240  Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  {^"^Mayfi^.^""' 
the  inunctions.  Applied  to  the  scalp  it  turns  the  hair  red.  BuIL 
Med.;  Arch,  de  Phar.,  April  6,  1888. 
Phenacetine  or  Paraacetphenetidixe.  Prof.  Kast,  of  Frei- 
burg, (confirmed  by  Prof.  Bamberger,  of  Vienna),  finds  that  in  doses 
of  50  to  70  cgm.  it  lowers  the  temperature  in  man  by  2  or  2J  degrees. 
These  writers  say  that  it  does  not  cause  vomiting,  cyanosis,  collapsus 
or  diuresis,  and  has  no  action  upon  the  circulatory  system. — Aixh.  de 
Phar.,  February,  1888. 
Antipyrine  :  its  Ixdicatioxs  and  its  Dangers.  At  the 
Societie  de  Therapeutique,  Feb.  22,  1888,  Dr.  Huchard  said  {Prog. 
Med.,  March  31, 1888),  that  in  certain  affections,  such  as  typhoid  fever 
where  the  kidneys  serve  as  emunctories  care  must  be  used  in  giving 
antipyrine.  On  the  other  hand,  he  had  given  8  gm.  daily  to  a  woman 
with  meningo-myelitis,  thus  reducing  the  amount  of  urine  from  24  and 
28  litres  in  24  hours,  to  5  litres.  Dr.  Huchard  also  said  that  the  drug 
should  not  be  given  in  arterio-sclerosis  even  when  the  kidneys  are  not 
involved.  Dr.  Dujardin-Beaumetz  agreed  with  Dr.  Huchard,  and 
said  that  antipyrine  must  not  be  given  when  the  kidneys  were  affected, 
as  it  might  become  locked  up  in  the  system  and  cause  toxic  accidents. 
[See  Am.  Jour.  Phar.,  1888,  p.  180]. 
A^ANiLLic  Phloroglucix,  Gunzburg's  Eeagent.  This  is  the 
mixture  lately  adopted  by  Prof.  Germain  See  in  his  researches 
upon  the  chemistry  of  the  gastric  juice,  and  especially  upon  the 
amount  of  hydrochloric  acid  contained  in  the  stomach  in  its  patholog- 
ical as  compared  with  its  normal  condition.  In  the  J.  de  Phar.  et 
de  Chim.,  April  1,  1888,  Mr.  E.  Bourquelot  describes  the  reagent  as 
follows :  To  prepare  it,  dissolve  2  gm.  of  phloroglucin  (isomeric 
with  pyrogallic  acid),  and  1  gm.  of  vanillin  (aldehyd  of  methyl-pro- 
tocatechuic  acid)  in  30  gm.  of  absolute  alcohol,  thus  obtaining  a  yel- 
lowish red  solution.  This,  added  to  hydrochloric  or  other  minei-al 
acid  gives  a  bright  red  reaction.  When  these  acids  are  greatly  diluted, 
as  in  the  liquid  from  an  impoverished  stomach,  the  action  does  not 
take  place  and  then  a  few  drops  of  the  stomachal  liquid  and  an  equal 
quantity  of  the  reagent  are  heated  in  a  small  porcelain  dish  in  the 
water  bath.  If  HCl  be  present  a  red  color  shows  at  the  sides  of 
the  capsule  and  increases  in  extent  as  the  liquid  evaporates.  The  ac- 
tion is  clear  with  liquids  containing  one  per  cent,  of  the  acid,  and  be- 
comes brighter  in  proportion  to  the  amount  present. 
