Araju°nUer,'iS2arm'}  Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  315 
between  bromoform  10  gm.  and  powdered  silver  50  gm.,  after 
warming,  is  so  violent  as  to  raise  the  mixture  to  incandescence. 
Replacing  the  silver  by  powdered  zinc,  the  action  should  be  induced 
by  the  addition  of  a  few  drops  of  amrnoniacal  solution  of  cuprous 
chloride.  On  operating  with  chloroform  by  these  processes,  no 
acetylene,  or  only  a  trace  of  it,  is  obtained. 
Thiophene  derivatives. — Two  new  bodies  introduced  into  thera- 
peutics are  thiophene-sulphonic  acid  and  thiophene  biniodide. 
Thiophene-sulphonic  acid  is  a  white  crystalline  powder  containing 
33  per  cent,  of  sulphur,  and  is  proposed  by  Dr.  Spiegler  (through 
Rep.  de  Pharm.,  1892,  157)  for  prurigo  in  the  form  of  a  10-20  per 
cent,  ointment,  with  equal  parts  of  vaselin  and  lanolin  as  a  base. 
The  thiophene-snlphonate  of  sodium  is  to  be  preferred  to  beta- 
naphthol  in  cases  of  prurigo  complicated  by  eczema.  The  thiophene 
biniodide  is  analogous  to  iodol,  and  forms  a  crystalline  powder,  of 
peculiar  aromatic  and  not  disagreeable  odor.  It  contains  75  per 
cent,  of  iodine  and  9  per  cent,  of  sulphur.  It  is  insoluble  in  water, 
soluble  in  hot  alcohol,  ether  and  chloroform.  Dr.  Hock  recom- 
mends it  as  a  substitute  for  iodoform  in  the  form  of  powder  or 
gauze. 
Commercial  Digitalins. — In  speaking  of  the  therapeutic  value  of 
digitalin,  J.  Fouquet  states  (Bull.  gen.  Therap.,  1892,  p.  71)  that 
of  the  more  or  less  active  principles  of  digitalis  the  following  are 
soluble  in  chloroform,  but  insoluble  in  water :  Crystalline  digitalin, 
amorphous  digitalin  and  digitoxin ;  while  digitalein  and  German 
digitalin  are  soluble  in  water  and  insoluble  in  chloroform.  Of 
these  principles  those  of  the  first  group  are  the  most  active,  and 
the  crystallized  digitalin  deserves  the  preference.  It  should  be 
given  in  the  full  dose  of  1  mgm.,  and  if  insufficient  diuresis 
should  be  produced,  another  dose  of  0-5  mgm.  may  be  given  on 
the  next  or  third  day. 
Myrtol. — Myrtol  is  that  portion  of  the  oil  of  Myrtus  communis 
distilling  between  1600  and  I70°C.  It  contains  cineol  identical 
with  cajeputol  and  eucalyptol  and  a  hydrocarbon  C10H16.  It  is  used 
with  some  success  in  putrid  bronchitis  and  pulmonary  gangrene. 
It  is  partially  eliminated  by  the  respiratory  way  diminishing  the 
odor,  and  at  the  same  time  the  quantity  of  the  expectorations.  As 
it  is  also  partially  eliminated  by  the  kidneys,  it  was  proposed  for 
the  treatment  of  catarrhal  affections  of  the  urinary  tract.   It  is  used 
