428 
Varieties. 
{  Vm.  Jour.  Pharm. 
t       Aug  ,  1880. 
system,  and  gives  less  of  the  unpleasant  after-effects  than  either  the  muriate  or 
acetate.  Its  great  solubility  makes  it  particularly  advantageous  for  subcutaneous 
injection.  It  gives  little  smarting  or  irritation  when  thus  administered,  and  the 
solution  never  clogs  the  finest  needles. — Med.  Press  and  Circular^  from  Ibid. 
A  Perfect  Solution  of  Salicylic  Acid. — 
R     Salicylic  acid,  .  .  i-^  viii 
Citrate  of  potash,  .  .  .        ^  W 
Glycerin,     ,  .  .  .  J  viii 
Simple  elixir,  q.  s.  to  make  .  .        O  i. 
The  citrate  is  to  be  dissolved  in  glycerin  by  the  aid  of  a  little  heat,  after  which  the 
acid  is  to  be  stirred  in  and  a  gentle  heat  maintained  until  it  is  completely  dissolved. 
On  cooling,  simple  elixir  is  to  be  added  to  bring  it  up  to  the  required  measurement. 
The  solution  is  then  to  be  strained,  and  when  prepared  with  a  colorless  elixir  is  of 
the  color  of  a  very  pale  cherry.  It  contains  five  grains  of  salicylic  acid  to  the  flui- 
drachm,  and  is  miscible  in  all  proportions  with  water  without  the  separation  of  any 
acid. 
The  above  appears  in  the  Louisville  News,"  the  editor  of  which  says  it  is  "the 
best  solution  of  salicylic  acid  he  has  ever  used." — Ohio  Med.  Recorder^  June,  1880. 
Quebracho, — This  new  Brazilian  remedy  has  lately  been  experimented  with  by 
Benzoldt  of  Erlangen  ("  Berlin  Klin.  Woch,,"  ch.  4— "Med.  Jour.").  On  frogs  and 
other  lower  animals  he  found  that  it  produced  complete  paralysis  of  the  motor  sys- 
tem, of  central  origin,  terminating  in  death  by  implication  of  the  respiratory  mus- 
cular system*  In  cases  of  dyspnoea  and  cyanosis,  especially  if  associated  with  rapid 
pulse  and  respiration  depending  upon  pulmonary  affections,  he  found  the  drug  to 
possess  qualities  promising  a  wide  range  of  usefulness.  Thus  in  cases  of  emphysema, 
complicated  with  pleuro-pneumonia,  a  considerable  reduction  of  the  frequency  of 
the  pulse  and  respiration,  with  corresponding  relief  of  the  subjective  symptoms,  and 
a  general  improvement  was  noted.  Other  similar  cases  afforded  similarly  favorable 
lesults.  He  attributes  this  effect  to  increased  absorption  of  oxygen  by  the  blood,  as 
it  was  found  on  mixing  freshly  drawn  blood  with  the  fluid  abstract  of  quebracho, 
that  the  former  assumed  a  much  brighter  hue  than  did  blood  simply  exposed  to  the 
air.  In  several  cases  of  emphysema  and  other  pulmonary  affections,  Dr.  Langman 
obtained  the  sensations  of  relief  and  general  improvement.  The  preparation 
employed  is  a  fluid  extract  from  the  bark,  the  strength  being  i  to  a.  The  dose  was 
a  fluidrachm,  two  or  three  times  a  day. — Detroit  Lancet,  June,  1880. 
Pilocarpin  in  the  Treatment  of  Prurigo. — Professor  0£car  Simon,  of  Breslau 
{"  Berlin  Klin.  Woch.,"  No.  49,  1879),  imparts  good  results  from  the  use  of  jabor- 
andi  and  pilocarpin  in  prurigo.  According  to  Prof  Simon,  the  remedy  softens  the 
dry,  harsh  skin,  and  probably  relieves  t4ie  openings  of  the  sweat  ducts  of  the  accumu- 
lation of  epidermis,  which,  as  the  microscope  shows,  blocks  them  in  prurigo. 
On  the  average,  a  fortnight's  pilocarpin  treatment  temporarily  cures  moderately 
severe  cases  of  prurigo,  while  a  month  suffices  for  all  but  the  very  worst.  Either 
subcutaneous  injections  of  hydro-chlorate  of  pilocarpin  (20  milligrams)  or  a  syrup 
