130 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
(  Am.  Jour.  Phartn. 
I     March,  1913. 
methylenamine.  Hexal  occurs  as  a  white,  odorless  crystalline 
powder,  readily  soluble  in  water,  slightly  soluble  in  alcohol  and 
difficultly  soluble  in  ether.  It  is  claimed  that  hexal  has  the  action 
of  hexamethylenamine  combined  with  an  anaesthetic  and  astringent 
action  due  to  the  salicylsulphonic  acid.  It  is  given  in  doses  I  gm. 
(15  grains)  three  to  six  times  a  day.  (/.  Am.  M.  Assoc.,  1912, 
v.  59,  P-  I97i0 
Ipecac  in  D  yst  enter  y. — Harvey  G.  Beck  (/.  Am.  M.  Assoc., 
1912,  v.  59,  pp.  21 10-21 14)  reports  a  review  of  some  of  the 
literature  on  the  treatment  of  dysentery  by  means  of  ipecac  and 
reports  a  number  of  cases  to  show  that  ipecac  when  administered 
through  a  duodenal  tube  is  distinctly  more  efficacious  than  when 
administered  in  any  other  way. 
Isatophan  is  methoxy-atophan  and  occurs  as  a  lemon-yellow 
crystalline  powder  melting  at  21 6°.  It  is  soluble  in  alcohol  and 
alkalies  but  insoluble  in  water  or  ether.  It  is  practically  tasteless 
but  possesses  a  slight  odor  resembling  atophan.    (/.  Am.  M.  Assoc., 
1913,  v.  60,  p.  516.) 
Neosalvarsan. — P.  Ehrlich  is  reported  as  stating  that  at  the 
present  time  it  is  not  possible  to  decide  whether  neosalvarsan  is  to 
be  given  the  preference  over  salvarsan  or  not.  Exposed  to  the 
air  neosalvarsan  is  more  readily  decomposed  and  the  oxidation 
products  appear  to  be  even  more  toxic  than  are  those  of  salvarsan. 
The  untoward  results  that  have  been  reported  in  connection  with 
salvarsan  Ehrlich  attributes  to  the  use  of  impure  water,  or  distilled 
water  that  has  been  kept  in  lead  containing  glass  vessels.  (Pharm. 
Zentralh.,  1912,  v.  53,  p.  1220.) 
Novatophan  is  described  by  the  Council  on  Pharmacy  and 
Chemistry  as  the  ethyl  ester  of  paratophan.  It  occurs  as  a  slightly 
yellow,  odorless  and  tasteless,  crystalline  powder  that  melts  at 
760  and  is  insoluble  in  water  but  readily  soluble  in  alkalies,  hot 
alcohol  and  strong  acids.  Its  uses  and  doses  are  the  same  as 
atophan.   (/.  Am.  Med.  Assoc.,  1912,  p.  59,  p.  1971.) 
Oil  of  Theobroma,  Adulterations  of. — Duyk  (Ann.  chim.  anal., 
1 91 2,  v.  17,  pp.  405-407)  states  that  cacao  butter  is  very  frequently 
adulterated  with  other  fats,  the  fraudulent  additions  being  chiefly 
butter  of  cocoa  nut,  and  less  frequently  green  butter,  the  butter 
of  Dika  and  of  Illipe,  wax,  spermaceti,  margarine  and  paraffine. 
Primula  Dermatitis.— -H.  A.  Sharpe  (/.  Am.  M.  Assoc.,  19 12, 
