GLEANINGS — CHEMICAL,  PHARMACEUTICAL,  ETC.  127 
strength  of  which  is  not  given,)  from  one  to  two  wine  glassfuls 
being  administered  repeatedly  before  the  accession  of  the  parox- 
ysm. Dr.  Cornish  considers  that  the  active  principle  resides 
more  especially  in  the  light  colored  inner  bark,  the  dark  exterior 
being  highly  astringent,  owing  to  a  tannin  analogous  to  that  in 
catechu. 
Corrosive  Sublimate  and  Collodion  as  an  Escharotic. — 
Dr.  Macke  uses  a  solution  of  a  drachm  of  corrosive  sublimate  in  an 
ounce  of  collodion  as  an  escharotic  to  remove  small  excrescences, 
which  it  is  desirable  to  get  rid  of  without  using  the  knife.  It  is 
applied  by  means  of  a  camel's  hair  brush.  When  the  inflamma- 
tion is  high,  it  may  be  abated  with  cold  water  applications  with- 
out interfering  with  the  action  of  the  caustic,  the  .  eschar  is  then 
thrown  off  in  from  three  to  six  days,  with  slight  pain,  and  the 
author  has  not  noticed  absorption  to  take  place  during  its  con- 
tact.— Hay's  Journal. 
Gelatinized  Chlorform. — Dr.  Massart  (Revue  de  Therapeu- 
tique)  gives  the  following  process  for  making  chloroform  jelly  for 
facilitating  its  use  as  a  local  anaesthetic,  viz  :  Take  equal  parts  of 
white  of  egg  and  chloroform,  shake  the  mixture  and  let  it  stand 
for  three  hours.  Or  take  one  part  of  white  of  egg  and  four  parts 
of  chloroform,  put  them  in  a  bottle,  which  is  then  plunged  in  a 
water  bath  of  the  temperature  of  from  120°  to  140°  Fahr.,  when 
gelatinization  occurs  in  four  minutes.  This  preparation  is  applied 
by  rubbing  the  painful  part,  and  its  power  of  affording  relief  is 
said  to  be  remarkable.  Dr.  Massart  prefers  the  cold  process. 
If  allowed  to  remain  long  in  contact  with  the  skin,  it  produces 
incipient  cauterization  Boston  Med.  Journ. 
Lactic  Acid  in  Vegetables  Prof.  Wittstein,  of  Munich, 
has  announced  the  presence  of  lactic  acid  in  the  peduncles 
of  Solanum  dulcamara,  and  in  the  sap  of  the  grape  vine. 
This  acid  has  hitherto  been  considered  as  peculiarly  of  animal 
origin. 
Caustic  alkalies  destructive  of  certain  alkaloids — 
Dr.  Garrod,  of  London,  in  a  communication  to  the  Medico- 
Chirurgical  Society,  asserts  that  the  caustic  alkalies  destroy  the 
narcotic  alkaloids  in  hyoscyamus,  belladonna,  and  stramonium, 
