98 
Gleanings  in  Materia  Medioa. 
r  Am.  Jour.  Phaim.' 
1      Feb..  1883. 
he  sliould  take  the  remainder,  and  received  an  answer  in  the  affirma- 
tive. He  did  so  and  the  tape  worm  was  expelled,  but  the  patient 
became  worse  with  vomiting  and  purging,  and  died  in  a  few  hours. 
The  prescription  as  actually  dispensed  closely  resembles  one  attribil- 
ted  in  Naphey's  Medical  Therapeutics''  (6th  edit.  p.  331)  to  the  late 
Dr.  William  Brinton,  who,  it  is  there  said,  "  believes  this  superior  to  all 
other  combinations  for  the  ejection  of  tsenise."  The  dose  is  precisely 
the  same  in  both  cases,  but  in  the  book  it  is  possibly  a  misprint  for  IJ 
drachms. — Phar.  Jour,  and  Trans.,  1882,  Oct.  14,  p.  312. 
The  poison  of  the  stinging  nettle  is  usually  stated  to  be  formic  acid. 
But  Alfred  W.  Bennett  is  inclined  to  believe  that  the  irritant  fluid 
always  has  an  alkaline  reaction. — Phar.  Jour,  and  Trans.,  1882,  Oct. 
14,  p.  320. 
Honetj. — Eugene  Dietrich  has  repeatedly  observed  that  good  Ameri- 
can honey  may  be  more  easily  obtained  than  German  honey  of  good 
quality,  the  latter,  on  keeping,  becoming  acid  by  fermentation,  at  the 
same  time  accpiiring  an  unpleasant  taste,  and  when  clarified,  of  a  dark 
color  and  a  caramel-like  taste ;  but  fresh  German  honey  yields,  on 
clarification,  an  excellent  product.  The  cause  for  the  better  keeping 
qualities  of  Anierican  honey  has  not  been  ascertained. — Rundschau, 
1882,  p.  662. 
21ie  Volatile  Oil  of  Sandal-wood,  obtained  by  distilling  the  wood  with 
water,  is  described  by  P.  Chapoteaut  as  a  somewhat  thick  liquid  of  sp. 
gr.  0-945  at  15°  C,  and  boihng  between  300"^  and  340°  C.  It  consists 
almost  entirely  of  two  oxygenated  bodies,  the  more  abundant  of  which 
is  CijHg^O  (boiling  point  300°),  and  the  other  C^Ji26^  (boiling  point 
310°).  When  treated  with  phosphoric  anhydride,  the  oil  yields  two 
hydrocarbons,  C^gHga  (boiling  point  248°)  and  C^gHg^  (boiling  point 
260°).  Oil  of  cedar,  when  purified  from  oxygen  compounds  has  the 
composition  and  boiling  point  of  the  former,  and  is  probably  identical 
with  it,  while  the  latter  is  either  isomeric  or  identical  with  oil  of 
copaiba.  The  two  constituents  of  oil  of  sandal- wood  are,  probably,  the 
one  an  alcohol  and  the  other  an  aldehyde.  By  heating  in  sealed  tubes 
at  310°  C,  and  subsequent  treatment  with  phosphoric  anhydride,  a  cy- 
mene,  boiling  at  175°  to  180°  C,  is  obtained. — Jour.  Ohem.Soc,  1883, 
p.  76,  Bull.  Soc.  Chem.  [2],  37,  p.  303. 
