24  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  {Anj'j°n.%£2arm' 
cylinders  will  retain  their  form  for  a  long  time,i.  e.  as  long  as  2  to  4 
days,  and  then  will  not  fall  into  a  powder  but  will  split  into  longi- 
tudinal sections  which  may  be  straight  or  bent ;  if  the  adulteration 
amounts  to  only  a  few  per  cent.,  floccules  may  separate  from  the 
cylinder  and  after  12-24  hours  the  sediment  will  consist  of  floccules 
among  which  may  be  seen  the  longitudinal  sections.  The  tempera- 
ture for  this  test  ranges  from  14-180  C.  (57-64-5°  F.)  All  possi- 
ble wax  adulterants  were  examined  by  this  test  with  very  satisfactory 
results;  it  was  also  found  that  instead  of  the  benzin,  ether  of  specific 
gravity  0720  could  be  used. — Dr.  H.  Hager  {Centr.  Org:  f.  Waren- 
Kunde  u.  T.)  Drogisten  Ztg.,  1891,  489. 
The  purification  of  tuberculin.— -In  the  Pharmaceutische  Zeitung, 
1 89 1,  741,  Dr.  Hoffmann  gives  results  of  several  processes  for  the 
purification  of  tuberculin.  The  crude  tuberculin  (1  gm.)  is  slowly 
dropped  into  20  gms.  absolute  alcohol  and  the  white  precipitate 
coagulated  by  addition  of  01  gm.  sodium  chloride  dissolved  in  1 
gm.  water;  after  24  hours  it  separates  as  a  yellowish-brown  resinous 
mass,  which  is  rinsed  three  times  with  alcohol  (99  per  cent.)  and 
then  dissolved  in  2  gms.  water.  This  solution  reprecipitated  by 
addition  of  40  gms.  absolute  alcohol  and  sufficient  tartaric  acid 
added  to  impart  a  slight  acid  reaction  (all  alkaloidal  tartrates  being 
soluble  in  alcohol,  this  procedure  was  adopted  to  remove  alkaloids 
from  the  tuberculin)  ;  after  24  hours  the  clear  supernatant  liquid 
was  decanted  and  the  precipitate  washed  three  times  with  alcohol  ; 
by  dissolving  in  water  and  evaporating  in  a  desiccator  a  white 
amorphous  powder  was  obtained  (9  per  cent,  of  the  tuberculin 
taken),  which  dissolved  clear  in  water  after  adding  a  small  quantity 
of  sodium  carbonate.  This  product  marked  A  was  compared  with 
the  purified  product  of  Klebs  B  (Am.  Journ.  Pharm.,  1 891 ,  599), 
also  with  the  crude  tuberculin  C  towards  reagents.  All  three  show 
the  biuret  test  and  are  precipitated  by  picric  acid  and  ferric  acetate ; 
C  gives  more  decided  precipitates  than  either  A  or  B  with  phos- 
pho-molybdic  acid,  tannin  and  mercuric  chloride ;  C  gives  precipi- 
tates not  obtainable  with  A  and  B  with  potassium  tri-iodide,  platinic 
chloride  and  Mayer's  reagent ;  with  Millon's  reagent  A  and  B  form 
whitish  flakes  becoming  yellow  on  warming  ;  C  gives  the  same  pre- 
cipitate, and  in  addition  a  supernatant  liquid  that  becomes  cherry-red 
after  warming.    In  all  cases  where  differences  were  noticed  between 
