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Pharmaceutical Progress.

New Remedies-Improved Processes-Modern Inventions-Wrinkles in Dispensing-Tests and Reactions.

Permanent Spirit of Nitrous Ether may be obtained (Phar. Zeit. 1898, 153) by dissolving pure ethyl nitrite in absolute alcohol and adding 5 per cent of glycerin.

Alinit. This is the name applied (Phar. Jour.) to a new manure said to be suitable for all kinds of grain. It is described as a creamy yellow powder, containing 2.5 per cent of nitrogenous constituents, and its action is attributed to a bacillus-Ellenbachensis alpha-of which the spores exist in the powder.

Pharmacology of Aconite.-Dr. J. T. Cash and W. R. Dunstan find that the extraordinary toxic power of aconitine is mainly dependent on the presence of the acetyl radical in the molecule, whilst the specific action of benzaconine depends on the existence in its molecule of the benzoyl radical. Aconine, which contains neither the acetyl nor benzoyl group, is very inert, but both that alkaloid and benzaconine-the latter in less degree-are said to act as antidotes to aconitine. It is stated by the authors that neither the composition nor constitution of aconitine can yet be regarded as settled.-Proc. Royal Soc., lxii., 338.

Mercuric Oxide Ointment.-The following method is recommended by Dr. Schweissinger (Pharm. Ceut. 50), as the only reliable manner of procuring a really finely divided ointment. The prescribed quantity of yellow oxide of mercury is calculated into mercuric chloride, which salt is dissolved in water and precipitated with an equal volume of sodium hydroxide. It is washed carefully on a filter and drained until the precipitate is almost dry. This is then mixed intimately with the fatty basis. The weight of the moisture is, of course, deducted from the fatty substance, so that an ointment of exact strength may be prepared. The author suggests that ung. hydrarg. ammon., ung. zinci, and ointments with other moist precipitates, might advantageously be prepared in this way, care being taken to remove as much of the water as possible.

Zinc Gelatin with Liquid Tar.-A. Roderfeld (Apoth. Zeit., 1898, 194) states that the addition of soap in the making of this paste is wholly unnecessary, although it has been quite generally used. He gives the following method for making this preparation: Place the zinc gelatin in a wide-mouthed flask and stand the flask in hot water until the gelatin is liquefied, add the required quantity of tar and agitate briskly. In this way as much as 20 to 25 per cent of tar can be successfully incorporated in this manner. If desired the tar or ichthyol may be incorporated while making the zinc gelatin in the following manner: Mix ten parts of gelatin with from twenty to thirty of

water and dissolve by the aid of a gentle heat. Then add any required quantity of the finest zinc oxide previously rubbed with a small quantity of glycerin.

Thyrogen. If an aqueous extract of the thyroid gland be heated and salt added, sufficient to produce coagulation, the coagulum will contain all of the iodine present in the extract in the form of an albumen compound, which is, however, not iodothyrin. The coagulation does not separate out the iodothyrin. This iodine compound obtained from the thyroid extract is called by E. F. Blum (Munch. med. Woch., 1898, 8) thyrogen c. This iodine compound possesses, like albumen, the property of coagulating on the addition of salt, also, like albumen, forms with formaldehyde, an uncoagulable compound, to which Blum has given the name of thyrogen f. Blum holds that thyrogen is the mother substance of thy roiodin, which, according to his view, merely represents a portion of the iodine compounds of the thyroid gland. See also a note on iodalbacide in this department in our last issue.

The Action of Saliva on Bacteria. Triolo (Rev. d'Igiene e di Med. Prat., An. 2, N. 12, Naples) has reinvestigated the above subject by new methods. Having first thoroughly disinfected the mouth with corrosive sublimate 1 in 1,000, or permanganate of potash, and then washed out with distilled water until no trace of the germicide could be detected, the saliva was taken fresh from the mouth, and its effect observed on various germ cultures.

The result showed that the

saliva possesses decided bactericidal properties, killing old cultures (five days) and diminishing the number of recent ones (eighteen hours). Saliva filtered (as in Sanarelli's experiments) has very little germicidal action. Very little difference was observed between parotid and submaxillary saliva as regards their action on germs.

Indeed, the author believes

that the chief germicidal action of the saliva must be attributed to the secre

tion of the muciparous glands of the

mouth.

To Titrate Antipyrine with Iodine. -Bougalt proposes (Jour. Phar. Chim. 1898, 161) the following method: Dissolve 1,351 Gms. of iodine in 100 Cc. of alcohol, also dissolve 2.5 Gms. of Mercuric chloride in 100 Cc. of alcohol and dissolve the antipyrine to be titrated in another 100 Cc. of alcohol. To 10 Cc. of the anti pyrine solution add 20 Cc. of the mercuric solution and then gradually add, stirring constantly, sufficient of the iodine solution to impart a pale yellow color to the liquid. Each cubic centimeter of iodine solution required indicates the presence of 0.01 Gm. of antipyrine. The process

may be reversed, of course, and the amount of iodine present in any substance determined by the use of a solution of antipyrine of known strength. This process has the advantage that it is much easier to obtain a solution of antipyrine of known strength than to prepare one of a thiosulphate. When determining iodine, the antipyrine should, of course, be added until the solution is completely decolorized.

To Detect Acetanilid in Phenacetin. -The competition in phenacetin has, naturally enough, acted as an incentive of sophistication, and the, until the present, comparatively rare admixture with the cheaper febrifuge acetanilid is now said to be becoming more common. In this connection the British and Colonial Druggist points out that as small a quantity as 5 per cent of the latter body will lower the melting point of phenacetin from 135° to 127°-128°. But the most reliable method of detecting even small quantities of the adulterant is as follows: A gram of the suspected sample should be heated for a quarter of an hour with 5 Cc. of 10 per cent caustic soda solution, and a fragment of chloral hydrate, or a few drops of chloroform added, and the mixture again gently heated. The repulsive smell of phenyl-carbamine is produced, and is unmistakable, in the presence of even small quantities of acetanilid. Further, mere boiling with caustic soda will cause aniline to separate in oily drops, which cannot be mistaken. There are

plenty of other simple methods of detect

ing this gross adulteration, but the above described is amply sufficient.

Iodospongin.-Harnak (Zeit. Physiol. Chem., xxiv., 5) has obtained an albuminous substance containing iodine from sponge by treatment with mineral acids. The sponge is allowed to stand for eight days with cold 38 per cent sulphuric acid, when the major portion of the substance of the sponge would have been dissolved, a somewhat granular residue being left. The liquid is separated off by filtration and the undissolved residue then dissolved in diluted soda solution, and this solution filtered into diluted sulphuric acid. A flocculent precipitate will now be thrown down, which is again dissolved in soda solution and again precipitated with acid, yielding a substance rich in iodine. This substance is dissolved in ammonia, separated out of the solution by the addition of ammonium sulphate and completely freed from this salt by means of dialysis, the dialysis being kept up until the water drawn off is not clouded by the addition of barium chloride. When freshly precipitated this body is rather light in color, but darkens on drying, and eventually assumes a brownish black appearance, somewhat similar to melanin. It contains about 8.2 per cent of iodine in very stable combination, which, however, is split up on boiling several hours with diluted sulphuric acid with the formation of hydriodic acid. Nothing definite has been determined as to its usefulness in medicine, though in view of the fact that burnt sponge (spongia tosta) has been used for several hundred years in the treatment of goitre, it is reasonable to suppose that iodospongin would be useful in the treatment of this disease. Experiments with dogs indicate that this substance is not particularly poisonous, as is the case with iodothyrin.

The Determination of Ash as an Analytical Method.*

BY D. B. DOTT, PH.C.

As a

By the determination of ash we understand the incineration of a substance which is mainly organic, and the weighing of the residual inorganic matter. I remember two men, who were well informed in theoretical chemistry and in general analysis, both finding an extraordinarily high percentage of ash in sulphate of quinine. They had not understood that the carbon must be entirely burnt away. This is occasionally a matter of some difficulty, and the burning may be aided by the introduction of a small stream of oxygen into the crucible. The oxygen may be conveniently prepared by the action of peroxide of hydrogen on granular binoxide of manganese. In some cases, as when an ash is rich in potassium carbonate, the salts fuse before the carbon is burnt off, and the latter becomes occluded in the former, so that the oxygen cannot readily reach the carbon. In such a case it is better to dissolve the soluble ash and ignite the insoluble and carbon together, then evaporate the solution to dryness and ignite. It need hardly be said that the ash does not in general represent the composition of the salts, as they exist in the original substance. Organic salts, for the most part, are converted into carbonates, alkaline nitrates into hydrates, hydric phosphates into pyro-phosphates, sulphates are partially reduced to sulphides, and so on. rule, the substance is incinerated in a platinum crucible, because that is the most convenient plan. Platinum is not easily oxidized or attacked, and stands the heat of the blow-pipe, but it is not without its weak points. Salts of readily reducible metals, as silver, lead, and even copper, cannot be safely ignited in platinum, not at least if there is anything to reduce them. Potash and soda, and therefore, their nitrates, quickly attack platinum. The proportion of nitre recommended in some books to be used with the carbonate as a flux, seriously acts on the crucible, and gives a considerable amount of platinum in the analysis. The ignition of a little hypophosphite will speedily make a hole in a platinum dish. A porcelain crucible is free from these defects, but possesses the great practical inconveniences of being difficult to heat through, on account of inferior conductivity, and of being very liable to crack in the course of ignition. Ammonium nitrate is sometimes added to aid the combustion, which it does fairly well. may be dropped in a platinum crucible with safety, but is liable to crack a porcelain crucible, unless added very cautiously. It may be noted that ammonium nitrate is not admissible when great accuracy is desired, as it alters the composition and weight of the ash.

It

The subject of ash determination may be divided in two sections: First, that in which the mineral matter is present as a natural and proper part of the substance, and where it is present in a certain proportion, though that proportion may have a maximum and minimum, as in plant analysis generally; secondly, that in which the inorganic matter is present

Read before the Pharmaceutical Society at an Evening Meeting in Edinburgh, on Wednes day, March 16, and printed in the Pharmaceuti cal Journal.

wholly as impurity, as in an alkaloid or glucoside.

In the first of these classes the determination of the amount of ash is often of great importance, and may be conclusive evidence of the species or variety from which a powder has been derived. The usefulness of the method is limited by the fact that in many cases the mineral matter varies greatly with the conditions of cultivation, and to some extent with the age of the plant. Yet, after all deductions, much may be learnt, not only from the amount of ash, but also from its composition. The British Pharmacopoeia not infrequently states the yield of ash which is not to be exceeded, and there is much useful information in "Pharmacographia." But a great deal of good work in this department remains to be done. In the examination of powdered drugs it is often of service to know the amount of ash which is left by the genuine article, and where stems are apt to be mixed with roots, or stalks with leaves, it is well to know the proportion of ash in the different parts.

Let us consider a few particular examples. Opium is not a drug in regard to which the inorganic constituents readily attract attention, because its active principle can be easily assayed, and that is all the information we usually require. The ash is stated to vary from 4 to 8 per cent in the dry opium. I have found 7.51 in a sample of Turkey, and 5.85 in a sample of Persian. The interesting fact about the ash of opium is the exceptionally large proportion of sulphate which it contains, probably more than that of any other plantstuff. Lobelia is not a drug as to which I have observed any authoritative statement. In a sample of powder which gave distinct indication lobeline, 11.85 per cent of ash found. Lobelia especially powdered gave 12.58 per cent. Rhubarb root is a substance in which the amount of inorganic matter varies widely. Boni gives the percentage of ash from East Indian rhubarb as 20 to 25, from English as 8 to 11. In a sample which was said to be East Indian I found 9.25 per cent of ash. In English 6.95 and 8.8 per cent were found, while a sample grown in Scotland gave 7.35 per cent.

of

was

Saffron is very liable to adulteration, and in its case the ash is an important criterion of purity. The B.P. gives the ash as about 6 per cent. I have found in evidently genuine saffron 5.12, 5.46 per cent; in undoubtedly adulterated 17.0, 22.59, 31.80 per cent. In one plausible but partially adulterated sample 6.68 was the percentage of ash. Only once have I found a sophisticated specimen giving under the right percentage, viz., 3.8. Of course, the microscopic examination and color tests are important, and perhaps sufficient in themselves to determine the purity or otherwise of a sample; but a determination of the ash is often conclusive

evidence of adulteration, anything over per cent being unknown in the pure drug. An addition to the usual tests may be made by comparing the color of an infusion with the color of a solution of potassium bichromate. A good saffron has about twenty-five times the coloring power of potassium bichromate. A tinctorial power of twice that strength does not indicate a pure saffron.

The B.P. gives the percentage of ash in honey as not more than 0.2 per cent. Allen gives it as from 0.1 to 0.25 per cent. I have found in a sample which was

genuine 0.24 per cent, while in a sample of adulterated honey so little as 0.01 per cent was found. This ash, though small in amount, gave a very marked sulphate reaction, indicating probably that the honey was mixed with a very pure glucose. An exceptionally small proportion of inorganic matter may suggest adulteration as well as an excessive amount.

The Pharmacy of Cantharides.* BY PROFESSOR H. G. GREENISH, F. I. C., F. L. S., AND HAROLD WILSON. For some years past the efforts of pharmacists have been directed to the regulation of the strength of potent remedies. The standardization of drugs and of preparations made from them has been the subject of many contributions to current pharmaceutical literature, and many suggestions have been made by which such regulation of the strength of potent remedies may be effected. The majority of suggestions have been based upon one of two principles. Either a definite quantity of the pure active constituent of the drug is dissolved in a suitable medium, or the preparation is made from the drug itself, and the proportion of active constituent is regulated by assay.

Now, in all cases in which the action of the drug depends upon the presence of more than one constituent, the assay, depending upon the determination of one only of those constituents, cannot give an accurate indication of the relative value of the drug. It may be sufficiently accurate to be of service in regulating the potency of the drug within reasonable limits, as in the case of opium, or those limits may be so wide that the assay is devoid of real value, and his latter is the case with all essays in which constituents varying much in their effects are determined together.

A further difficulty is presented by such drugs or preparations as those in which the active constituent is present in so small a proportion, or associated with such other substances, that its accurate determination is a matter of great difficulty.

This is the case with cantharides. The active principle-for we have no reason to suppose the existence of more than one -is present in proportion so small that the assay of most of the official preparations of the drug is impracticable. Of the desirability of regulating the strength of such potent remedies there can, we think, be no question, and it appears to us equally certain that uniformity in them can be obtained by one means only, viz., by preparing them from the pure definite active constituent, cantharidin. Fortunately, the preparation on the large scale of this substance in a stare of purity is a matter of no difficulty.

It appeared to us that before we could offer formulae for preparations made from pure cantharidin to replace those at present official, made from the crude drug, we must know what proportion of cantharidin is really extracted in making the preparations from the drug. We have no definite knowledge of the degree to which the flies are exhausted by the various menstrua used in the official preparations. These menstrua include water, proof spirit, acetic acid, acetic ether and olive oil, and complete ex

Read at an Evening Meeting of the Pharmaceutical Society, on Tuesday, March 8th, and printed in the Pharmaceutical Journal.

haustion, or even uniformly incomplete exhaustion, by such varied menstrua could not be anticipated. Moreover, there is no doubt that the cantharidin is present in the drug in two forms, viz., partly as "free" cantharidin, soluble in chloroform, and partly as "combined" cantharidin, insoluble in chloroform, varying in their solubilities.

We determined, therefore, to proceed as follows:

First, to obtain a quantity of powdered cantharides of good quality and determine accurately the cantharidin contained in them.

Second, to prepare the official preparations from these assayed flies and determine the proportion of cantharidin extracted.

Third, to propose new formulae based upon these assays.

Assay of Cantharides.

Numerous processes have been devised and recommended for the assay of cantharides, but none appeared to us free from objection.

The method adopted by one of us' involved the use of petroleum spirit to remove fixed oil from powdered cantharides, and alcohol to wash the cantharidin before weighing it. Both of these solvents disclose cantharidin, and the corrections made for such loss are of doubtful accuracy.

Gunn's process is open to the same objection as regards the use of petroleum spirit. Moreover, he dries moist cantharides containing free cantharidin and decolorizes with animal charcoal the solution of cantharidin extracted; both operations involve the risk of loss of cantharidin, for this substance volatilizes in notable quantity at the temperature of a water bath, as we have proved by experi

ment.

Nagelvoort avoids the loss in drying the cantharides by conducting this operation at a temperature of 130° F., but the crude cantharidin is washed with bisulphide of carbon and decolorized with animal charcoal, both of which operations involve loss of cantharidin.

Braithwaite' extracted African blistering beetles (Mylabris bifasciata) with acetic ether, evaporated to dryness, and washed the residue thoroughly with carbon bisulphide, then sparingly with rectified spirit until colorless, the alcoholic washings removing not more than two or three milligrammes of cantharidin. In working upon Cantharis vesicatoria we have found that both carbon disulphide and rectified spirit remove notable quantities of cantharidin, and consider acetic ether an unsuitable solvent for the assay, as it extracts some substance that chloroform does not, and this renders the residue more difficult to obtain in a pure state. Baudin' exhausts cantharides with chloroform to remove the cantharidin which exists in them in the free state, and then with chloroform acidified with hydrochloric acid to liberate cantharidin that may occur in a state of combination, in which state it is insoluble in chloroform, determining, therefore, both "free" and "combined" cantharidin. The crude cantharidin is washed with carbon disulphide, for which a correction is made. We have not found chloroform acidified with hydro

1 Phamaceutical Journal [3], x., 729.

2 Chemist and Druggist, vol. xliv., p. 480.

3 American Journal of Pharmacy, vol. Ixiii., p. 12.

4 Pharmaceutical Journal [3], xviii., 247.

5 Journ. de Pharm. et de Chimie [5], vol. xvii., 391.

chloric acid a suitable menstruum for extracting combined cantharidin, nor can we approve of a "correction" for washing with carbon disulphide.

The chief objection to these processes lies not in defective exhaustion of the cantharides, but in loss sustained during the purification of the cantharidin. Al though petroleum spirit and carbon disulphide dissolve very small quantities of pure cantharidin, they take up notable quantities in the presence of the fat, to remove which they are usually employed, and especially is this the case when a chloroform solution of fat and cantharidin is evaporated; part of the cantharidin crystallizes from the fat, but part remains dissolved in it, and this is carried into solution by petroleum spirit and similar solvents. We have found by experiment quantities varying from 8 to 18 milligrammes thus dissolved by petroleum spirit when employed for removing the fat. From the outset we determined, if possible, to collect and weigh the whole of the cantharidin present. The method of making corrections for the use of carbon disulphide, petroleum spirit, or alcohol is unreliable, as our experiments do not indicate that the same proportion is always removed.

In the following assay process we actually recover the cantharidin removed with the fat. We have also devised a method for separating the whole of the cantharidin from the green resinoid matter with which it is so closely associated, and have thus obviated the necessity of a correction for alcohol.

New Method for Determination of Total Cantharidin.

Twenty grammes of the flies in No. 40 powder mixed in a small mortar with 25

Cc. of mixture of

Glacial acetic acid
Rectified spirit
Chloroform

1 volume.

2 volumes.

3 volumes.

The moistened mass is covered over for about an hour, and then either allowed to

cally removed while washing out the fat with petroleum spirit, is now recovered; 20 Cc. of 10 per cent solution of caustic potash are added to the petroleum spirit solution, and the mixture warmed until the fat is completely saponified; during this process most of the petroleum spirit is dissipated. The soap solution thus produced is diluted with warm water and transferred to a separator, sufficient petroleum spirit being added to dissolve the fat acids when liberated; it is now acidified with hydrochloric acid, when the fat acids rapidly rise and dissolve in the petroleum spirit. The aqueous layer is quickly run off from beneath the petroleum spirit solution into another separator, the petroleum spirit solution washed with water and the washings added. The cantharidin is then removed by shaking with successive quantities of chloroform as long as cantharidin is removed; this must be ascertained. In the chloroformic solution thus obtained the residue from the alcoholic washings of the crystallized cantharidin is dissolved.

The chloroform now contains in solution chiefly cantharidin and the green resinous matter previously mentioned. It is placed in a separator and shaken with lime water, containing excess of calcium hydroxide suspended in it, and solution of common salts, the latter causing the chloroformic layer to separate more readily. In this way the cantharidin passes into aqueous solution, probably as cantharidate of calcium, while the chloroformic layer containing green resin and coloring matter is rejected.

The aqueous solution is filtered, acidified with hydrochloric acid, and shaken out with chloroform as before. This chloroformic solution is added to the can

tharidin previously separated, evaporated cautiously, dried in a desiccator, and weighed. In this way a crystalline residue of cantharidin only very slightly colored is obtained.

dry spontaneously or at a slightly raised LAW POINTS FOR DRUGGISTS temperature. This is easily accomplished without loss of cantharidin. The dried mass is then packed in a Soxhlet extractor and exhausted with chloroform, the latter being first used to rinse out the mortar used.

About one hour will usually suffice for complete extraction if the substance be well packed, but complete exhaustion should always be ascertained by removing the flask with the chloroformic solution,

and continuing the extraction with a lit

tle fresh chloroform.

The chloroformic solution thus obtained is placed in a separator containing a little water, and the acetic acid, which passes into the water, is almost, but not quite, neutralized with solution of potash, and the whole well shaken.

The chloroformic layer is run off into a glass dish and evaporated, cautiously toward the end. The residue consists of fat, in which can be seen crystals of cantharidin. The fat is removed by washing with petroleum spirit (the washings being set aside), leaving in the dish crystals of cantharidin mixed with a green substance of a resinous nature. This residue is allowed to dry, and is then washed with successive small quantities of absolute alcohol until all green matter is removed, and perfectly white cantharidin remains. The alcoholic washings are carefully evaporated.

The cantharidin, dissolved or mechani

Liability for Sale of Intoxicants by an Employee.

The proprietor of a drug store is criminally responsible for sales of intoxicants made in violation of law with his consent and by his express direction by a pharmacist employed by him, notwithstanding that the latter held a certificate of competency, issued under the laws of Pennsylvania. 41 N. C. Rep. 92.

Liability of Seller for Misuse of Drugs. A druggist, says the Supreme Court of North Carolina, who sold croton oil, and at the request of the purchaser dropped it into a piece of candy, is guilty of assault and battery, where such purchaser gave the candy to another person, who ate it to his injury, the druggist having reason to believe that the dose was intended for use in such trick, and not for medicinal purposes.-State vs. Monroe, 28 S. E. Reporter, 547.

Advertising Results.

Results obtained by us from our advertisement in the AMERICAN DRUGGIST AND PHARMACEUTICAL RECORD are equal, if not superior, to any we ever received from any trade journal.

Dec. 22, 1897.

THE TILDEN COMPANY.

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The ether is a disturbing factor in this recipe, since it causes separation of the oil in the ammonia liniment formed by the combination of olive oil, turpentine and ammonia water. A presentable liniment cannot be formed of this mixture unless the proportion of ether be considerably reduced or omitted altogether.

Cloudy Extract Vanilla.-I. N. Q. states that he has had some trouble with a recent lot of extract vanilla made from the bean. It has become clouded, and developed a pulpy growth. Several attempts to clarify the extract by filtration and treatment with alcohol, magnesia and isinglass have not given satisfactory results.

The trouble complained of by our correspondent seldom happens when the true Mexican bean is used, but is occasionally observed in preparations of the Bourbon bean. The cloudiness is difficult to overcome when once started. The use of a slightly stronger alcohol is to be recommended, and the sliced bean should be rubbed up in the first place with a mixture of sand and sugar. Some useful information on this subject is given in the paper by Oscar Kalish on "The Use of Vanilla in Pharmacy," printed in the AMERICAN DRUGGIST, of January 25th, page 40.

Per Algretta.-B. B. makes inquiry regarding a powder egg preservative called "Per Algretta." We hear of the preparation for the first time, and are unable to hazard a guess at its composition. Allegretti is the trade-mark of a well-known brand of chocolate cream confections which has been advertised for some time past in the columns of this journal.

Dandruff Remedy.-J. T. E.-New York specialists find an oily application containing sulphur to be the most effectual remedy against dandruff, and Professor Dillingham, of the New York Polyclinic, invariably recommends the use of a mild sulphur ointment having petrolatum as a base. The greasy character of this compound is, however, a source of objection to its use, and pleasanter preparations are generally preferred. As a germicide is indicated in the treatment of this condition of the scalp, the following lotion will be found useful:

Salicylic acid
Borax

Tincture of cantharides
Bay rum

Rose water

Water, enough to make

50 grs.

.150 grs.

1 fl. oz. 6 fl. ozs. 4 fl. ozs. 16 fl. ozs.

Mix the salicyclic acid and the borax with 4 fluid ounces of water; when reaction ceases, add the remaining ingredients and filter.

A preparation that finds much favor among French specialists is the following:

Quinine hydrochlorate Tannic acid

Alcohol, 70 per cent

Tincture of cantharides

Pure glycerin

Cologne water
Vanillin

Pulverized sandalwood

1 dr.

2 drs.

11⁄2 pts. 21⁄2 drs. 11⁄2 ozs. 10 drs. 2 grs. 1 dr.

After being well mixed and shaken, allow to stand for four days and then filter. To be rubbed into the scalp daily.

Reference Book on Dyestuffs and Dyeing.-J. T.-The whole subject of dyeing, the use of mordants and textile printing is treated very concisely and comprehensively in Sadtler's "Handbook of Industrial Organic Chemistry," published by J. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia, which may be consulted at any pharmacy college or association library. A bibliography of the subject is appended to the chapter.

Hydrogen, the Lightest Gas.-C. P.Hydrogen is the gas commonly used for inflating large balloons. It is the lightest of all known bodies and we are unable to give you a recipe for manufacturing a gas of lighter density.

Quantitative Determination of Alco

hol.-S. R.-The method of Reischauer is generally employed in quantitative work, but a modification of this method, which gives even better results, has been recently communicated to the School of Pharmacy at Montpellier by M. Cotte, a translation of which we take from the National Druggist, as follows:

From the aqueous solution of which it is desired to determine the alcoholic contents, remove a sample of any convenient size, which, however, should not contain more than 30 centigrams of alcohol. Introduce it into a small matrass, and add to it 50 cubic centimeters of the following:

Potass, dichromate, c. p. 103 Gm. 816 Mg.
Sulphuric acid, c. p.
150 Cc.

Distilled water, q. s., to make..1000 Cc. Of this solution 10 cubic centimeters represent 25 centigrams of absolute alcohol.

Close the matrass lightly with a cork, put it in the water bath and heat it for one hour. Remove from the liquor thus obtained 5 cubic centimeters, to which add sufficient distilled water to make (after the addition of the solution of fer

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Distilled water, q. s., to make..1000 Cc. The reduction is determined by removing from time to time a drop of the liquid, letting it fall on a saucer and touching it with a rod dipped into a recently prepared solution of potassium ferricyanide of 4 per cent or 5 per cent strength. moment that an excess of the ammoniacal ferrous salt has been added to the liquid, the reaction will produce a blue color (Turnbull's blue).

The

It is necessary to titrate the solution of ferrous sulphate, each time, with the solution of the dichromate, and to keep accurate account of the number of drops of the ferrous sulphate solution necessary to produce the blue reaction in the 150 cubic centimeters of the aqueous solution. A very simple computation, on the basis of 25 centigrams of alcohol to the 10 cubic centimeters of the dichromate, will give the amount of alcohol in the sample, and hence of the percentage of alcohol in the liquid.

Harmless Green Coloring.-E. G.Chlorophyll, the green coloring matter of leaves, is the substance most commonly employed to impart a green color to liquids intended for internal use or perfumery. To intensify the green color of peppermint essence, all that is necessary is the addition of a few leaves of parsley or spinach. The combination of a yellow and a blue coloring substance produces a green, and this knowledge can be utilized by druggists in combining a solution of indigo carmine with fincture of saffron, to make a harmless green color. The following formula has been recently suggested:

Tinct. carthamus (Amer. saffron) 8 ozs.
Glycerin
8 ozs.

Solution indigo carmine, q. s.

Mix the glycerin and tincture together; then add the solution of indigo carmine until the proper tint is obtained. The solution of indigo carmine is made by dissolving one ounce indigo carmine in sixteen ounces of water.

Bananas for Typhoid Patients.

After a long experience with typhoid patients, Dr. Ussery, of St. Louis, maintains that the best food for them is the banana. He explains by stating that in this disease the lining membrane of the small intestines becomes intensely inflamed and engorged, eventually beginning to slough away in spots, leaving well-defined ulcers, at which places the intestinal walls become dangerously thin. Now, a solid food, if taken into the stomach, is likely to produce perforation of the intestines, dire results naturally following; and this being the case, solid foods, or those containing a large amount of innutritious substances, are to be avoided as dangerous. But the banana, though it may be classed as a solid food, containing as it does some 95 per cent nutrition, does not possess sufficient waste to irritate the sore spots; nearly the whole amount taken into the stomach is absorbed, giving the patient more strength than can be obtained from other food.

Read the AMERICAN DRUGGIST Market Reports and save money.

Business Hints.

PRACTICAL DISCUSSION OF STORE METHODS AND

ADVERTISING.

By Ulysses G. Manning.

The Department Editor will be pleased to criticise any advertisement submitted, and to suggest improvements. Questions answered and advice given.

PRIZE ADVERTISEMENTS.

The AMERICAN DRUGGIST offers a prize of One Dollar, each issue, for the best retail druggists' advertisement. The prize is this time awarded to H. R. Baumann, Washington, Mo.

CRITICISM AND COMMENT. Editor Business Hints:

Enter enclosed ad. in prize competition. The clipping is large enough to show what position my ads. occupy in the paper. Our local paper has no new type, and I have been thinking of purchasing several fonts for my own use; a 24point De Vinne for the headings, and a 10-point Southey for the body. Do you think this would make a good combination, or would you suggest some other type? Any suggestions you may make in regard to this matter will be thankfully received. H. R. BAUMANN.

Washington, Mo.

Mr. Baumann wins twice in succession and the ad. shown in this issue is better than the one which was awarded the prize before. This is a good ad.; matter and display are both excellent. Mr. Baumann adheres to one style of setting, which is a good plan. He also uses an engraved address line, which is a feature that can be adopted to advantage in many instances. Druggists who employ a catch phrase in their ads. should also have it engraved. An engraved line is always conspicuous and it helps to give the ad. a distinctive appearance.

Many advertisers who use an engraved signature or address make the mistake of getting it too large. If it is too prominent it has a tendency to kill the display. The lettering of the address should not be as large as the type used for the headlines.

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Own Your Own Type.

Mr. Baumann will act wisely in getting some type of his own. Distinctive type faces, rightly used, will give the ads. a prominence that cannot be otherwise secured. Few merchants in the smaller cities have adopted this plan as yet, and those who do it early will get good returns from the investment.

As to the type to be chosen, this depends much on the styles that the paper regularly employs; an effort should be made to get something radically different.

De Vinne is one of the best display faces ever cut, but it has been widely used

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Whooping
Cough

will run its course, and
there is little occasion for
medicine. Put the child
on a moderate diet, keep
its bowels regular, and
give it DR. CRANE'S PEC-
TORAL SYRUP. This syrup
will diminish, mitigate,
and control, as far as
possible, the frequency
and severity of the fits of
coughing. It contains no
MORPHINE or other opi-
ates, and may be safely
given to children. Crane's
Pectoral Syrup is THE
BEST COUGH MEDICINE.
Try it. We GUARANTEE
it to give satisfaction or
return your money. Price
50 cents.

HER Baumann is

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American Type Founders Co., New York, Chicago or St. Louis, explaining in a general way what is wanted, they can get specimen sheets that will guide them in selection. When it comes to ordering, better let the newspaper attend to it, as by that method the discount can be secured.

Talk the Merits of Your Own Goods; Not the Demerits of Your Competitors' Goods.

W. I. Moody, Ionia, Iowa, submits a little folder for criticism. Flavoring extracts is its subject. It is addressed to "The Lady of the House," and is sent out enclosed in envelopes.

It is chiefly an arraignment of "Grocery" and "Prize" extracts. There is no objection to the discussion of a matter

But

of this kind, but this circular seems a trifle too caustic. Sounds a little as though the writer was worried by this sort of competition. It is calculated to make grocers angry and there is no need of that. A candid and just comparison of goods is all right, and it can be made without giving offense to anybody. it is always better to talk the merits of your own goods than to assail the quality of competitors' goods. This would have been a better circular if the advertiser had explained how and why his extracts were superior. He could have told what materials he used and how he used them, and made it all so vivid that housewives would have felt that they could not keep house without them.

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This could not be entered in the competition owing to its size. It consists of twenty pages, 5x7 inches, and, of course, could not be reproduced.

The pamphlet cost enough to be better than it is. As far as the contents and stock are concerned, it is excellent. It is well written throughout and probably brought results. I think there is most too much matter and that it would have paid to have divided it into two or three booklets issued at intervals of a month apart. The printer has lessened its effectiveness by endeavoring to employ all the resources of his office. There are too many kinds of type used and too much irregularity in the setting. Some of the. pages are set lengthwise, others across. Some are ornamented, others are plain. There are too many displayed or emphasized lines. If the printer had not used over two or three faces of type, if the display had been simple and uniform, if the matter had been set across the pages in all cases, and if the book had then been bound on the side, the result I would have been much better. Messrs. Viole & Lopizich possess unusual linguistic ability, as is evidenced by the following paragraph from their book:

On account of the difficulty of not being properly understood, and the extreme embarrassment occasioned thereby, many dislike to do their own shopping and are obliged to ask favors of others on account of their

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