GLEANINGS  FROM  THE  FRENCH  JOURNALS. 
401 
care.  It  does  not  appear  to  relieve  that  form  of  tooth-ache 
arising  from  congestion,  when  the  affected  nerve  cannot  be 
reached  directly  by  the  conia. — Repertoire  de  Pharmacie. 
Nitrate  of  Silver. — M.  Henry  Schoerer  recommends  the  fol- 
lowing process  for  making  nitrate  of  silver  from  coin  :  The 
alloy  is  dissolved  in  nitric  acid ;  the  bluish  colored  liquid  is 
heated  carefully  until  it  ceases  to  give  off  nitrous  fumes  and  is 
mixed  with  black  oxide  of  copper,  the  result  of  the  decomposi- 
tion of  the  nitrate  of  copper.  This  is  then  filtered  out  and  the 
pure  solution  of  nitrate  of  silver  evaporated  and  crystallized. — 
Repertoire  de  Pharmacie  and  Echo  Med. 
Poisoning  by  Carbonate  of  Qadmium. — M.  Soret  (in  Presse 
Med.  Beige)  gives  an  instance  of  the  toxical  action  of  this  salt, 
produced  by  inhaling  the  dust  of  its  powder  used  in  polishing 
silver.  The  principal  symptoms  were  vomiting,  giddiness,  dif- 
ficult respiration  and  constriction  of  the  throat  and  powerful 
cramps. 
French  Salep. — Salep  is  prepared  in  France  from  the  tubers 
of  the  orchis.  Those  are  chosen  in  preference  which  consist  or 
two  tubers  united  by  a  neck,  or  which  are  digitate.  The  tp5ers 
are  taken  before  the  flowering  season,  when  they  oon^m  tne 
most  gelatinous  matter,  and  old  tubers  of  the  prf^e(^nS  JeM' 
should  not  be  used.  They  are  washed  with  *ater  and  well 
rubbed  immediately  after  collection,  then  pl^ged  into  boiling 
water  until  they  begin  to  swell  up.  Th**  treated,  the  starch 
granules  are  converted  into  mucilage,  *  volatile  principle,  which 
gives  a  disagreeable  odor  to  the  re^nt  tubers,  is  volatilized,  and 
a  bitter  extractive  matter  dissolved  out  by  the  hot  water.  Their 
preparation  is  concluded  w*en  the  tubers,  strung  on  a  string, 
are  dried  in  the  sun  or  in  a  convenient  drying  apparatus.  When 
so  prepared  indigenous  salep  sustains  a  favorable  comparison 
with  the  best  salep  of  the  East.— Echo  Medicate  et  Reper.  de 
Pliarm. 
Persian  Saffron  Many  species  of  crocus,  growing  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Tifflis  and  the  Caucasus,  yield  this  drug.  The 
flowers  are  collected  by  women  and  children.    The  stamens  and 
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