FACTS  RELATING  TO  MAGNESIUM. 
455 
of  cases  neither  morphia  or  codeia  produce  so  long  or  so  pro- 
found a  sleep. 
2d.  Narceia  causes  only  in  a  very  feeble  degree  the  physio- 
logical phenomena  consequent  upon  the  sleep  produced  by  mor- 
phia and  the  salts  of  that  base.  Besides,  the  perspiration  is 
much  less  abundant  than  after  the  use  of  opiates.  Vomiting  is 
rare ;  nausea  and  loss  of  appetite  more  common.  Narceia,  in 
its  action  upon  the  intestines,  differs  sensibly  from  morphia  ; 
instead  of  causing  obstinate  constipation,  its  effect,  in  small  doses, 
is  that  of  a  gentle  aperient.  In  larger  doses  it  causes  a  diar- 
rhoea. 
3d.  Narceia  relieves  pain,  like  all  opiates. 
Among  the  different  effects  produced  upon  the  secreting  or- 
gans, that  upon  the  kidneys  is  nearly  constant.  Anuria,  to  a 
greater  or  less  extent,  is  noticed  particularly  after  rather  large 
doses.  Perhaps  this  peculiar  action  of  narceia  might  be  turned 
to  account  in  the  treatment  of  incontinence  of  urine  in  children. 
— Druggists'1  Circular,  June,  1866,  from  Crazette  cles  Hbpitaux. 
FACTS  RELATING  TO  MAGNESIUM  :  ITS  ACTION  ON 
METALLIC  SOLUTIONS,  AND  ITS  APPLICATION  TO 
TOXICOLOGICAL  RESEARCHES. 
By  M.  Z.  Roussin. 
Every  chemist  is  aware  how  uncertain,  and  how  often  at 
variance  with  the  theory  as  well  as  the  principles  of  the  estab- 
lished classification,  is  the  precipitation  of  a  metal  contained  in 
a  saline  solution  by  a  metal  apparently  more  oxidizable. 
Whether  secondary  reactions,  the  presence  of  water,  the  nature 
of  the  acid,  or  the  conductibility  of  the  solution  complicate  a  re- 
action which  a  priori  seems  so  simple,  it  is  certain  that  several 
metals  have  hitherto  resisted  precipitation  in  a  metallic  state  by 
the  contact  of  another  metal  with  their  aqueous  solutions. 
We  refer  more  particularly  to  cobalt,  nickel,  iron,  zinc, 
manganese,  chromium,  &c. 
Experiment  has  shown  that  magnesium  precipitates  in  a 
metallic  state  some  of  the  above  metals,  which  until  then  had 
resisted  all  attempts  of  this  kind. 
