124 
Current  Literature. 
fiAm.  Jour.  Pharm. 
<-   February,  19 19. 
best  to  prescribe  an  insoluble  alkaline  carbonate  such  as  magnesia. 
A  mixture  containing  potassium  citrate,  sodium  bicarbonate,  and 
sodium  sulphate  should  be  given  every  four  hours.  Later,  the 
patient  may  be  given  a  mixture  containing  potass,  bicarb.,  tinct. 
zingib.,  tinct.  rhei  co.,  and  infus.  gent.  Rectal  salines,  with  sod. 
bicarb.  2  ounces  to  the  pint,  may  be  given  every  six  hours.  Intra- 
venous or  subcutaneous  saline  injection,  when  the*patient  is  first 
seen,  gives  great  relief,  and  inhalation  of  oxygen  through  warm 
ether  is  a  valuable  stimulant.  {Glasgow  Med.  Jour.,  1918,  2,  65; 
Aug.    The  Prescriber,  October,  191 8.) 
Copper  Sulphocarbolate. — The  salts  of  copper  have  never 
been  held  in  much  favor  as  medicinal  agents,  particularly  for  in- 
ternal use.  Recently,  however,  a  wave  of  enthusiasm  has  spread 
regarding  copper  preparations,  and  numerous  investigators  have 
reported  on  the  use  of  copper  compounds  in  cancer  and  in  tuber- 
culosis. In  these  cases  the  preparation  recommended  has  been  either 
a  colloidal  form  of  the  metal  or  some  special  organic  compound. 
Several  reports  have  come  from  different  quarters  regarding  one  of 
the  salts  of  copper — the  sulphocarbolate.  As  these  reports  appear 
to  be  reasonable  and  well  vouched  for,  a  brief  description  of  its 
properties  and  uses  may  be  of  interest. 
Copper  sulphocarbolate,  Cu(C0H4OH- S03) 2,  occurs  in  greenish 
crystals,  and  is  fairly  soluble  in  water.  The  dose  ranges  from  %28 
to  %4  grain.  Like  other  inorganic  salts  of  the  same  metal,  large 
doses  act  as  emetic,  but  in  the  doses  mentioned  no  irritant  action 
need  be  feared.  Its  action  is  that  of  an  antiseptic,  and  it  is  par- 
ticularly indicated  in  various  forms  of  diarrhoea,  especially  when 
this  is  of  a  choleraic  character.  In  an  article  in  The  Prescriber 
(1913,  p.  176)  its  action  as  an  intestinal  antiseptic  was  fully  de- 
scribed. The  dose  recommended  is  %4  grain  every  hour :  one  grain 
in  three  ounces  of  water,  a  teaspoon ful  every  hour.  G.  L.  Servoss 
speaks  highly  of  its  uses  in  cases  of  food  fermentation  in  children. 
In  the  preparation  of  food  for  bottle-fed  babies  he  advises  the  addi- 
tion to  the  water  of  a  minute  dose  of  copper  sulphocarbolate.  In 
addition  to  its  anti fermentative  action,  it  admits  of  the  water  being 
used  unboiled,  and  therefore  containing  all  the  original  lime  salts, 
an  important  consideration  in  the  case  of  children.  In  the  digestive 
disturbances  common  to  children  teething  its  action  is  also  very 
