Am.  Tour.  Pharm. 
April,  1921. 
Iodine  Ointment. 
277 
very  distantly  related  from  the  botanical  point  of  view.  Syringin, 
first  found  in  lilac,  is  also  present  in  various  species  of  privet  and 
of  jasmin.  Arbutin  is  present  in  all  kinds  of  pears,  in  the  leaves 
of  Pyrola  rotiindifolia,  of  Grevillea  robusta,  and  of  Hakea  laurina. 
Gentiopicrin,  at  first  known  only  in  Gentiana  lutea,  has  been  found 
in  six  other  species  of  gentian,  also  in  Chlora  perfoliata  and  in 
Swertzia.  Aucubin  has  been  located  in  the  genus  Garry  a  and  in 
the  plantains.  Prulaurasin  of  cherry  laurel  leaves  occurs  in  the 
leaves  Cotoneaster  microphylla.  Loroglossin  has  just  been  found 
in  two  other  species  of  French  orchids,  besides  in  Lor,oglossum  hir- 
cinium.  In  all,  glucosides  have  been  isolated  from  fifty-six  species 
of  plants.  But  this  represents  only  a  fraction  of  the  number  yet 
to  be  discovered.  In  the  author's  laboratory,  up  to  the  present  time, 
281  species  of  plants  have  been  under  investigation;  of  these  205 
give  indications  of  the  presence  of  one  or  more  glucosides.  In 
fifty-six  of  these  the  glucosides  have  been  isolated  and  identified. 
There  remain,  therefore,  149  for  further  identification.  Since 
glucosides  are  shown  to  be  present  in  three-fourths  of  the  limited 
number  of  phanerogamous  plants  hitherto  examined,  as  there  is 
every  reason  to  suppose  that  they  are  equally  of  general  occurrence 
in  the  unexamined  species,  it  is  obvious  that  an  immense  field  of 
research  has  been  opened  up  by  the  method.  This  general  dis- 
tribution of  glucosides  which  can  be  hydrolized  by  emulsin  indi- 
cates that  the  part  it  plays  in  plant  metabolism  is  not  so  unimport- 
ant as  is  sometimes  assumed. 
STAINLESS  IODINE  OINTMENT* 
By  W.  P.  McEwen. 
Recently  there  has  been  a  call  from  the  medical  profession 
for  a  stainless  iodine  ointment,  and  to  meet  this  demand  the  author 
worked  out  the  following  method  of  preparing  the  same,  which 
can  be  readily  put  into  practice  at  any  dispensing  counter^  Oint- 
ments up  to  a  40  per  cent,  iodine  content  can  be  prepared,  but  the 
formula  given  here  represents  in  strength  the  official  ointment. 
Advantage  is  taken  of  the  fact  that  oleic  acid  is  a  member  of  the 
unsaturated  series  of  fatty  acids,  and  can  absorb  two  atoms  of 
hydrogen  or  their  equivalent — for  our  purpose  two  atoms  of  iodine. 
*From  The  Australasian  Jour,  of  Pharm.,  Jan.  20,  1921. 
