318 
PHARMACEUTICAL  GLEANINGS. 
combustibility  admits  of  its  being  used  over  and  over  again  as  it 
is  purified  by  burning  out  the  contaminating  matter.  Amianthus 
can  be  obtained  in  abundance  in  various  parts  of  Europe,  Asia, 
and  the  United  States,  and  its  fitness  for  this  purpose  is  worthy 
of  consideration  in  hospital  practice. —  Union  Med. 
Antimoniate  of  Quinia  in  Intermittens. — Dr.  La  Camera,  of 
Naples,  in  treating  a  solution  of  sulphate  of  quinia  by  a  solution 
of  antimoniate  of  potassa,  has  obtained  a  white  product  crystal- 
lized in  needles,  bitter  to  the  taste,  and  soluble  in  hot  water  and 
in  alcohol  and  ether.  This  antimoniate  of  quinia  has  given  ex- 
cellent results  in  periodical  diseases,  both  simple  and  complicated 
with  rheumatism,  in  sub-continued  fevers  of  Torti,  and  in  per- 
nicious fevers.  The  dose  is  0.4  grm.  to  0.6  grm.  during  the 
apyrexia,  and  it  is  rarely  necessary  to  be  administered  a  second 
time. 
On  the  adulteration  of  Saffron  by  the  flowers  of  the  Fuminella. 
By  M.  J.  Leon  Soubeiran. — The  high  price  at  which  saffron  is 
sold  is  a  cause  which  induces  the  designing  to  falsify  it,  and 
already  a  number  of  articles  have  been  used,  such  as  the  petals 
of  calendula  and  arnica,  cut,  colored  and  oiled  to  give  them 
suppleness,  and  those  of  Cartbamus  tinctorius,  and  not  satisfied 
with  these  they  have  sought  a  new  substance  in  the  Acafrao,  and 
more  recently  the  flowers  called  Fuminella,  from  Brazil.  In  the 
early  part  of  this  year,  M.  Soubeiran  noticed  in  the  Paris  drug 
market  a  saffron  consisting  of  the  stigmata  of  Crocus  sativus, 
with  a  large  proportion  of  fuminella.  A  very  simple  means  of 
separating  them  is  to  take  a  large  pinch  of  the  adulterated  saffron 
on  a  piece  of  paper,  and  give  the  latter  a  succession  of  taps  be- 
neath the  saffron.  The  fuminella  being  smaller  and  heavier  than 
the  true  saffron,  falls  to  the  bottom,  on  the  paper,  where  it  can 
be  detected  by  its  short  fragments  and  its  color,  which  has  a 
rusty  tint. 
Their  length  varies  from  a  fifth  to  two -fifths  of  an  inch,  ac- 
cording as  they  are  broken  or  whole  ;  are  contorted  after  drying  ; 
appear  ordinarily  of  equal  width  throughout  their  length,  but, 
when  whole,  one  extremity  is  more  attenuated. 
When  these  flowers  are  moistened,  spread  upon  glass,  and  ex- 
amined with  a  microscope,  the  characters  of  the  corolla  of  Sy- 
nanthereae  are  recognized. 
