Am,  Jour.  Pharm. ") 
July,  1875.  ; 
Laboratory  Notes, 
the  other  hand  is  applied  in  a  similar  way  to  the  nape  of  the  neck.  In 
a  few  seconds  there  is  experienced  a  pricking  sensation,  which  is  said 
to  be  caused  by  an  electric  current.  This  increases  in  intensity  till  it 
becomes,  sometimes,  almost  insupportable,  then,  after  five  minutes  or 
so,  passes  away,  leaving  a  sensation  of  coolness  in  the  part,  and  fre- 
quently taking  away  the  pain  completely. 
On  examination,  the  preparation  proved  to  be  simply  alcohol  con- 
taining a  small  quantity  (about  ten  drops  to  the  ounce)  of  essential  oil  of 
mustard^  together  with  some  oil  of  sassafras  and  oil  of  peppermint.  It 
is  well  known  that  many  of  the  essential  oils  have  decided  anaesthetic 
powers  ;  the  oil  of  peppermint,  especially,  is  a  common  ingredient  in  the 
pain  annihilators  that  are  vended  about  the  country.  The  oil  of  mus- 
tard produces  a  powerful  counter-irritant  effect,  which  is  useful  not  only 
for  the  relief  of  pain,  but  to  secure  a  ready  sale  for  an  article  whose 
powerful  positive  effects  can  be  so  easily  demonstrated.  Large  quan- 
tities of  the  essential  oil  of  mustard  are  now  sold  by  the  wholesale 
dealers,  and  doubtless  made  use  of  in  compounding  nostrums  similar 
to  this. 
The  profession  may,  perhaps,  take  a  hint  from  this,  and  add  to  the 
list  of  recognized  therapeutic  agents  one  which  has  been  hitherto  neg- 
lected, but  whose  virtues  are  unquestionable. 
Sugar- Coated  Quinine  Pills  Once  More. — L.  C.  Hogan,  in  the  "Phar- 
macist," publishes  the  results  of  an  assay  made  by  him  of  samples  of  the 
sugar-coated  quinine  pills  from  eight  prominent  manufacturers.  We 
regret  to  observe  that  the  showing  is  not  more  favorable  for  the  manu- 
facturers than  was  that  of  our  own  assay,  published  last  year  in  the 
^'American  Journal  of  Pharmacy."  To  Mr.  Hogan's  list  we  add  two  more 
assays  of  our  own,  the  first  of  two-grain,  the  second  of  one-grain  pills, 
in  which  the  economy  of  quinine  is  most  instructive. 
The  following  are  the  tabulated  results  of  the  several  assays : 
Gross  Weight 
of  one 
2-grain  pill. 
Weight  of  pill 
after  coat 
was  removed. 
Quantity  of 
quinia  in  five 
2-grain  pills. 
Quantity  of 
quinia  sulph. 
in  five 
2-grain  pills. 
Standard.  ..... 
2*3 
7-4 
lO'OO 
^•2 
2'I 
6-85 
9-22 
2       .        .  .... 
24 
6-65 
8-98 
3  
4-6 
2-3 
6-6 
8-91 
4       .....  . 
4' 
2* 
5'73 
8  19 
5  
4-05 
2-5 
5-56 
7-63 
6  
3-25 
2-5 
5-35 
7'22 
7  .       .        .       .  . 
3-4 
1-8 
4-55 
6-32 
8  
4-25 
1-8 
378 
5-56 
9  
3-6 
1-85 
5-93 
10      .  .... 
2-35x2 
0  815x2 
5-2 
