692 
Current  Literature. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I     October,  19 19. 
the  end,  as  it  would  appear,  to  establish  a  virtual  monopoly  in 
-Mysore  oil,  a  demand  for  western  Australian  sandalwood  is  likely 
to  arise  in  Europe.  Sandalwood  is  getting  scarce  in  and  near  the 
settled  districts  of  western  Australia,  but  the  extent  to  which  it  still 
exists  is  not  accurately  known.  The  present  supplies  are  largely 
drawn  from  the  eastern  goldfields  areas,  but  it  is  understood  that 
sandalwood  has  been  found  in  mid-continent  in  the  neighborhood 
traversed  by  the  Trans-Australian  Railway.  The  extent  of  the 
growth  there  has  yet  to  be  ascertained."  The  question  of  the  com- 
position of  the  oil  derived  from  West  Indian  sandalwood  is  now 
under  investigation  at  the  Imperial  Institute. 
CURRENT  LITERATURE. 
SCIENTIFIC  AND  TECHNICAL  ABSTRACTS. 
Cyanogenetic  Glucosides  in  Ferns. — GreshofT  has  demon- 
strated the  presence  of  a  cyanogenetic  glucosides  in  Pteris  aquilina 
L.,  in  Gymnogramma  aitrea  Desv.,  and  in  species  of  Lastrcea  and 
Athyrium.  Mirande  has  found  a  cyanogenetic  glucoside  in  Cys- 
topteris  alpina  Desv.  It  is  present  in  all  the  green  parts  of  the  plants 
in  fairly  large  quantity  in  the  spring,  but  gradually  diminishing  as 
the  season  advances.  (U Union  Pharm.,  59,  371,  from  The  Pharm. 
Jour,  and  Pharmacist,  May  31,  191 9.) 
Alkaloidal  Valuation  of  Extract  of  Belladonna. — Dif- 
ferences having  arisen  regarding  the  alkaloidal  value  of  extract  of 
belladonna  as  determined  by  French  and  English  analysts,  it  is  de- 
sirable that  a  uniform  method  should  be  internationally  adopted. 
The  authors  show  that  the  process  of  the  British  Pharmacopoeia 
(1898)  involves  losses  due  to  incomplete  removal  of  the  alkaloids 
during  the  process  of  shaking  out,  to  the  numerous  manipulations, 
and  to  the  drying  at  ioo°,  by  which  a  volatile  alkaloid  is  driven  off. 
Preference  is  given  to  the  process  of  the  French  Pharmacopoeia, 
which  is  simpler  and  determines  the  total  alkaloid. — Goris  and 
Beausite.  (Bull,  des  Sciences  Pharm.,  26,  53,  from  The  Pharm. 
Jour,  and  Pharmacist,  May  31,  191 9.) 
Micro-detection  of  Ligneous  Elements  in  Flours  and 
Pastry. — It  is  difficult  to  identify  starch  grains  in  cooked  flours 
