Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  I 
May,  1883.  j 
Calcium  Iodide. 
227 
their  farther  decomposition  when  introduced  into  the  stomach  will  be 
mild  and  of  a  ditferent  character  than  that  of  AsBr^  or  Aslg.  These 
conclusions  are  strengthened  by  the  fact  that  we  already  have  valuable 
oxy- compounds  of  the  metals  of  this  group ;  and,  further,  there  seems 
to  be  no  ground  for  introducing  into  the  stomach  an  oxidizing  and  dis- 
infecting compound  whose  action  is  similar  but  stronger  than  pure 
bromine  or  iodine. 
Strassburg,  Germany,  March  24,  1883. 
Note  by  the  Editor. — Arsenious  bromide  was  first  prepared  and 
described  by  Serullas,  in  1828  ("Annales  de  Chimie  et  de  Physique/' 
xxxviii,  318) ;  it  was  obtained  by  gradually  adding  powdered  arsenic 
to  bromine  contained  in  a  tubulated  retort,  and  finally  distilling. 
Serullas  also  determined  the  crystalline  and  hygroscopic  nature  of  the 
compound,  its  melting  point,  boiling  point,  volatilty  and  decomposition 
by  water,  as  given  in  the  above  paper.  Nickles,  in  1862  (loc.  oit,  foot 
note  3  on  page  225),  states  that  the  compound  has  a  strong  arsenical 
odor. 
CALCIUM  IODIDE. 
By  B.  Bother. 
The  business  of  pharmacy  in  its  progressive  phase  must,  from  neces- 
sity conform  with  the  general  law  of  development.  But  this  law  does 
not  determine  a  uniform  rate  or  course  which  may  be  represented  by 
either  a  straight  line  or  a  definite  curve.  Were  all  bodies  equally  elas- 
tic they  would  uniformly  repel  each  other  and  there  could  consequently 
be  no  crowding  or  integration.  The  elasticity,  however,  is  not  equal, 
and  hence  plasticity  arises  as  a  differential  product.  Elasticity  is,  there- 
fore, the  conserving  element  and  plasticity  the  moulding  element.  They 
are  the  primordial  factors  of  development,  whose  interaction  as  he- 
ridity  and  adaptation  determine  the  line  of  descent.  Differentiation  is 
the  consequence  of  following  the  line  of  least  resistance.  It  presumes 
the  liberation  of  a  corresponding  amount  of  force  and  is,  therefore,  a 
limited  phase  of  disintegration.  When  at  last  the  integration  becomes 
excessive  and  differentiation  is  impossible  from  lack  of  mobility,  the 
increasing  stress  overcomes  the  elasticity  of  the  least  resistant  of  the 
crowded  moving  equilibria,  and  the  force  thus  made  available  deter- 
mines a  revival  of  the  differentiation.  This  makes  it  evident  that  the 
course  of  development  is  rhythmic  in  its  nature,  and  that  although  inte- 
