'^^arifso^'"''}     Use  and  Analysts  of  the  Cockroach,  499 
a  few  weeks,  and  become  hard.  After  shaking  them  about  for  a  short 
time  sprinkle  over  some  French  chalk  ;  place  them  in  a  flat-bottom 
tin  and  apply  a  gentle  heat  ;  keep  them  continually  rotating,  adding 
more  chalk,  if  necessary,  until  dry.  I  find  that  the  coating  neither 
cracks,  nor  does  it  peel  off.  1  had  no  guide  in  my  first  attempt  to 
sugar-coat  pills,  and  if  any  correspondent  is  in  possession  of  a  better 
method,  maybe  he  will  kindly  enlighten  his  brethern. 
II.  Make  a  solution  of  tolu  in  ether,  nearly  saturated  (the  refuse 
from  making  syrup  of  tolu  answers  equally  well,  and  is  more  economi- 
cal) put  the  pills  into  a  jar  and  moisten  thoroughly  with  the  solution  ; 
then  throw  them  into  French  chalk  contained  in  the  pill-coater,  and 
after  rotatino;  in  the  usual  manner  expose  for  a  short  time  to  allow  the 
coating  to  dry  ;  then  coat  twice  in  succession  as  follows  :  Mix  equal 
parts  of  fresh  mucilage  of  acacia  and  water,  add  two  drops  of  this  to 
each  dozen  pills,  and  throw  them  into  French  chalk  as  before  ;  finally 
remove  all  the  chalk  from  the  coater  and  polish  the  pills  by  rotating 
them  for  some  time  in  the  coater. 
The  object  in  first  coating  with  the  solution  of  tolu  is  to  prevent  the 
discoloration  of  the  coating,  which  invariably  follows  if  this  is  omitted. 
During  an  experience  of  thirteen  years  I  have  never  found  the  least 
objection  to  the  use  of  tolu. 
French  chalk,  or  lycopodium,  will  be  found  the  best  for  dusting  the 
pills  when  rolling,  as  liquorice  and  such-like  powders  adhere  to  the 
pills,  increasing  their  size  and  otherwise  interfering  with  coating  them 
satisfactorily. 
USE  AND  ANALISIS  OF  THE  COCKROACH. 
By  Stanislas  Martin. 
Translated  from  Bulletin  General  de  Therapeutique,  1880,  Aout  30,  p.  168. 
The  cockroach  has  become  a  popular  remedy  in  Russia.  Dr. 
Bogomolow  regards  it  useful,  when  reduced  to  powder,  in  the  dose  of 
3  decigrams  in  dropsy  of  the  heart,  of  the  liver  and  of  the  kidneys  ; 
it  is  also  prescribed  in  Bright's  disease.  Dr.  Unterberger  had  on  several 
occasions  treated  scarlatinous  dropsy,  and  one  case  of  morbilious  dropsy, 
which  were  cured  by  giving  18  to  30  centigrams  of  cockroach  three 
times  daily  Dr.  Koehler  states  that  he  obtained  the  same  results  from 
the  use  of  this  remedy. 
It  seemed  to  me  interesting  to  search  for  the  principle  to  which  we 
V 
