330  Martindale  s  "  Extra  Pharmacopeia"  {  VmjJa0nUe?i895arm' 
The  author  refers  interestingly  to  Terebene  (p.  410).  He  claims 
that,  chemically,  it  consists  of  camphene,  cymene,  borneol  and  ter- 
pilene,  the  last  named  of  which  is  alleged  to  be  the  active  or  toxic 
constituent  of  terebene. 
The  U.S. P.,  '90,  states  that  terebene  consists  chiefly  of  pinene, 
and  contains  not  more  than  very  small  proportions  of  terpinene  and 
dipentene.  Sadtler  and  Trimble,  in  their  new  text-book  on  "Chem- 
istry "  (p.  781)  quote  Dr.  F.  B.  Power  as  stating  that  it  consists 
chiefly  of  the  hydrocarbons  dipentene  and  terpinene,  with  some 
cymene  and  camphene.  For  the  internal  administration  of  terebene, 
other  than  inhalations  of  vaporized  terebene,  Mr.  Martindale  recom- 
mends the  conventional  method  of  giving  the  terebene  in  sugar.  A 
much  better  way,  in  the  writer's  opinion,  is  to  admix  the  terebene 
with  an  equal  volume  of  olive  oil,  and  emulsify  with  powdered  acacia, 
sugar  and  water,  flavoring  with  oil  of  gaultheria  ;  each  teaspoonful 
to  contain  5  minims  of  terebene. 
The  formula  is  given  (p.  224)  for  the  French  product  "  Glycero- 
alcohol,"  as  follows:  Glycerin,  333,  distilled  water,  146,  and  alcohol, 
a  sufficient  quantity  to  measure  1000.  It  has  a  specific  gravity  of 
about  I.  It  is  much  used  in  Paris  as  a  solvent  of  alkaloids  and 
other  proximate  principles,  keeps  indefinitely,  and  does  not  readily 
evaporate.  It  could  doubtless  be  often  used  with  advantage  by 
American  pharmacists  for  the  making  of  standard  solutions  of  alka- 
loids, etc. 
Paraldehyde  (p.  55)  is  recommended  to  be  given  in  diluted  syrup 
or  almond  mixture.  A  better  method  is  to  mix  it  with  an  equal 
volume  of  olive  oil,  and  emulsify  with  powdered  acacia,  sugar  and 
water,  flavoring  with  oil  of  gaultheria.  The  writer  of  this  paper  is 
disposed  to  question  the  statement  made  on  p.  56  that  paraldehyde 
is  probably  the  principal  therapeutic  agent  in  Spiritus  yEtheris  Nitrosi 
B.P.  It  may  be  an  important  constituent,  but  surely  the  contained 
ethyl  nitrite  is  of  equal  or  greater  importance.  It  is  known  that 
paraldehyde  has  absolutely  no  diaphoretic  action  on  the  human 
economy,  and  from  this  fact  it  is  very  evident  that  the  diaphoretic 
action  of  spirits  of  nitrous  ether  must  be  due  to  some  constituent 
other  than  paraldehyde,  and  this  is  most  probably  ethyl  nitrite. 
For  the  making  of  "  Creosote  Pills,"  Mr.  Martindale  recommends 
(p.  180)  the  following  formula: 
Creosote   2  flu'd  drachms. 
Powdered  soap  120  grains. 
