472 
VARIETIES. 
Pharmaceutical  Studies  in  Austria. — Pharmaceutical  instruction  is  about 
being  re-organized  in  Austria.  Before  commencing  his  pharmaceutical  stu- 
dies the  student  has  to  be  qualified  in  the  instructions  of  the  schools  (Gym- 
nases.)  The  duration  of  the  course  of  studies  is  two  years.  The  teaching 
of  the  first  year  comprehends  experimental  physics,  mineralogy,  zoology, 
and  botany  :  that  of  the  second,  inorganic  and  organic  chemistry,  analyti- 
cal chemistry,  pharmaceutical  chemistry,  and  pharmacognosy.  The  tests 
or  examinations  are  three  in  number,  two  theoretical  and  the  other  practi- 
cal. The  first  is  on  physics,  botany,  mineralogy  and  zoology.  The  practical 
examination  consists  in  the  preparation  of  two  pharmaceutical  products,  and 
a  chemical  analysis,  qualitative  and  quantitative,  the  candidate  making  a 
written  report  of  the  processes  he  has  followed,  and  the  results  he  has  ob- 
tained. The  second  theoretical  examination  relates  to  pharmacognosy,  or- 
ganic and  inorganic  chemistry,  analytical  and  pharmaceutical  chemistry, 
and  the  police  of  pharmacy.  Two  years'  practice  in  the  shop  is  required. — 
Repertoire  de  Pharm.,  Juin,  1855. 
Danger  of  Keeping  Tobacco  in  Leade?i  Boxes. — It  is  stated  in  the  Annates 
d' Hygiene  that  humid  tobacco  will  oxidize  lead,  and  afterwards  form  salts 
with  the  oxide,  which,  on  examination,  are  found  to  be  a  mixture  of  acetate, 
carbonate,  chlorohydrate,  and  sulphate  of  lead,  of  which  the  quantity 
amounts  to  from  6  to  30  grains  for  a  half  pound  of  tobacco.  The  presence 
of  soluble  lead  salts  may  be  discovered  in  bad  tobacco  by  incinerating  it, 
treating  the  ashes  with  nitric  acid,  and  testing  the  liquid  for  lead  by  the 
usual  tests. 
Falsification  of  Volatile  Oil  of  Anise  with  Spermaceti.  By  M.  F.  Capde- 
ville. — Having  occasion  to  make  an  aromatic  tincture,  I  took  2  grammes  of 
oil  of  aniseed  and  threw  it  into  250  grammes  of  alcohol.  Greatly  to  my 
astonishment,  an  instantaneons  precipitation  of  whitish  flocks  occurred, 
from  which  I  concluded  the  oil  to  be  adulterated. 
Desirous  of  knowing  the  nature  of  this  precipitate,  I  collected  it,  ascer- 
tained its  weight  to  be  -70  grammes,  put  it  in  a  porcelain  capsule,  and 
treated  it  with  distilled  water,  which  was  without  action  on  it.  I  then  de- 
canted this  liquid  and  applied  boiling  alcohol,  which  dissolved  it  complete- 
ly, but  allowed  it  to  precipitate  on  cooling,  in  the  form  of  a  beautiful  white 
solid,  soft  to  the  touch,  and  having  all  the  physical  characters  of  sperma- 
ceti. New  experiments  confirmed  its  identity  with  that  substance,  and  de- 
cided its  proportion  to  be  about  35  per  cent. — Eepert.  de  Pharm. 
On  the  Essence  of  Peppermint.  By  Ortleib. — The  April  number  of  the 
Repertoire  de  Pharm.  contains  an  article  on  the  production  of  essence  of 
mint ;  I  believe  it  right  to  give  a  short  account  of  my  manner  of  operating 
in  the  production  of  this  volatile  oil. 
