to whom the sweet taste (of the lead salt) and the crystallized appearance will form an attraction, thereby producing obscure cases of illness and poisoning. The inventors of such deleterious articles deserve, if not punishment, public censure for thus placing the health of human beings in jeopardy.

The manufacture and sale of these cards in this city has been forbidden by law.

Yours most respectfully,

ALBERT E. EBERT.

GELSEMINUM, versus JASMINUM.

BY THE EDITOR.

In the Chicago Medical Journal, Dr. Jonathan W. Brooks, after referring to the notice of the yellow jasmin in the United States Dispensatory, 12th edition, by Dr. Wood, gravely enumerates a list of works from Dioscorides down to the London Dispensatory of 1811 as authorities on the subject, calls in question the authorities of Dr. Wood, and winds up with the following paragraph:

"The apparent necessity of thus noticing the above article in the writings of so indefatigable, excellent and earnest a worker in the cause of medical science is to be regretted" (!).

The learning of Dr. Brooks has for this once, at least, proven false to him. The learned old Greek wrote about many things, some of which it is difficult now to recognize, but he never wrote about or heard of the Gelseminum sempervirens of our Southern States, which no doubt flowered and evolved its fragrance in the days of Nero, as it does now; but Nero's galleys never crossed the Atlantic to bring that wise physician this valuable American plant. The fact is, Dr. Brooks confounds the so-called yellow jasmin, which is not a jasmin at all, with the Jasminum officinale, and in this he has been misled by the fact that the generic name given to the yellow jasmin-Gelseminum-is one of the ancient names for the true jasmin, and possibly that under which Dioscorides described it.

The yellow jasmin of the South, though long known to botanists as a beautiful and fragrant climber, only recently became known as a powerful medicinal agent, used in irregular practice before it was employed by physicians.

GLEANINGS FROM GERMAN JOURNALS.

BY J. M. MAISCH.

Gummi-resina myrrhæ.-Dr. E. G. Brückner has subjected myrrh to an analysis, from which we report the following re

The matter soluble in water consists of 51.11 mucilage, precipitable by acetate of lead, and 16·64 arabin.

The tincture of myrrh has a slight acid reaction. If the precipitate by acetate of lead is decomposed by HS, a minute quantity of an acid is obtained, which is soluble in water and precipitated by lime water; the sulphide of lead retains a redcolored resin. The filtrate from the above lead precipitate contains a compound of lead with resin, which is soluble in alcohol.

The portion of resin soluble in bisulphide of carbon has the consistence of honey, and is inclined to crystallize; it contains 75-62 C, 9.54 H, 14.840.

The resin, which is insoluble in bisulphide of carbon, but soluble in ether, dissolves also in chloroform, separating a little fat-like matter. In the dry state it resembles rosin in appearance, and contains 57-485 C, 6-616 H, and 35.899 0.

The oil of myrrh was not obtained in sufficient quantity to ascertain its composition.

The author also compares his results with those obtained by Ruickholdt, which differ from his.-Buchner's N. Repert. 1867, 76-87.

Solubility of silicic acid in ammonia. Richard Pribram has investigated this behavior and found that SiO, is taken up by ammonia in the following proportions: natural anhydrous requires 6000, artificial anhydrous 260, hydrated dried 330, gelatinous 140 parts liquor ammoniæ of 10 per cent. Exposed to the air NH, evaporates, and finally a clear solution of NH ̧0, 4SiO,

remains. By boiling about 19-20ths of the remaining ammonia is expelled, and the clear solution contains about 80 SiO, to 1NH,. Dried at ordinary temperature the residue has about the same composition, but water takes up mere traces of it. The results give a hint of the manner in which silica may be admin. istered internally, and how plants most likely take up this compound. (Wittst. Viertelj. 1867, 30—41).

Sulphite of magnesia. J. C. Sticht mixes concentrated warm solutions of sulphite of soda and sulphate of magnesia; the crystalline magma is expressed and dried. (Ibid 49). Sulphocyanide of ammonium. J. C. Sticht fuses 2 parts dry ferrocyanide of potassium with 1 of sulphur, dissolves in water, filters, boils with solution of carbonate of potassa, filters, evaporates to 30° B., when it contains 46 per cent. sulphocyanide of potassium, and adds to 19 parts of this solution 9 parts pure sulsulphate of ammonia dissolved in water. Sulphate of potassa crystallizes out; the filtrate is mixed with twice its volume of strong alcohol, the precipitate separated, the alcohol distilled off, the residue diluted with water, decolorized with animal charcoal and evaporated to crystallize. (Ibid 48).

Tinctura Rosa centifolia. J. B. Enz calls attention to Kastner's observation that the brownish yellow tincture is colored rose-red by acids, and greenish yellow by alkalies; the beautiful odor becomes apparent on diluting it with 16 to 20 parts water. It contains 4.8 per cent. solid ingredients, which after evaporation have lost their behavior towards acids and alkalies. It contains potassa, lime, magnesia combined with malic, tartaric and phosphoric acids, tannin, fat, resin, red coloring matter, bitter principle, sugar and volatile oil. (Ibid 53-56).

Cochineal. E. Dietrich found that select Honduras cochineal yields, after deducting carbon, 3-211 per cent. ashes, consisting of NaCl 506, NaO 13·404, KO 18.630, CaO 2·404, MgO 6·437, A1,0, 1·390, Fe,0, 1·152, PO, 47·951, SiO, 7-923. (Ibid 57).

Carbolic acid, according to Parisel (Annuaire, 1866), like creasote from beechwood tar, does not possess the property of crystallizing; the commercial crystallized article is obtained by the addition of a little naphthalin. (Ibid 125).

ON THE USE OF BENZOIN IN OINTMENTS.

BY THOMAS DOLIBER.

In 1865 I accepted the query in regard to benzoinated lard. The query consisted of three distinct clauses, of which the first, as to the best process of benzoinating lard, was answered in a paper read before the Association last year, (see Proc. Am. Pharm. Ass. 1866, p. 224.) Continued experience has confirmed me in the belief that the formula there given is at least as good as any that has been made known. Having been told, however, by one or two persons that they were unsuccessful in preparing benzoinated lard by that formula, the preparation sometimes having a yellowish tinge, I would say that the tincture should always be made from the best selected benzoin; the lard should be obtained in the "leaf" and rendered in the laboratory. Lard as found in the markets will not always answer the purpose, having been improperly prepared.

An attempt was made to answer the second clause, in regard to its use in mercurial ointment, which was only partly successful, the ointment not having been made long enough to become rancid. In June, 1866, three portions of mercurial ointment were made. At the end of 14 months they are found in the following condition: the first, made in accordance with the formula of the Pharmacopoeia, is thoroughly rancid. The second, in which the ointment of benzoin of the Pharmacopoeia was substituted for lard, is rancid, but somewhat less so than the first. The third, in which benzoinated lard was used instead of lard, still remains perfectly sweet and unchanged. These ointments have been exposed to the air, although covered lightly with paper, on a high shelf in a warm room during the winter, and at the ordinary temperature during the summer, as have also all the cerates and ointments experimented upon which are mentioned in this paper.

So far as I have been able to learn, it is the universal opinion of those physicians who have used the benzoinated ointments, that their medicinal properties are not injured, but are improved by the process. Especially is this the case with benzoinated ointment of oxide of zinc, which has been used for the past ten years in this city to a very considerable extent, and the use of

which has with some physicians almost entirely superseded that of the officinal ointment.

Some attempt has been made to answer the final clause, as to、 the other ointments in which this form of lard may be advantageously used.

From the list of cerates and ointments of the Pharmacopoeia, the following 17 were selected for experiment, as being most liable to rancidity.

In all of which the benzoin could be introduced by means of the benzoinated lard, except the three following-ceratum cetacei, ceratum plumbi subacetatis and unguentum aquæ rosæ. After numerous experiments, the following formulas were adopted for them.

CERATUM CETACEI.

Take the quantities of the ingredients in the formula of the Pharmacopoeia, melt as directed and stir the mixture constantly; when nearly cold, add two and a half fluidrachms of tincture of benzoin* and stir the mixture until cold. It is well known

*Tincture of Benzoin.

Take of benzoin, in coarse powder, six troy ounces. Alcohol, one pint. Macerate the benzoin with the alcohol until it is dissolved; then filter through paper.