Aui.  Jour.  Pliarm. ) 
Mar,  1883.  j 
Practical  Notes. 
141 
decomposed  by  heat  and  yields  a  residue  of  ferric  oxide ;  it  is  not  af- 
fected by  chlorine  or  hypochlorous  acid,  but  is  decolorized  by  potassa, 
the  blue  color  being  restored  by  acids.  Logwood  blue  is  changed  to 
red  on  the  addition  of  a  little  acid,  and  by  heat  is  decomposed  giving 
a  residue  of  alumina  and  cupric  oxide.  Ultramarin  is  not  altered  by 
heat,  but  at  once  decolorized  by  nitric  acid.  Saxony  blue  is  decom- 
posed by  caustic  alkali,  but  restored  by  an  acid.  In  a  mixture  of  Prus- 
sian and  Saxony  blue,  the  former  is  decomposed  by  chlorine  or  nitric 
acid,  while  the  latter  requires  the  action  of  potassa  to  produce  the 
same  effect. — Phar.  Zeitung,  1882,  p.  609.    Gem.  Wochenschr. 
Blaud's  Pills. — The  Pharmaceutische  Zeitung,''  1882,  p.  564,  pub- 
lishes various  directions  for  preparing  these  pills,  as  follows : 
1.  Exsiccated  ferrous  Sulphate  10*12,  potassium  carbonate  15*0,  milk- 
sugar  6*0,  syrup  7*5  gms.  make  100  pills.  A  metallic  lustre  exceeding 
in  elegance  the  coating  with  gold  or  silver  may  be  given  to  the  pills 
by  rolling  them  upon  a  hard  board  in  coarsely  powdered  graphites, 
dampened  with  a  few  drops  of  alcohol. — M.V.Valta. 
2.  Potassium  carbonate,  ferrous  sulphate  aa  15*0,  powdered  althea 
1*5,  tragacanth  1*0,  glycerin  ointment  (composed  of  glycerin  and  tra- 
gacanth)  1*0  to  1*5  gm.  A  greenish,  plastic  mass  is  the  result  from 
which  pills  are  obtained  which  harden  in  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  and 
are  not  deliquescent. — E.  Rudech. 
3.  The  water  of  crystallization  contained  in  the  ferrous  sulphate  is 
to  be  replaced  by  powdered  althea,  the  mass  formed  with  a  mixture  of 
equal  parts  of  mucilage  and  glycerin,  and  the  pills  dried  in  a  drying 
closet. 
4.  Potassium  carbonate  15*0,  exsiccated  ferrous  sulphate  7*5,  powdered 
althea  7*5,  powdered  tragacanth  '3,  glycerin  sufficient ;  make  100  pills. 
— 0.  Bpoerl. 
5.  Like  3,  except  that  the  mass  is  formed  with  honey. — See  also 
American  Journal  of  Pharmacy^  1871,  p.  307 ;  1881,  p.  603. 
For  Mashing  the  Odor  of  Iodoform,  Dr.  C.  Scherk  recommends  car- 
bolic acid.  On  rubbing  together  10  gms.  of  iodoform  with  "05  gm.  car- 
bolic acid  and  2  drops  of  oil  of  peppermint,  the  disagreeable  odor  of 
iodoform  is  completely  masked  and  will  not  appear  again  even  on  heat- 
ing. The  addition  is  somewhat  less  effectual  if  vaselin  be  used  for  the 
ointment ;  but  is  still  more  agreeable  than  tonka,  balsam  of  Peru,  oil 
of  caraway,  or  oil  of  peppermint  alone. — Phar.  Zeitung,  1882,  p  740 ; 
Klin.  Wochenschr. 
