Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  > 
March,  1913.  j 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
127 
Customs  is  causing  considerable  trouble  on  the  London  market  and 
the  drug  has  the  reputation  of  being  the  most  difficult  to1  handle  so 
far  as  imports  into  the  United  States  are  concerned.  It  is  now 
proposed  to  accept  asafetida  on  the  basis  of  a  lead  number,  the 
equivalent  of  the  amount  of  metallic  lead,  in  milligrams  that  is 
used  up  by  a  I  gram  samp1e  of  ether  purified  resin. 
The  lead  numbers  obtained  from  various  resinous  products, 
according  to  Merrill  are  :  Asafetida,  222  ;  galbanum,  4 ;  ammoniacum, 
75;  olibanum,  o;  guaiacum,  171;  myrrh,  7;  colophony,  142  ; 
sandarac,  351  ;  mastic,  34 ;  gamboge,  9. 
Ernest  J.  Parry. —  (Chem.  and  Drug.,  1913,  v.  83,  p.  180.)  Con- 
demns the  proposed  "  lead  value  "  for  the  ether  soluble  resin  of 
asafetida  and  expresses  the  belief  that  there  is  no  authority  for 
assuming  that  220  or  thereabouts  represents  even  the  approximate 
value  of  genuine  asafetida.  Reports  on  5  samples  vary  from  144 
to  172  and  the  suggestion  is  made  that  in  the  event  that  a  lead 
number  of  200  be  insisted  on  no  dealer  will  venture  to  ship 
asafetida  to  the  United  States. 
Buchus. — Harold  R".  Jensen  (Pharm.  J.,'  1913,  v.  90,  pp.  60-61) 
reports  a  comparative  study  of  Barosma  venusta  and  of  B-  betulina 
and  B.  serratifolia  and  concludes  th?t  neither  the  leaf  nor  the  oil 
of  the  former  can  be  expected  to  clinically  replace  either  of  the 
latter  varieties  of  Barosma. 
Calcium  Glycerophosphate . — The  Council  on  Pharmacy  and 
Chemistry  (/.  Am.  M.  Assoc.,  1913,  v.  60,  p.  45)  describes  Calcium 
glycerophosphate  as  the  monohydrated  normal  calcium  salt  of 
glycerophosphoric  acid,  containing  not  less  than  90  per  cent,  of 
anhydrous  calcium  glycerophosphate.  It  occurs  as  a  fine  white 
powder,  odorless  and  almost  tasteless ;  somewhat  hygroscopic, 
slightly  soluble  in  water  and  almost  insoluble  in  hot  water  and 
insoluble  in  alcohol  or  ether.  An  aqueous  solution  is  alkaline  to 
litmus  paper. 
Caulophyllum. — Power  and  Salway  (Chem.  and  Drug.,  191 3, 
v.  82,  pp.  202-203).  Caulophyllum  thalictroides  was  found  to  con- 
tain two  crystalline  glucosides  possessing  the  character  of  Saponins. 
The  glucoside  occurring  in  predominating  amounts  is  identical  with 
Lloyds  "  Leontin  "  but  as  it  has  now  been  more  fully  studied  the 
name  caulosaponin  is  proposed  for  this  product  and  caulophyllo- 
saponin  for  the  accompanying  glucoside. 
