406  Abstracts  from  the  French  Jom^nals.  {^"^'lugl'^^^ 
two  hours.  The  child  ingested  6  cgm.  in  23  hours  and  the  convul- 
sions ceased.  On  the  following  day  the  child  took  4  doses  of  5  mgm. 
each,  and  in  one  week  was  perfectly  well.  No  toxic  effect  was  noted, 
but  the  child  complained  of  weakness  in  the  legs.  Demur  says  that 
the  dose  for  children  is  from  5  mgm.  to  1  cgm. ;  adults  may  take  1  to 
2  cgm.  every  hour  until  the  effect  is  produced.  The  patient  must  be 
watched  while  taking  the  drug,  on  account  of  its  paralyzing  action 
upon  the  muscles  of  the  respiratory  organs. — Nouv.  Bern.,  July  8, 
1888.  (See  also  Am.  Jour.  Pharm.,  1888,  p.  140.) 
Saccharin  in  Glucose. — At  the  Paris  Conseil  de  Hygiene  (May 
25th),  M.  Lepine  stated  that  certain  manufacturers  had  placed  upon 
the  market  solid  glucose  and  glucose  syrups,  containing  from  1  to  2 
grammes  of  saccharin  to  the  kilo.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  in- 
vestigate the  sanitary  aspects  of  the  matter.  In  the  meeting  of  June 
22d,  Dr.  Dujardin-Beaumetz  reported  that  the  use  of  saccharin  in 
alimentfe  presented  danger  to  the  public  health  ;  saccharin  was  not  an 
aliment  but  a  medicament ;  if  its  use  outside  of  therapeutics  is  not 
prohibited  it  will  ^'augment  the  already  too  numerous  falsifications  of 
food  products." — Le  Prog,  med.,  July  7,  1888. 
Substitute  for  Gum  Arabic. — According  to  the  Union 
pharm.j  May,  1888,  Trojanowsky  believes  he  has  discovered  such  a 
product  in  linseed  mucilage.  He  boils  the  seed  in  water  for  an  hour^ 
filters,  and  precipitates  with  two  volumes  of  alcohol.  The  mucilage 
goes  down  in  flakes  which  he  separates  and  dries,  thus  attaining  a 
grayish-brown  mass  equal  to  10  per  cent,  of  the  raw  material.  It  is 
soluble  in  water,  and  is  almost  tasteless  and  odorless.  The  alcohol  is 
recovered  by  distillation. 
Tertian  Nitrite  of  Amyl  (C5H11NO2)  is  described  by  Bals 
and  Broglio  as  possessing  the  physiological  and  therapeutic  properties 
of  the  primal  nitrite  but  without  giving  rise  to  the  well-known  toxic 
symptoms  of  the  latter.  The  authors  state  also  that  its  action  is  more 
strongly  marked  and  of  longer  continuance,  and  that  it  does  not  produce 
the  sensation  of  heat  and  tension  in  the  face  or  throbbing  in  the  tem- 
ples usually  caused  by  the  nitrite  now  in  use.  It  may  be  inhaled  in 
quantities  of  80  to  100  drops  a  day  without  danger  or  inconvenience, 
even  in  cases  of  weak  heart.  It  has  a  slight  hypnotic  action,  usually 
producing  a  half  hour's  calm  sleep  after  each  inhalation. —  Gior.  della 
acad.  di  med.  di  Torino  ;  Nouv.  Rem.j  June  8,  1888. 
