^Vuris^s^'"'}  Gleanings  from  the  European  Journals,  347 
been  previously  mixed  with  2  parts  of  ferric  oxide  and  i  part  of  socotrine 
aloes  to  200  parts  of  arsenious  acid,  the  materials  to  be  triturated  into 
a  uniform  powder. — Bull,  Commerc.^  April,  p.  184. 
J  Periodical  Chalybeate  Spring, — In  a  paper  by  Prof.  Aug.  Husemann, 
published  in  "  Archiv  d.  Pharm.,"  Feb.,  the  author  notices  the  inter- 
esting fact,  that  the  waters  of  the  two  chalybeate  springs  of  St.  Moritz 
in  Swizerland  varies  somewhat  during  the  summer  in  the  amount  of 
saline  matter  and  carbonic  acid  gas  ;  the  amount  of  carbonic  acid  and 
ferrous  carbonate  rapidly  decreases  after  the  latter  part  of  September, 
the  iron  disappearing  entirely  during  the  winter  months  ;  traces  of  it 
are  found  again  in  April,  when  the  iron  and  carbonic  acid  gas  rapidly 
increase  until,  in  May,  they  are  found  again  in  their  average  proportion 
for  summer, — Schweiz.  Wochenschr.  f,  Pharm.^  No.  18. 
Wafer  Capsules  for  Powders. — B.  Studer,  Jr.,  describes  a  small  press 
intended  for  closing  the  wafer  capsules,  and  which  is  claimed  to  be 
preferable  to  the  one  mentioned  in  the  May  number,  p.  213,  on  account 
of  its  smaller  size  and  greater  compactness,  its  durability  (absence  of 
springs)  and  cheapness. — Ibid.^  No.  21. 
Commercial  sulphate  of  quinidia  frequently  contains,  according  to  O. 
Hesse,  quinia,  cinchonidia  or  cinchonia.  For  the  detection  of  the  last 
two  alkaloids,  i  gram  of  sulphate  is  first  treated  with  a  mixture  of  two 
measures  of  chloroform  and  one  measure  of  strong  alcohol,  in  which 
the  salt  should  slowly,  but  completely  dissolve  ;  inorganic  impurities 
would  be  insoluble.  One  part  of  the  salt  is  now  digested  with  40  parts 
of  water  at  60°  C.  (140^^  F.),  and  3  parts  of  pure  Rochelle  salt  are 
added.  After  one  hour  the  liquid  is  filtered  from  the  crystalline  pre- 
cipitate, containing  quinia  and  cinchonidia,  0*5  or  i  gram  of  iodide  of 
potassium,  added  to  20  c.c.  of  the  filtrate,  will  indicate  the  presence  of 
quinidia  (Hesse's  conchinia),  by  a  precipitate  occurring  within  an  hour, 
and  the  filtrate  therefrom  shows  the  presence  of  cinchonia  by  the  white 
precipitate  with  ammonia.  A  mixture  of  cinchonia  alkaloids,  tested 
in  this  manner,  will  indicate  not  less  than  6  per  cent,  of  quinia  and  cin- 
chonidia, and  2  per  cent,  of  quinidia. — Ibid.^  No.  23,  from  Annalen  d, 
Chemie.  Compare  also  Hesse's  paper  in  Jmer,  Jour,  Pharm.^  1869, 
p.  421. 
Active  Principles  of  Digitalis. — Schmiedeberg  has  separated  from  com- 
mercial digitalin,  prepared  from  the  seeds,  four  well  characterized  prin- 
ciples, and  afterwards  obtained  the  most  interesting  of  the  same,  the 
