 
hypnotic;  its  use  has  never  caused  functional  troubles  of  the  great 
organs.  It  is  so  safe,  so  easily  prepared  and  so  agreeable  to.  patients 
that  it  should  have  a  place  in  hypnotic  medication  in  mental  alienism. 
