450  Medical  and  Pharmaceutical  Notes,    j  Amj 1^arm' 
portion  of  the  alkanet  solution  is  mixed  with  a  drop  of  the  acid  solu- 
tion, and  then  one  to  two  drops  of  the  ammonium  carbonate  solution, 
when  the  presence  of  a  magnesium  compound  will  be  shown  by  the 
production  of  the  blue  violet.  If  magnesium  is  not  present,  the  origi- 
nal color  of  the  alkanet  solution  will  appear. 
The  alkanet  solution  must  not  be  diluted  with  water,  as  this  will 
give  rise  to  a  hydrolysis  of  the  ammonium  carbonate  by  which  am- 
monium hydroxide  will  be  produced  (Ber.,  1920,  Vol.  liii,  176; 
through  Journ.  Franklin  Inst.,  Feb.,  192 1.) 
MEDICAL  AND  PHARMACEUTICAL 
NOTES 
Antibody  Studies. — The  Journal  of  Immunology,  for  March, 
1921,  was  devoted  exclusively  to  the  publication  of  "Antibody 
Studies,"  by  Dr.  F.  M.  Huntoon,  of  the  Mulford  Biological  Labora- 
tories, Glenolden,  Pa. 
These  papers  cover  a  vast  amount  of  original  research  work,  on 
a  very  important  subject,  and  have  to  do  with  extracting  the  pro- 
tective substances  or  antibodies  from  bacterial  serums,  such  as  Anti- 
pneumococcic  Serum,  Antimeningococcic  Serum,  etc. 
The  results  of  Dr.  Huntoon's  work  hold  promise  of  a  new  epoch 
in  the  serum  treatment  of  pneumonia,  and  possibly  some  of  the  other 
infectious  diseases.  Dr.  Huntoon  was  able  to  produce  sterile  ex- 
tracts of  the  pneumococcic  protective  antibody,  possessing  approxi- 
mately the  same  antibody  content  as  the  best  immune  serum,  and 
yet  very  low  in  serum  protein  content. 
We  are  informed  that  these  extracts  have  not  yet  been  placed 
■on  the  market,  but  their  clinical  value  is  being  carefully  determined 
in  a  number  of  leading  hospitals,  and  we  are  assured  that  if  the  re- 
sults continue  satisfactory,  these  antibody  extracts  will  be  made 
available  by  the  Mulford  Laboratories,  as  soon  as  possible,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  medical  profession,  and  humanity  at  large. 
Lobinol — the  Poison  of  Poison  Oak. — James  B.  McNair  has 
extracted  a  dermatitant,  or  poison,  producing  inflammation  of  the 
skin,  from  the  poison  oak  Rhus  diversiloba.   The  bark  was  extracted 
