462  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  { Amsipt.?i?feam' ' 
The  several  pharmacopoeias  in  their  formulas  for  making  the  can- 
tharidal  cerate  extract  only  the  free  cantharidin  ;  in  the  following 
process  it  is  aimed  to  extract  the  total  cantharidin  ;  IOO'O  olive  oil 
and  525-0  yellow  wax  are  melted  and  a  mixture  of  ro  sulphuric 
acid  (sp.  gr.  1-838)  and  100  alcohol  (90  per  cent.)  uniformly  mixed 
in  ;  after  adding  250  0  finely-powdered  cantharides,  the  mass  is 
allowed  to  stand  for  two  hours  at  60-700  C,  stirring  frequently  ; 
finally,  an  intimate  mixture  2-0  barium  carbonate  and  60  alcohol 
.  (90  per  cent.)  is  incorporated.  The  process  has  already  suggested 
the  question,  4<  Would  it  not  be  better  to  add  the  acid  mixture  to 
the  cantharides  and  later  to  add  the  oil  and  wax  ?" — Pharm.  Cen- 
tralhalle,  1892,  425. 
Test  for  Cocaine. — To  a  small  quantity  of  the  alkaloid  add  1  cc. 
nitric  acid  (sp.  gr.  1-4)  and  evaporate  to  dryness  on  a  water-bath  ; 
to  the  cold  residue  add  one  drop  of  an  alcoholic  potash  solution 
(amyl  instead  of  ethyl  alcohol  gives  a  better  reaction),  no  change  is 
noticed  until  the  test  is  warmed  again  on  the  water-bath,  when  an 
intense  violet  coloration  will  suddenly  appear.  The  test  differs  from 
the  one  obtainable  with  atropine,  inasmuch  as  the  violet  coloration 
here  appears  in  the  cold  and  is  destroyed  by  subsequent  heating  on 
the  water-bath. — A.  Kuborne,  Pharm.  Ccntralhalle,  1892,  411  and 
432. 
In  the  manufacture  of  Salicylic  Acid  the  distillation  of  the  crude 
acid  with  superheated  steam  is  attended  by  considerable  loss.  Dr. 
P.  W.  Hofmann  has  patented  a  process  by  which  the  distillation 
becomes  unnecessary.  To  the  crude  lye  is  added  some  stannous 
chloride  solution ;  this  precipitates  a  dark  oily  mass,  containing  the 
objectionable  impurities,  while  the  supernatant  liquid  is  as  clear  as 
water ;  the  addition  of  hydrochloric  acid  then  causes  the  precipita- 
tion of  pure  salicylic  acid,  which  is  freed  from  hydrochloric  acid  by 
washing  and  the  use  of  centrifugals.-— Pharm.  Ccntralhalle,  1892,412. 
Creasote  pills. — The  dispensing  of  these  pills  has  caused  some 
difficulty  on  account  of  a  suitable  excipient  and  the  volatility  of 
the  remedy.  The  following  method  of  procedure  is  pronounced 
very  satisfactory  ;  it  depends  upon  making  first  what  is  called  a 
"creasote  emulsion"  (50  per  cent.)  from  gelatin  5-50,  distilled 
water  12-00,  sugar  2-50  and  creasote  20  00;  the  emulsion  is  pre- 
served in  tight-fitting  glass-stoppered  bottles.     In  making  pills, 
