126 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
J  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
1      March,  1913. 
pounds  and  metallic  elements  and  the  obvious  outcome  of  the  ob- 
servations so  far  recorded  by  Neuberg  and  others  is  that  prepara- 
tions  containing  metallic  components  should  be  preserved  in  dry 
form  if  possible  and  in  any  event  they  should  be  kept  in  dark 
"  containers  and  protected  against  light. 
Outline  of  Micro-analytical  Methods  for  Food  and  Drugs 
Laboratories. — Schneider,  Albert  (/.  Am.  Pharm.  Assoc.,  1912, 
v.  1,  pp.  1 330-1 338)  discusses  the  value  of  the  compound  micro- 
scope as  a  ready  means  for  determining  the  identity,  quality  and 
purity  of  foods  and  drugs,  and  outlines  the  methods  of  procedure. 
Some  Commercial  Samples  of  Drugs. — Linton,  A.  W.  (/.  Am. 
Pharm.  Assoc.,  1913,  v.  2,  pp.  30-35),  reports  the  examination  of 
a  number  of  samples  of  asafetida,  ammoniac,  myrrh,  gamboge, 
guaiac,  benzoin  and  lycopodium  and  concludes  that  ash  standards 
might  well  be  established  for  an  additional  number  of  drugs,  other 
than  those  for  which  they  are  at  present  stated,  but  a  method  of 
procedure  should  be  outlined. 
The  Alcohol  Requirement  of  the  Pure  Food  and  Drug  Law  and 
the  Accuracy  of  Alcohol  Assays  of  Pharmaceutical  Preparations. — 
C.  H.  Briggs.  (/.  hid.  Eng.  Chem.,  1913,  v.  5,  pp.  29-30.) — In  the 
making  of  alcohol  assays  there  are  several  sources  of  error  and 
the  result  may  be  off  1  per  cent,  or  1.5  per  cent,  alcohol.  Briggs 
believes  that  a  ruling  to  the  effect  that  fluid  extracts  and  elixirs 
could  be  labelled  with  maximum  content  of  alcohol  would  be  just 
and  fair  and  would  not  in  any  way  deflect  the  real  intent  of  the 
Drug  Law. 
Wood  Alcohol  Poisoning. — Casey  A.  Wood  (/.  Am.  M.  Assoc., 
1912,  v.  59,  pp.  1962-1966)  calls  renewed  attention  to  the  danger 
of  death  and  blindness  from  wood  alcohol  poisoning  and  points  out 
that  30  years  ago  poisoning  from  wood  alcohol  was  practically 
unknown.  With  the  elimination  of  the  disgusting  odor  and  vile 
taste  of  the  preparation  as  then  known  and  the  introduction  of  the 
refined  product,  under  various  trade  names,  the  preparation  began 
to  have  more  extended  use  and  was  freely  advertised  as  a  harmless 
and  efficient  substitute  for  grain  alcohol,  and  is  even  now,  freely 
sold  in  drug  stores  not  infrequently  to1  the  exclusion  of  the  less 
objectionable  denatured  alcohol. 
Asafetida. — An  editorial  {Chem.  and  Drug.,  1912,  v.  81,  p.  51) 
states  that  the  continued  rejection  of  asafetida  by  the  United  States 
