AmNiv"ri?r6*rm'}  Gleanings  from  the  Foreign  Journals.  511 
Barbaloin,  nataloin  and  zanaloin  are  more  or  less  aperient  in  doses 
of  two  grains,  barbaloin  being,  apparently,  rather  more  active  in  com- 
bination with  hard  soap  than  with  conserve  of  roses.  They  are,  each 
of  them,  decidedly  uncertain  and  variable  in  their  action  ;  the  time 
which  elapsed  after  the  administration  before  there  was  any  perceptible 
action  varied  from  2 J  to  15  hours.  The  crystalline  principle  did  not 
appear  to  be  more  potent  than  a  similar  dose  of  aloes,  nor  was  any  ad- 
vantage discovered  over  a  similar  dose  of  aloes,  except,  perhaps,  that 
griping  was  less  common  than  when  aloes  alone  was  given. — Phar. 
Jour,  and  Trans.,  Aug.  19,  from  Med.  Times  and  Gaz.,  Aug.  12. 
Adulterated  Arrowroot. — H.  Wm.  Jones  states  that  a  considerable 
quantity  of  arrowroot,  adulterated  with  cassava  starch,  is  in  the 
(English)  market  at  the  present  time.  Similar  adulterations  have  been 
previously  noticed  in  France,  by  Guibourt. — Phar.  Jour,  and  Trans., 
July  8.  ' 
Estimation  of  Quinia  from  Ferri  et  ^uinice  Citras. — A.  N.  Palmer 
observed  that  the  quinia  in  this  preparation  cannot  be  reliably  deter- 
mined by  ammonia  and  ether.  But  by  employing  chloroform  as  the 
solvent  for  the  alkaloid,  the  whole  amount  can  be  obtained,  even  in 
the  presence  of  sugar,  glycerin  or  ammonium  citrate.  If  ammonia  is 
used  for  liberating  the  quinia,  the  liquid  will  show  an  alkaline  reaction 
long  before  the  whole  of  the  quinia  has  been  precipitated. — Ibid., 
July  29. 
A.  J.  Cownley,  however,  shows  that  the  failure  of  ether  to  extract 
the  whole  of  the  quinia  is,  most  likely,  due  to  the  solubility  of  this 
liquid  and  water,  and  that,  practically,  the  whole  of  the  quinia  can  be 
obtained  if  the  liquid  is  repeatedly  agitated  with  ether. — Ibid.,  Aug.  5. 
Soluble  Prussian  blue,  in  a  durable  liquid  form,  is  obtained  by  dissolv- 
ing 5  grams  of  ferrocyanide  of  potassium,  5  grams  of  iron  potassa  alum 
(KFe2S04.  I2H20)  and  1  gram  borax,  in  200  grams  of  distilled  water, 
adding  5  or  6  grams  of  pure  diluted  nitric  acid,  and  afterwards  2  grams 
of  liquor  ferri  sesquichlorati,  "Phar.  Germ."  (spec.  grav.  1*480  to 
1-4845  contains  15  per  cent,  of  iron). — Apoth.  Zeit.,  No.  31. 
Codliver  oil  with  ferrous  iodide  is  prepared  by  triturating  in  a  mortar 
I  part  each  of  iodine  and  pulverized  iron  and  20  parts  of  codliver  oil  ; 
the  mixture  is  then  heated  in  a  water-bath  until  the  brown  color  of  the 
iodine  has  completely  disappeared  and  given  place  to  a  deep  purple 
