Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
December,  1909.  j 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
589- 
about  100  per  cent,  of  the  amount  claimed.   The  results  are  re- 
ported as  clearly  showing  that  the  claims  made  concerning  the  com-  - 
position  of  anusol  suppositories  are  not  substantiated  by  the-  facts. — 
/.  Am.  M.  Assoc.,  1909,  v.  53,  p.  11 12,  •   ■  '  ■  •• 
Astrolin  is  a  colorless  powder  having  a  faint  odor  and  an  agree-  " 
able  acid  and  slightly  bitter  taste.    It  melts  at  from  64°  to  65.50  'C,- 
and  at  200  C,  is  soluble  in  0.6  parts  of  water  ,  and  in  6:5  parts  of- 
absolute  alcohol,  1  part  of  benzol  and  0.7  parts  of  chloroform.    It  is- 
given  in  doses  of  from  0.5  to  1.0  Gm.  and  is  now  being  introduced 
in  Germany  as  a  substitute  for  migrainin  mixtures  containing  anti- 
pyrine  and  caffeine,  which,  because  of  their  dangerous  properties,  • 
are  not  allowed  to  be  sold  promiscuously.— Pharm.'  Zentralh.,  1909,'  - 
v.  50,  pp.  702-704. 
Benzosalin. — Benzoyl-salicylic-acid  methylester,  or  methyl-ben- 
zoyl-salicylate  is  the  methylester  of  benzoyl-salicylic-acid.  It  occur's- 
as  fine  white  crystals  with  a  very  faint  aromatic  odor.  It  dissolves 
readily  in  chloroform,  and  in  35  parts  of  90  per  cent,  alcohol. 
Benzosalin  is  said  to  be  useful  in  rheumatic  affections  in  doses  of 
from  0.5  to  1.0  Gm.  three  or  four  times  a  day. — /.  Am.  M.  Assoc., 
I9°9>  v-  53>  P-  868- 
Bile  Salts. — Long  and  Johnson  report  a  study  of  the  commercial 
bile  salts  and  point  out  that  at  least  some  of  the  available  prepara- 
tions do  not  have  the  composition  that  is  claimed  for  them  and 
practically  all  are  more  or  less  variable  mixtures  of  the  several 
constituents  of  bile.—/.  Am.  M.  Assoc.,  1909,  v.  53,  pp.  1412-1413. 
Brandy. — The  members  of  the  Royal  Commission  on  Whiskey 
and  other  Potable  Spirits  are  reported  as  thinking  that  the  evidence 
is  strongly  in  favor  of  regarding  brandy  as  a  spirit  derived  from  no 
other  material  than  the  grape,  but  they  are  also  of  the  opinion 
that  the  compounded  spirit  long  recognized  by  the  name  of  "  British 
Brandy  "  is  entitled  still  to  be  so  named  and  sold. — Pharm.  Jour., 
Lond.,  1909,  v.  29,  p.  232. 
The  influence  of  caffeine  and  other  drugs  on  the  toxicity  of  ace- 
tanilid  and  antipyrine  is  discussed  by  Worth  Hale,  in  Bulletin  No. 
53,  Hygienic  Laboratory,  U.  S.  Public  Health  and  Marine-Hospital 
Service.  The  history  of  the  custom  of  combining  caffeine  with  the  • 
several  coal-tar  antipyretics  is  reviewed  and  a  large  amount  of 
experimental  work  is  recorded. 
Hale  finds  that  caffeine  has  little  or  no  influence  on  the  deleteri- 
ous influences  of  acetanilid  or  antipyrine  on  the  heart.  Sodium 
