AmMi°rch,i89!rm"}  Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  137 
the  secretion  of  albumin  being  rapidly  decreased  to  one-half.  Pr ogres 
Med.,  November  2r,  1891. 
Action  of  barium  chloride. — Dr.  Bardet  reported  to  the  Societe 
de  Therapeutique  {Pr ogres  Med.)  the  death  of  a  woman  from  a  dose 
of  4  grams  of  this  salt.  Barium  chloride  causes  coagulation  of  the 
blood  and  this  occasions  embolism  resulting  in  death. 
Solution  of  bismuth  chloride. — H.  Causse  {Compt.  rend.,  cxiii,  1 89  r , 
547)  prepares  a  neutral  solution  of  bismuth  chloride  by  use  of  a 
saturated  solution  of  sodium  chloride.  Contact  with  water  decom- 
poses bismuth  chloride,  but  in  the  presence  of  free  acid  this  decom- 
position does  not  take  place.  Ammonium  chloride  can  be  used 
instead  of  the  free  acid  to  prevent  the  decomposition  of  the  bismuth 
salt ;  sodium  chloride  has  the  same  effect.  A  solution  of  this  kind 
can  be  used  for  preparing  basic  bismuth  salicylate,  the  author's  process 
being  as  follows  :  35  gm.  bismuth  oxide  are  dissolved  in  40  cc. 
concentrated  hydrochloric  acid  and  then  mixed  with  500  cc.  of  a 
saturated  solution  of  sodium  chloride.  To  this  mixture  is  then  added 
either  bismuth  carbonate  or  oxide,  as  much  as  will  be  dissolved,  or 
a  saturated  solution  of  sodium  chloride  and  carbonate  in  such  quan- 
tity that  the  precipitate,  which  is  at  first  dissolved,  becomes  per- 
manent. To  500  cc.  of  a  solution  of  sodium  chloride  are  added 
9  gm.  sodium  hydrate  and  22  gm.  sodium  salicylate,  the  solution  is 
filtered  and  then  added  to  the  first,  when  bismuth  salicylate  is  pre- 
cipitated. This  is  collected  on  a  filter  and  washed  with  water 
acidified  with  a  few  drops  of  nitric  acid  until  the  filtrate  is  colorless. 
Bismuth  salicylate  forms  microscopic  crystals,  which  are  decomposed 
by  heat,  and  from  which  alcohol  takes  the  acid. 
Lead  poisoning  from  wall-paper. — A  case  is  reported  by  Dr. 
Guyot  {Jour,  de  Med.,  Nov.  26,  1 891 )  in  which  no  other  cause  could 
be  assigned  for  the  plumbism,  except  the  large  proportion  of  lead 
compounds  found  in  the  wall-paper  of  the  bed- room. 
Boric  acid  in  vegetables. — A.  Gassend  reports  {Ann.  agronom., 
xvii,  352)  having  found  from  5  to  10  milligrams  of  boric  acid  per 
liter  in  a  large  number  of  South  European  wines.  Treating  the  ash 
of  10  cc.  of  wine  with  alcohol  and  sulphuric  acid,  the  green  flame 
is  not  produced,  but  the  boric  acid  is  readily  recognized  by  tur- 
meric paper  and  by  means  of  the  spectroscope.  Traces  of  this  acid 
were  also  determined  in  grapes,  apples,  certain  pears,  potatoes, 
radishes  and  lettuce,  but  not  in  tea,  saffron  or  cow's  milk. 
