196 
ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 
of chronic disease of the stomach, where it becomes ne- 
cessary to stimulate that organ to assist the digestive process. 
A peculiar principle has been discovered in it by Chevallier 
and Pelletan, which they term Xanthopicrite, this principle 
which appears identical with that detected in the same bark 
by Dr. Staples, and which he calls Xanthoxyline, is close- 
ly allied to and perhaps identical with piperine, and like that 
substance probably owes its active properties to the presence 
of volatile oil. 
R. E. G. 
ART. XXVIII. — PHARMACEUTICAL NOTICES. NO. XV. 
Kermes mineral. The process of displacement, which 
has hitherto been thought to be applicable to animal and vege- 
table substances only, has lately been successfully employed 
by M. Musculus of Soultz to the preparation of Kermes mine- 
ral, and the golden sulphuret of antimony. To make the 
former, he advises: Slacked lime 6 parts; subcarbonate of 
potash, or soda well dried, 4 parts; sulphuret of antimony in 
fine powder, 2 parts; flowers of sulphur, 1 part; and dry and 
clean sand, 8 parts. These substances are to be well mixed 
and introduced into an apparatus for displacement, made of 
glass or porcelain, at the lower part of which some fragments 
of glass are to be placed, and the whole covered with a layer 
of sand; cold water is then to be poured on the mixture, till 
the fluid that passes through will not afford a precipitate with 
hydrochloric acid. The liquid thus obtained is to be treated 
with hydrochloric acid. The precipitate is to be well washed 
and dried, and equals in quantity the sulphuret employed. 
Kermes mineral is prepared in the same way, except that the 
flowers of sulphur is omitted, and the precipitation performed 
with bicarbonate of soda, or carbonic acid gas. 
M. Boullay, in noticing this process, says that the golden 
sulphuret is beautiful, but that the kermes is too heavy and of 
