272  Gleanings  from  the  Foreign  Journals.  {Amji/™-x8p3Jfnn- 
eral  acids  may,  however,  be  detected  by  evaporating  the  vinegar,  with 
some  of  the  violet,  to  a  small  bulk. 
The  color  solution  was  made  by  dissolving  O'Oi  grm.  methylanilin- 
violet  in  100  grm.  of  water,  and  2  to  3  drops  of  this  solution  are  used 
for  25  cc.  of  vinegar.  The  method  is  not  applicable  for  the  quantita- 
tive determination  of  the  free  mineral  acids,  the  change  to  violet,  on 
neutralizing  with  alkali,  occurring  gradually. — Archiv  d.  Pharm  ,  1876,, 
March,  193-196. 
Chloral- Chloroform,  which  was,  several  years  ago  (see  "  Am.  Jour. 
Pharm,"  1870,  p.  319  and  409  ;  1871,  p.  410),  recommended  as  being 
preferable  to  ordinarily  prepared  chloroform,  on  account  of  its  not 
being  decomposed  by  light,  has  again  been  examined  by  Dr.  Schacht> 
and  found  to  alter  in  the  light  as  rapidly  as  the  latter,  unless  preserved 
by  the  addition  of  a  little  alcohol. — Pharm.  Zeit.,  No.  26. 
The  quantitative  separation  of  morphia  from  sugar  cannot  be  effected 
by  the  processes  recommended  for  the  quantitative  estimation  of  that 
alkaloid.  Dr.  Schacht  has  made  numerous  experiments  on  this  subject,, 
and  is  continuing  his  investigations. — Ibid. 
Butyl  chloral. — Dr.  Oscar  Liebreich  states  that  Kramer  and  Pinner 
have  ascertained  that  the  substance  commonly  called  croton-chloral 
contains  2H  more  than  was  supposed,  and  is,  in  fact,  butyl-chloral. 
Soda  decomposes  it,  forming  chloride  and  formiate  of  sodium,  and 
bichlorallylene.  According  to  Liebreich,  chloral  causes  death  by 
interfering  with  the  cardiac  ganglia  ;  butyl-chloral,  by  its  action  on  the 
respiratory  centre.  With  the  latter,  anaesthesia  commences  at  the 
head,  while  reflex  action  can  still  be  excited  on  the  limbs.  Doses  of 
butyl-chloral,  sufficient  merely  to  produce  anaesthesia  of  the  head,  do 
not  essentially  affect  the  pulse  and  respiration.  In  insane  adults,  5 
grams  were  found  to  produce  sleep  and  anaesthesia  of  the  head,  with 
maintenance  of  the  muscular  tonus,  and  of  reflex  action  in  the 
trunk,  so  that  the  patients  remained  sitting,  while  the  head  was  per- 
fectly anaesthetic. 
Liebreich  orders  it  in  the  following  form  :  butyl-chloral  hydrate, 
5  to  10  parts  ;  glycerin,  20  parts  ;  distilled  water,  130  grams  ;  the 
mixture  to  be  shaken  before  being  used.  The  dose  is  half  an  ounce, 
to  be  followed,  in  five  minutes,  by  a  second,  and,  in  ten  minutes,  by  a 
third.    It  is  well  to  commence  with  a  small  dose,  to  avoid  producing 
