Am:Ju0i^'i89iarm"}  Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  365 
leaves  a  permanent  greasy  stain  on  bibulous  paper.  Its  specific 
gravity  is  about  0-850.  Heated  for  eight  hours  at  200-21 2°  F.  it 
lost  5-4  per  cent.,  and  also  lost  its  peculiar  narcotic  odor,  becoming 
more  fatty  in  character.  This  indicates  that  the  volatile  portion  lost 
is  the  odorous  portion. 
ABSTRACTS  FROM  THE  FRENCH  JOURNALS. 
Translated  for  The  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy. 
Distilled  tarwater  is  stated  by  Corneille  St.  Marc  (Poit.  Medical, 
1892,  No.  3)  to  rapidly  arrest  various  forms  of  haemoptysis  and 
metrorrhagia,  and  to  be  useful  in  mucous  metritis ;  but  its  action  is 
uncertain  in  uterine  carcinoma  and  fibromyoma. 
A  concentrated  solution  of  boric  acid  is  prepared  by  Mr.  Puaux 
(Jour.  Phar.  Chim.,  Feb.,  1892),  by  using  boric  acid,  200  gm.;  mag- 
nesium carbonate  35  gm.  and  water  1,000  cc.  The  solution  has  the 
specific  gravity  ro88,  is  acid  to  test  paper,  and  contains  one-sixth  of 
its  weight  of  boric  acid.    (See  also  Amer.  Jour,  of  Phar.,  1 892,  p.  99.) 
Calcium  salts  for  therapeutic  use. — According  to  G.  See  (Med. 
mod.,  March,  1892,  p.  137)  the  calcium  preparations  usually 
employed  in  medicine  are  uncertain  in  their  action  because  they  are 
absorbed  only  in  minute  quantities,  a  small  proportion  being  elimi- 
nated through  the  kidneys,  while  nearly  the  entire  quantity  passes 
through  the  intestines  and  is  rejected  without  having  produced  any 
action.  Calcium  iodide  and  calcium  bromide  are  the  salts  particularly 
adapted  for  introducing  iodine  and  bromine  into  the  organism,  the 
proportion  of  these  elements  being  greater  than  in  any  other  medi- 
cinal salt.  On  the  other  hand,  these  calcium  salts  have  neither  the 
frequently  unpleasant  activity  of  the  corresponding  potassium,  salts 
nor  the  inertia  of  the  sodium  salts.  Calcium  chloride  and  bromide 
are  adapted  for  use  in  a  large  number  of  dyspepsias  and  stomachal 
lesions.  Calcium  iodide,  given  in  small  doses,  does  not  in  the  least 
derange  the  digestive  organs,  otherwise  it  agrees  with  the  potassium 
salt  in  the  favorable  action  upon  the  respiration,  the  heart  and  upon 
specific  diseases. 
Calcium  tartromalate  has  been  isolated  by  C.  Ordonneau  (Bull. 
Soc.  Chim.,  3  ser.,  vi,  261)  from  the  juice  of  green  grapes,  and  from 
wine  prepared  from  grapes  attacked  by  mildew.    It  is  a  double  salt 
