A%^Pit9TM  Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  .  1 35 
alcohol  and  hydrated  digitalein,  is  formed,  the  solubility  of  which  is 
inversely  to  the  molecular  weight  of  the  alcohol  used.  The  body 
obtained  with  ethylic  alcohol  loses  its  alcohol  and  water  at  I  io°  C. 
(230°F.)  Digitalei'n  is  slowly  soluble  in  cold  water,  and  rapidly  so 
in  hot  water ;  this  solution  does  not  yield  a  crystalline  product.  At 
2500  C.  (4820  F.)  digitalein  cakes  together,  at  2700  C.  (5 160  F.) 
decomposition  begins,  and  at  28o°C.  (536°F.)  caramelization  is 
complete.  The  aqueous  solution  is  precipitated  by  tannin  and 
ammoniacal  lead  acetate.  On  careful  treatment  with  dilute  acids 
the  author  obtained  from  digitalei'n  two  other  glucosifles  without 
the  appearance  of  glucose. 
Morphine  and  narcotine  in  opium. — Adrian  (Jour.  Pharm.  Chim.} 
1 89 1,  xxiv,  526)  estimated  the  amounts  of  these  two  alkaloids  in 
38  samples  of  opium.  The  percentage  of  morphine  varied  from 
6*75  per  cent,  to  12-15  Per  cent.,  in  quite  a  number  of  cases  being 
8-9  per  cent.,  the  normal  being  about  10  per  cent.  Narcotine 
varied  even  more  than  morphine,  the  normal  percentage  being 
2-5  per  cent.  One  sample  showed  as  high  as  3-97  per  cent.,  while 
two  others  showed  0-5  and  o-i  per  cent.,  respectively.  The  sample 
with  o-i  per  cent,  of  narcotine  contained  10-075  Per  cent,  of  mor- 
phine, and  the  one  with  3-97  per  cent,  of  narcotine,  9-7  per  cent,  of 
morphine. 
Antidote  for  morphine. — Kossa  (Monit.  Pharm. ,  Dec.  1891,  p. 
1007),  through  experiments  with  lower  animals,  finds  that  adminis- 
tration of  picrotoxin  and  paraldehyde  at  the  same  time  had  the 
desired  effect.  The  paraldehyde  was  given  to  counteract  the  con- 
traction of  the  respiratory  muscles  produced  by  the  picrotoxin. 
The  latter  alone  does  not  act  as  an  antidote  in  morphine  poisoning. 
Disinfectol  is  stated  to  be  an  energetic  disinfectant,  similar  to 
lysoi  and  creolin  (see  Am.  Jour.  Phar.,  1890,  p.  342;  1891,  p.  93). 
It  is  a  brown-black  oily  liquid,  of  an  alkaline  reaction,  and  of  the 
spec.  grav.  1086,  and  besides  hydrocarbons  contains  sodium  carbo- 
late  and  resin  soaps. — Jour.  Med.,  Chir.,  Phar.,  Nov.,  1891. 
Sulphaminol. — Wojtaszek  (Przeglad  Lekarski  Aug.  8,  1 891), 
experimented  with  this  new  antiseptic,  sulphaminol  or  thioxydi- 
jphenyldiamine ',  proposed  by  Merck,  but  does  not  arrive  at  the  same 
conclusions  as  this  investigator.  Hypodermic  injections  of  3  to  4 
gm.  to  the  kilo  of  the  animal  (rabbit),  produced  no  effect,  but  like 
