Am,May!'i?9h2arm'}  Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  229 
litre  of  water.  To  apply  the  test  3  cc.  of  this  solution,  5  cc.  of  the 
volatile  oil  and  5  drops  of  ammonia  water  are  well  shaken,  the  mix- 
ture then  heated  in  a  water  bath  and  a  current  of  air  passed 
through  the  mixture  for  thirty  seconds.  The  oils  of  lemon  and 
'bergamot  become  dark  brown  and  oil  of  turpentine  of  an  intense 
'brown-black;  most  other  volatile  oils,  if  pure,  acquire  only  a  faint 
yellowish  tinge. 
Trimcthylamine,  administered  in  various  ways,  according  to  Com- 
bemale  and  Brunelle  (Compt.  rend.  Soc.biol.,  1 89 1),  causes  increased 
secretion  and  greater  alkalinity  of  the  saliva,  and  slight  albuminuria; 
occasionally  also  vomiting  and  increased  secretion  of  the  nasal  mucus 
and  of  tears.  The  local  inflammation  produced  on  hypodermic 
injection  of  the  alkaloid,  prevents  the  wound  for  a  long  time  from 
healing. 
Methylene- blue,  which  may  be  given  in  doses  of  0-50  gm.  without 
inconvenience,  has  the  property  of  being  excreted  with  the  urine, 
the  yellow  color  of  which  being  changed  to  green.  Constantin 
Paul  (Rcp.de  Phar.,  Jan.,  1892)  has  proposed  to  the  Societe  deThera- 
peutique  to  utilize  this  property  in  cases  where  the  physician  wishes 
to  assure  himself  that  the  prescribed  medicine  is  taken  by  the 
patient.  The  dose  is  from  2  to  5  cgm.  With  2  cgm.  the  green 
color  of  the  urine  is  quite  distinct.  This  property  renders  methy- 
lene-blue  also  useful  in  cases  of  melancholy  and  nervous  derange- 
ment. 
The  ancesthctic  properties  of  cocaine. — Dr.  A.  Bignon  (Bull.  gen. 
Th'crap.,  1892,  170)  draws  attention  to  a  few  peculiarities  of  cocaine. 
In  slightly  acid  solutions  the  anaesthetic  property  of  cocaine  is  ren- 
dered latent,  but  can  easily  be  brought  to  its  full  force  by  neutralizing 
the  acid  with  a  base.  The  author  states  that  the  maximum  intensity 
as  an  anaesthetic  is  shown  when  "  all  the  acid  is  neutralized,  the 
alkaloid  cocaine  being  suspended  in  a  slightly  alkaline  liquid."  A 
liquid  of  this  kind  is  prepared  by  neutralizing  the  acid  with  carbo- 
nate, not  bicarbonate  of  sodium.  005  gm.  of  one  of  the  salts 
treated  as  above  has  the  same  anaesthetic  power  as  10  centigrammes 
of  the  pure  crystalline  chlorhydrate  of  cocaine  in  solution.  This  alka- 
line suspension  should  be  prepared  at  the  time  when  the  cocaine  is 
to  be  used  ;  it  will  not  keep,  as  the  alkaloid  soon  collects  at  the 
bottom  of  the  vial  and  cannot  easily  be  again  suspended. 
