Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  1 
August,  19 19.  J 
Current  Literature. 
551 
CURRENT  LITERATURE. 
SCIENTIFIC  AND  TECHNICAL  ABSTRACTS. 
Teichmann's  H^ematin  Crystals. — Several  methods  have 
been  proposed  for  simplifying  this  somewhat  uncertain  test. 
Bokarius  finds  that  the  best  reagent  is  a  mixture  of  glacial  acetic 
acid  (3  vols.)  and  saturated  aqueous  solution  of  sodium  chloride 
(1  vol.).  The  suspected  spot  is  moistened  with  three  or  four  drops 
of  the  reagent,  the  liquid  pressed  out  on  to  a  slide,  covered  with  a 
cover-slip,  and  heated  to  boiling ;  or  a  little  of  the  substance  may  be 
scrapted  off  on  to  a  slide,  the  reagent  added,  and  then  covered  and 
heated.  No  special  precautions  are  necessary.  {Pharm.  W eekbl., 
55,  1502,  through  The  Pharm.  Jour,  and  Pharm.,  April,  1919.) 
Delicate  Reaction  of  Apomorphine. — Gugliamelli's  reagent 
affords  an  extremely  delicate  method  of  detecting  apomorphine. 
The  reagent  is  prepared  by  boiling  10  Gms.  of  sodium  tungstate,  2 
Gms.  of  sodium  molybdate  and  10  Gms.  of  pure  arsenic  acid  with  70 
Cc.  of  water  for  1-^2  hours  under  a  reflux  condenser,  cooling,  and 
adding  water  to  100  Cc.  One  or  two  drops  of  the  alkaloidal  solu- 
tion and  1-2  Cc.  of  the  reagent  are  shaken  together  for  3-5  minutes, 
and  5-10  Cc.  of  cold  saturated  solution  of  sodium  carbonate  added. 
The  mixture  develops  an  indigo-blue  color.  After  again  shaking, 
it  is  divided  into  two  portions :  one  is  shaken  with  amylic  alcohol, 
which  assumes  a  blue  color,  and  the  other  with  benzene,  which  is 
colored  violet.  (Pharm.  Centralb.  through  Schweiz.  Apoth.  Ztg., 
57,  34,  through  Pharm.  Jour,  and  Pharm.,  April,  1919.) 
Improved  Method  for  Estimation  of  Sugar  'in  Urine  and 
Blood. — Cammidge  advises  that  when  a  urine  is  expected  to  contain 
a  low  percentage  of  sugar,  under  0.5  per  cent.,  and  with  all  blood 
and  other  fluids  containing  smaller  amounts,  the  water  to  which  the 
iodine  solution  is  to  be  added  should  be  boiled  thoroughly  to  expel 
dissolved  air  and  cooled  immediately  before  the  estimation  is  to  be 
made.  It  is  also  advisable  that  the  alkaline  copper  solution  for 
sugar  estimations  with  urine  should  be  boiled  in  a  small  conical 
flask  provided  with  a  loose  funnel  as  a  stopper  instead  of  in  a 
beaker,  and  that  the  required  amount  of  urine  would  be  run  into 
the  boiling  fluid  from  a  pipette  when  the  air  dissolved  in  the  solu- 
