Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
June,  1909.  J 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
297 
v.  12)  discusses  the  use  of  quinine  in  malaria.  He  prefers  the 
alkaloid  because  of  its  comparative  insolubility  and  corresponding 
tastelessness,  and  because  it  is  readily  dissolved  in  the  stomach. 
Of  the  salts  he  prefers  the  hydrochloride  given  in  pills  or  gelatine 
capsules. — Pharm.  Ztg.,  1909,  v.  54,  p.  269. 
Quinine. — The  annual  consumption  of  quinine  is  estimated  to 
be  approximately  1,000,000  pounds.  The  maximum  individual  con- 
sumption is  in  the  tropics  though  the  maximum  total  is  in  sub- 
tropical and  temperate  regions,  as  the  consumption  in  the  tropics  is 
practically  confined  to  the  white  inhabitants. — Pharm.  Post.,  1909, 
v.  52,  p.  236. 
Sodium  Nitrate. — Charles  E.  Munroe,  in  reviewing  the  con 
sumption  of  sodium  nitrate  in  the  United  States,  presents  some 
features  taken  from  the  statistics  for  chemical  manufacturers  com- 
piled by  the  Bureau  of  the  Census  which  indicate  that  the  total 
consumption  of  sodium  nitrate  in  the  United  States,  during  1905, 
amounted  to  254,772  short  tons  against  182,431  short  tons  con- 
sumed in  1900.  The  greater  portion  of  this  amount,  100,985  short 
tons,  was  used  in  the  manufacture  of  explosives,  while  50,301  short 
tons  were  used  in  the  manufacture  of  nitric  acid,  18,467  in  the 
manufacture  of  sulphuric  acid,  and  31,324  in  the  making  of  general 
chemicals. — /.  Ind.  and  Eng.  Chem.,  1909,  v.  1,  pp.  297-299. 
Strophanthin  Thorns  is  described  as  a  crystalline  glucoside  ob- 
tained from  Strophanthus  gratus.  It  is  identical  with  ouabain 
obtained  from  Ouabaio  wood  by  Aruand  and  is  distinctly  different 
from  the  official  strophanthin  which  is  methyl  ouabain.  Stro- 
phanthin Thorns  is  used  in  place  of  strophanthin  as  a  substitute 
for  digitalis.  It  has  been  given  in  doses  of  0.003  to  0.025  gramme. 
— /.  Amer.  Med.  Assoc.,  1909,  v.  52,  p.  1499. 
Zinc  Permanganate. — The  Council  on  Pharmacy  and  Chemistry 
of  the  A.  M.  A.  publishes  a  description  of  zinc  permanganate  which 
provides  that  it  should  contain  not  less  than  90  per  cent,  of 
Zn(Mn04)2  -j-  6HsO.  It  should  be  almost  completely  soluble  in 
water. — /.  Amer.  Med.  Assoc.,  1909,  v.  52,  p.  1258. 
