Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  j 
February,  1919.  -* 
Current  Literature. 
121 
also  near  the  bottom  of  the  vessel  containing  the  milk.  Under  these 
conditions  the  acid  does  not  cause  coagulation  of  the  casein  at  the 
point  where  the  acid  first  comes  into  contact  with  a  portion  of  the 
milk.  The  ash  and  phosphorus  contents  of  this  casein  are  unusually 
low.  Casein  can  be  prepared  by  this  method  within  ten  hours ;  ex- 
cess of  acid  and  danger  of  hydrolysis  are  avoided ;  the  product  con- 
tains neither  inorganic  phosphorus  nor  calcium ;  it  is  quickly  soluble 
in  dilute  alkalies;  the  yield  is  practically  quantitative.  (L.  L.  Van 
Slyke  and  J.  C.  Baker,  Jour.  Biol.  Chem.,  v.  35,  pp.  127-136,  1918.) 
J.  F.  C. 
Organic  Crystalline  Substances  in  Gentiana  germanica. — ■ 
Two  crystalline  substances  were  detected:  gentiolutein,  a  sublimate 
of  yellow  needles  which  is  insoluble  in  water,  alcohol,  glycerol, 
aqueous  chloral  hydrate,  olive  oil,  dilute  mineral  acids,  but  is  easily 
soluble  in  acetone ;  and  a  second  substance  observed  after  the  re- 
moval of  the  epidermis  of  the  leaf  and  immersion  in  distilled  water 
or  treatment  with  dilute  mineral  acids  or  phenol,  alcohol,  or  glycerol. 
Neither  substance  is  identical  with  gentiopicrin  or  gewtianin.  The 
gentiolutein  could  not  be  detected  in  G.  asclepiadea,  G.  ciliata,  or  G. 
pneumonanthe.  (Hans  Molisch,  Ber.  botan.  Ges.,  35,  653,  1917; 
C.A.,  12,  2344,  1918.) 
J.  F.  C. 
The  Effects  of  Various  Agents  on  Superficial  Hemorrhage 
and  the  Efficiency  of  Local  Hemostatics. — Beginning  with  the 
most  efficient,  the  order  of  efficiency  of  the  more  important  of  all  the 
hemostatic  agents  tested  is  epinephrin,  pituitary  extract,  tyramin, 
acetic  acid,  ferric  chloride,  quinine-urea-hydrochloride,  tannin,  so- 
dium bicarbonate,  barium  chloride,  cane  sugar,  sodium  chloride.  A 
number  of  other  agents,  which  were  tried,  can  lessen  local  hemor- 
rhage in  variable  degrees,  but  on  the  whole  they  are  inferior  and 
undesirable  for  various  reasons.  The  following  among  the  more 
important  of  this  class  and  for  which  hemostatic  claims  have  been 
made,  were  found  to  increase  bleeding  on  local  application;  cotar- 
nine  salts  (stypticin  and  styptol)  ,  antipyrn\  peptone  emetine,  some- 
times alum,  orthoform  (1  per  cent,  solution )  also  quite  markedly 
increased  local  bleeding.  Under  the  condition  kephalin,  coagulen, 
and  thromboplastin  were  all  variable,  or  did  not  afreet  the  course  of 
