76  Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  {AmFJe°bU.ri8^2.arm" 
Legislation  has  scarcely  taken  its  first  step  forward.  Not  all  the 
States  have  even  yet  a  form  of  law  regulating  the  practice  of  Phar- 
macy, and  when  the  next  step  is  taken,  and  the  next,  there  will  be 
seen,  coming  to  the  front,  wafted  on  breezes  from  the  older  and 
better  regulated  communities  of  the  old  world,  a  protection  long 
needed,  and  even  now  formed  in  the  minds  of  the  thinking  men  of 
the  profession — a  protection  to  legitimate  Pharmacy.  It  is  as  sure 
to  come  as  La  Grippe  or  dengue,  for  ideas  spread  faster  and  lay 
hold  of  the  people  more  surely  than  disease.  The  inevitable  is 
being  forced  upon  us.  The  light  from  the  rising  sun  of  a  better 
day  is  already  being  seen  in  the  Eastern  horizon. 
Columbus,  O. 
ABSTRACTS  FROM  THE  FRENCH  JOURNALS. 
Translated  for  The  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy. 
Action  of  Borax  on  Chloral. — Mr.  Dujardin  (Bullet.  Commerc, 
April,  1 891)  found  that  in  preparing  solutions  containing  borax 
and  chloral,  considerable  depends  on  the  temperature  at  which  the 
compounds  are  brought  together.  At  ordinary  temperatures  no 
change  is  observed  ;  on  warming,  however,  decomposition  of  the 
chloral  takes  place,  a  long-continued,  slightly  elevated  temperature 
decomposing  the  chloral  as  effectually  as  a  few  minutes  boiling. 
The  decomposition  in  this  case  seems  to  be  similar  to  that  which 
takes  place  when  an  alkaline  hydrate  is  used;  at  least  chloroform  is 
one  of  the  decomposition  products.  In  dispensing  the  two  sub- 
stances it  is  recommended  to  dissolve  the  borax,  if  necessary,  by 
heat,  and  allow  the  solution  to  cool  before  adding  the  chloral. 
Bismuth  Salicylate. — Duyk  [Bull.  Soc.  Pharm.  Bruxelles,  Oct., 
1 891)  proposes  the  following  method  for  the  preparation  of  bis- 
muth salicylate  :  100  gm.  subnitrate  of  bismuth  are  treated  for  one 
or  two  days  with  one  litre  of  water,  to  which  50  gm.  water  of 
ammonia  had  been  added.  After  shaking  sufficiently  the  sub- 
nitrate  is  completely  changed  into  an  oxide,  which  is  collected  and 
carefully  washed  with  water.  This  oxide,  after  expression,  is  heated, 
under  constant  stirring,  with  25  gm.  powdered  salicylic  acid  on  a 
water-bath.  When  union  has  been  effected,  which  is  found  by  using 
litmus  paper,  the  salicylate  of  bismuth  is  washed  and  then  dried  at 
a  slightly  elevated  temperature.  (See  also  Amer.  Jour.  Phar.,  1891, 
p.  401.) 
