492 
British  Conference. 
J  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
j     October,  1909. 
U.S. P.  process,  which  he  asserts  is  capable  of  giving  accurate  results., 
and  when  compared  with  the  technic  required  and  the  time  con- 
sumed in  using  the  ferrocyanide  method  or  Gordon  and  Prescott's 
periodate,  is  certainly  not  tedious  to  the  worker. 
The  Use  of  Alcohol  in  Pharmacy. 
By  D.  B.  Dott. 
A  number  of  pharmaceutical  preparations  are  mentioned  of 
which  the  author  thinks  the  alcoholic  content  can  be  reduced  with- 
out any  consequent  diminution  of  the  therapeutic  activity.  He  also 
suggests  the  use  of  glycerin  for  many  drugs  in  place  of  alcohol  as  a 
solvent  and  preservative;  he  also  refers  to  the  work  of  Squibb 
and  others  in  exhausting  drugs  with  dilute  acetic  acid  as  a  solvent. 
The  recommendation  by  the  author  that  methylated  spirit  should 
be  authorized  in  preparations  of  liniment  we  deem  rather  unwise. 
P-Hydroxyphenylethylamine,  an  Active  Principle  of  Ergot, 
Soluble  in  Water. 
By  G.  Barger. 
The  author  summarizes  recent  work  on  a  new  active  principle  of 
ergot.  Barger  and  Dale  pointed  out  that  the  alkaloid  ergotoxine, 
while  being  responsible  for  many  of  the  characteristic  effects  of 
ergot,  is  only  present  in  very  small  quantities  in  most  specimens  of 
preparations  of  it;  such  of  these  specimens  as  possess  any  appre- 
ciable activity  were  therefore  regarded  as  having  a  second  active 
principle.  The  physiological  properties  of  p-hydroxyphenylethyla- 
mine,  recently  isolated  from  putrid  meat  by  Barger  and  Walpole, 
suggested  that  this  base  might  be  the  above-mentioned  active  prin- 
ciple of  aqueous  extracts  of  ergot.  The  author  states  that  it  has 
been  possible  to  prove  that  this  active  principle  occurs  in  such  an 
extract,  and  its  presence  accounts  for  such  of  the  activity  as  is  not 
due  to  small  quantities  of  ergotine. 
The  method  of  isolation  has  recently  been  described  in  detail  by 
Barger. 
Malt  Extract  with  Cod-liver  Oil. 
By  E.  F.  Harrison. 
The  author  gives  a  tabulated  result  of  his  investigation  of 
various  specimens  of  malt  extract  with  cod-liver  oil  found  on  the 
