230  Varieties.  { '"■•/r^Sc'"- 
pepsins,  diastases  and  pancreatins  of  the  (French)  market,  and  still  more  so  with 
the  wines  and  elixirs  made  from  these,  in  which  the  alcohol  almost  entirely  counter- 
acted the  medicinal  effect  of  these  principles.  Chatin,  the  director  of  the  School  of 
Pharmacy,  suggested  to  banish  all  proprietary  medicines  from  drug  stores,  and 
advised  physicians  not  to  prescribe  them  under  any  condition.  Similar  views ^ere 
expressed  by  Vulpian  and  Prof.  Peter.  Personne  referred  to  iron  specialties,  and 
particularly  to  Bravais'  dialyzed  iron,  which  he  considered  impure  and  enfirely 
insoluble  in  the  stomach  and  therefore  of  no  value,  and  Prof.  Berthelot  stated  that 
it  should  be  employed  in  every  case  where  the  use  of  an  absolutely  inert  iron  prepa- 
ration is  desired. — Pharm.  Post,  Dec.  i6,  1879,  P-  374- 
White  Furs  are  Dyed  by  Sieglitz  &  Co.  by  applying  to  the  ends  of  the  hair  a 
mixture  of  10  parts  gum  arabic,  5  parts  lead  acetate,  10  parts  fatty  white  clay,  la 
parts  basic  copper  acetate  and  water,  drying,  immersing  into  a  decoction  of  litharge 
with  milk  of  lime,  treating  with  diluted  ammonium  sulphide,  and  finally  with  an 
extract  of  galls.  The  ends  remain  white,  while  the  lower  portion  of  the  hair  is 
dyed  brown. — Chem.  Centralbl.,  Dec.  17,  1879,  P' 
Artificial  Wool  is  made  from  flax,  jute  or  hemp  waste,  or  from  rags  of  these 
materials,  by  M.  Neumann's  patented  process,  by  first  treating  these  substances  with 
soda  and  soap,  at  ioc°  (3  kg.  soda  and  i  kg.  soap  to  600  liters  water),  then  transfer- 
ring them  to  a  lukewarm  bath  containing  calcium  chloride  and  (or?)  magnesium 
sulphate,  adding  hydrochloric  acid,  and  finally  treating  them  for  a  short  period  with 
a  0-5  per  cent,  solution  of  sulphurous  acid,  and  washing  them. — Ber.  d.  Deuisch. 
Chem.  Ges.y  xii  (1879),  P-  2272. 
Benzoic  Acid  is  Prepared  from  Benzoin  by  R.  v.  Wagner  by  dissolving  the  resin 
by  digesting  with  3  to  4  parts  strong  acetic  acid,  decanting  the  brown  solution,  pouring 
into  4  parts  boiling  water  and  removing  the  grayish-brown  resin,  which  separates 
by  filtration,  when  the  greater  portion  of  the  benzoic  acid  will  crystallize  from  the 
filtrate  on  cooling,  while  another  yield  is  obtained  on  evaporating  the  liquid,  pre- 
viously partially  saturated  with  calcium  hydrate.  The  benzoic  acid,  separated  from 
the  acetic  acid  solution,  possesses,  after  drying  and  melting,  a  pleasant  odor  resem- 
bling storax,  and  can  be  used  for  aromatizing  and  for  preparing  fumigating  powder,, 
etc.  The  solubility  of  benzoin  in  acetic  acid  might  also  be  advantageously  made 
use  of  for  preparing  disinfecting  and  fumigating  essences.  Balsam  tolu,  balsam 
Peru  and  storax  likewise  dissolve  in  acetic  acid. — Pharm.  Ztg.,  Jan.  7,  1880,  p.  ii^ 
from  Pol.  NotizhL 
