Am.  Jour.  Pharm 
June, 
875^.''"''}     Gleanings  from  European  Journals.  16^ 
SARSAPARILLA. 
'0 
coholic 
xtract. 
nailacin. 
CO.  ext. 
luble  in 
water. 
queous 
xtract. 
ucilage. 
shes  of 
.icilage. 
q.  ext. 
I.  in  ale. 
Starch. 
Sugar. 
shes  of 
Root. 
S 
_ 
rj.onciura.Sj  ioy4* 
10-39 
5'5 
o'45 
4-Q6 
2-6 
2-04 
lost. 
o-c6 
none. 
4-'74 
((  (( 
io'3 
5 '44 
0-58 
4-86 
2-56 
2'  I 
0-42 
0-46 
45  'o 
(( 
4-8 
1  oo5' 
10-32 
13-38 
I  -26 
12-12 
6-98 
4.-26 
0-4 
2-27 
u  ^5 
(( 
6-1  c; 
Caraccas,  1868. 
9-62 
1*5 
8-12 
3-1 
2-5 
lost. 
0*60 
2-:^-68 
(( 
4-23 
((  (( 
I  I  "2 
9-42 
1-6 
7-82 
3-18 
2-5 
0'2 
0-68 
23-68 
trace. 
4*2 
Italian,  1 865 . 
I  I '  I  2 
8-43 
0-86 
7"57 
3*36 
2.7 
0  16 
0-66 
20*27 
none. 
4-10 
Lisbon,  (RioNegTo^  old. 
I  I  02 
9'i6 
0-86 
830 
4-81 
4-3 
lost. 
o'5i 
20-49 
<( 
6-46 
I  5 00. 
10-97 
8-66 
0  86 
7-80 
5'oo 
3-46 
I-I4 
i'54 
14-34 
<( 
4'35 
lalllcliCa,  loQK. 
1 1  - 1 6 
12-34 
1-68 
11.66 
9'74 
8-5 
lost. 
I"24 
4'39 
(( 
8-15 
<<  (( 
11*19 
12-22 
1-78 
1044 
9.82 
8-44 
1-38 
^  38 
4-39 
(( 
8-21 
Vera  Cruz,  without  rhi- 
zome, 1874. 
10-7 
9-2 
1-42 
7-78 
7*5 
3-08 
0-48 
4-42 
6*92 
trace. 
6-8o 
Vera  Cruz,  without  rhi- 
zome, unwashed,  1865. 
9-8 
14-8 
1-5 
13-3 
7-1 
4-06  0-38 
3-04 
6  92 
none. 
12-4 
Vera  Cruz,  rhizome,  old 
8ti 
7-84 
1-24 
6-6o 
3-2 
1-82  0-24 
1-38 
3*1 
3*26 
"      "     roots,  " 
9-8 
9*22 
1-48 
7-74 
lo-i 
8-38 
0-52 
1-72 
9'37 
i( 
6-88 
Smilax  aspera. 
9-1 
8-86 
3'92 
2-14 
0-6 
1-78 
15  0 
trace. 
4-3 
China. 
12-53 
3-54 
0-68 
2-86 
3"3 
2-28 
o-l 
I-02 
30-0 
none. 
1-59 
Thirty  years  ago  the  percentage  of  smilacin  had  been  determined  as 
follows : 
Vera  Cruz.  Lima.  Caraccas.  Lisbon.  Honduras.  Jamaica 
By  Adrian.  1-688.  1-458.  1*292.  1-125.  1-083.  1-042. 
By  Ingenohl.      i  880.      1-410.         i  ioo.   
Since  the  virtues  of  sarsaparilla  are  most  probably  due  to  smilacin, 
it  would  appear  that  the  Vera  Cruz  and  Jamaica  varieties  are  the  best 
for  medicinal  purposes.  M. 
GLEANINGS  FROM  THE  EUROPEAN  JOURNALS. 
BY  THE  EDITOR. 
Diluted  Hydrocyanic  Acid, — In  a  paper  containing  critical  observations 
on  the  hydrocyanic  acid  of  the  French  codex,  A.  Gault  argues  in  favor 
of  reducing  the  strength  of  this  preparation  to  \  per  cent.,  instead  of  2 
per  cent.,  as  it  is  at  present  ;  he  believes,  also,  that  greater  stability  is 
attained  by  employing  diluted  alcohol,  instead  of  water,  as  the  men- 
strum. — V  Union  Pharm.,,  1875?  P-  36. 
Glycerin  in  Medical  Pastes. — Ferdinand  Vigier  recommends  to  add  to 
marshmallow  paste  and  similar  preparations  some  glycerin,  to  prevent 
them  from  getting  dry  and  hard  ;  i  part  of  glycerin  to  40  parts  of  gum 
will  be  found  sufficient  for  this  purpose.  This  idea  had  suggested  itself 
to  him  from  the  good  results  obtained  by  the  addition  of  a  little  glycerin 
to  pillmasses. 
