422 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\  .September,  1909. 
the  study  of  pharmacy  on  the  scientific  side,  particularly  to  students 
of  pharmacognosy,  the  work  of  Professor  Tschirch  is  well  known. 
He  was  born  at  Guben,  in  Prussia,  on  October  16,  1856,  and  for 
nearly  thirty  years  has  been  an  active  contributor  to  pharmaceutical 
literature. — Pharm.  J.  (London),  1909,  v.  28,  p.  790. 
Biologic  Products. — A  review  of  the  discovery  of  the  impor- 
tance of  internal  secretion  and  the  possible  use  of  the  several  sub- 
stances in  therapeutics  is  followed  by  a  brief  description  of  a  number 
of  substances  and  preparations  derived  from  organs  of  animals. 
The  descriptions  of  pituitary  substance,  parathyroid  gland,  and  red 
bone-marrow  indicate  that  these  substances  are  being  marketed  in  a 
commercial  way,  while  the  descriptions  of  thymus  gland,  mammary 
gland,  parotid  gland,  testicle,  spleen,  ovary,  and  corpus  luteum  indi- 
cate that  no  preparations,  of  an  unobjectionable  nature,  are  as  yet 
available,  or  at  least  none  are  mentioned. — /.  Amer.  Med.  Assoc., 
v.  52,  p.  1929- 
Aconitine. — K.  Makoshi  reports  on  the  examination  of  two 
varieties  of  Japanese  aconite.  He  differentiates  between  tubers 
from  Hondo  and  Hokkaido,  reviews  the  work  done  by  previous 
investigators,  and  records  his  experiments.  The  aconitine  obtained 
from  the  Hokkaido  tubers  he  designates  Jesaconitine  reserving  the 
name  apaconitine  for  the  alkaloid  obtained  from  the  Hondo  tubers. — 
Ztschr.  d.  All  gem.  osterr.  Apoih.  V  er.}  1909,  v.  47,  pp.  239-240. 
Agaric  acid  is  included  in  the  new  Swiss  Pharmacopoeia  as 
acidum  agaricinicum.  It  occurs  as  an  odorless,  tasteless  powder 
which  melts  at  141.50  to  1420  C.  and  is  volatilized  at  high  tem- 
peratures. Agaric  acid  is  slightly  soluble  in  cold  water,  also  slightly 
soluble  in  alcohol,  ether,  chloroform,  and  carbon  disulphide.  The 
maximum  single  dose  is  given  in  the  Swiss  Pharmacopoeia  as  0.03 
Gm.  and  the  total  daily  dose  as  0.10  Gm. 
Apomorphine  as  a  Hypnotic. — C.  J.  Douglas  again  calls  atten- 
tion to  the  usefulness  of  apomorphine  as  a  hypnotic,  when  given 
hypodermically  in  doses  of  0.003  Gm. — /.  Amer.  Med.  Assoc.,  1909, 
v.  53,  p.  238,  from  Therap.  Gaz. 
Asiphyl  is  the  name  given  to  the  mercuric  salt  of  para-anilar- 
sinic  acid,  the  acid  of  which  atoxyl  is  the  sodium  salt.  Asiphyl 
occurs  as  a  white  salt  becoming  grayish  on  exposure  to  the  air. 
It  is  sparingly  soluble  in  water  and  readily  dissolved  by  glycerin 
and  by  paraffin  oil.—  Pharm.  }.  (Lond.),  1909,  v.  28,  p.  784. 
