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SON

EDITORIAL.

Important Decision Affecting Proprietary Articles. OME time ago a number of retail druggists of St. Louis were arrested upon complaint of the Battle & Co. Chemists' Corporation on the charge of selling an imitation of bromidia and labelling it by this title, thus infringing the United States trade-mark laws. Indictments were found against most of them by the U. S. Grand Jury. Some of the accused plead guilty and paid their fines, and the other cases were set down for trial at the September session of the United States District Court. Among the cases thus set down were those of Henry Braun and Frank Sohn. When the cases were called for trial, on Sept. 2d, before Judge Thayer, the accused demurred to the indictment, and the demurrer was sustained by the Court. The cases were thrown out. The cases of the other accused and indicted parties were transferred or certified to the United States Circuit Court, which will be held by Associate Justice Miller of the U. S. Supreme Court, at which time several very important points not covered by Judge Thayer's opinion will come up for decision. One of these is the constitutionality of the act making the counterfeiting of a registered trade-mark a penal offence.

If the decision of Judge Thayer, holding that the proprietors of "bromidia" have no case against the infringers, is sustained by the U. S. Supreme Court, the whole trade in registered, proprietary, and trade-marked articles will be revolutionized and completely altered. In view of the great importance of the issue involved, we quote the decision of Judge Thayer in full :

In the District Court of the United States, Eastern Division of the Eastern Judicial District of Missouri: The United States vs. Henry Braun. The United States vs. Frank Sohn.

}

These indictments are under Section 1 of act of August 14, 1878, to punish counterfeiting of trade-marks that have been registered in accordance with the laws of the United States. The section is as follows:

Be it enacted, That every person who shall, with intent to defraud, deal in or sell any goods of substantially the same descriptive properties as those referred to in the registration of any trade-mark, pursuant to the statutes of the United States, to which, or to the package in which the same are put up, is fraudulently affixed the said trade-mark, or any colorable imitation thereof calculated to deceive the public, knowing the same to be counterfeit or not the genuine goods referred to in said re

gistration, shall, on conviction thereof, be punished, etc. (Vide Vol. I., Supp. R. S. of U. S., page 241).

The law was evidently designed to punish those who, with fraudulent intent, pirate a valid trade-mark which has been duly registered by the Commissioner of Patents. If any person by any means secures the registration of any mark, symbol, word, or device, claiming it to be a trade-mark, which according to the rules of common law is not a valid trade-mark, another person who affixes the same mark, symbol, or device to his own goods, and sells them, cannot be punished under the penal statute above quoted.

Registration does not create a trade-mark, nor is it proof that the person procuring registration has a valid trademark. Property in a trade mark can be acquired only by the adoption of some mark, symbol, sign, or word susceptible of being used as a trade-mark, and by the actual application of same to goods, wares, or merchandise of a certain class, so that it serves to indicate the origin or ownership of the particular commodity. Admission to registration, under act of March 3, 1881, is merely an admission on the part of the government that the applicant for registration is the owner of a valid trade-mark. certificate of registration granted by the commissioner is only prima facie evidence of that fact. It is not a grant of any right or privilege, but merely a recognition on the part of the government of the existence of an asserted exclusive right to affix a certain mark, symbol, word, or device on certain goods as a trade-mark.

The

Necessarily, therefore, in a criminal proceeding under the act of August 14, 1876, the question whether the trademark involved (it having been admitted to registration) is valid, is an issuable question.

It would seem reasonable, therefore, in drawing an indictment under the act, to allege that the person or persons claiming the trade mark involved adopted the same at a given time and place, and used it in commerce with foreign nations or with Indian tribes on a certain class of goods (describing them) to indicate their origin or ownership, and caused the said trade-mark, on a certain day, to be registered in the United States Patent Office according to law, and that thereafter the defendant, with intent to defraud, dealt in or sold certain goods (describing them) of substantially the same descriptive properties as those referred to in the registration of the trade-mark in question, to which goods, so sold, was fraudulently affixed the registered trade-mark in question, or a colorable imitation thereof, he (the said defendant) well knowing the goods so sold were not the genuine goods referred to in the said registration.

Allegations equivalent to those thus generally outlined appear to me to be requisite to constitute a valid indictment. An indictment ought to allege facts showing the existence of a valid trade-mark, as well as the fact that the registration had been obtained, inasmuch as the registration does not create a trade-mark, and inasmuch as the certificate of registration is at best only convenient prima facie evidence that the word or symbol has become a trademark. The owner of a trade-mark acquires the same by acts wholly independent of the registration thereof, and registration is not even necessary to entitle him to protection in civil proceedings, although it is necessary to secure the protection of the penal statute.

Tested by these rules, the indictments now in question are bad. They contain no allegations showing that Battle & Co., who appear to have registered the word Bromidia as a trade-mark, ever acquired an exclusive property therein. No acts done by Battle & Co. sufficient in law to give that firm a title to the word Bromidia are alleged. The indictments appear to be drawn on the theory (which for reasons above given I deem erroneous) that it was sufficient in the indictment to show merely that the word Bromidia had been admitted to registration, and that the defendant subsequently sold goods of substantially the same descriptive properties as those referred to in the registration to which was affixed the word Bromidia. An allegation that a word has been admitted to registration by the commissioner is not sufficient averment in a criminal proceeding that a certain person has acquired an exclusive right of property in the word affixed to a certain class of goods, because notwithstanding such registration the word may not have become a valid trade-mark, either because the necessary steps have not been taken to make it a trade-mark, or because the word itself for certain reasons is not susceptible of appropriation for that purpose.

These considerations serve, in my judgment, to show the necessity of averring a state of facts which, as a matter of law, is sufficient to make the word a valid trademark. Without such averments, a criminal offence is not stated with sufficient certainty.

66

It is claimed by defendant's counsel that the indictments are bad for various other reasons, and among the number, because the trade-mark law of July 8, 1870, was void, Congress having no power to pass such a law, as was held in the Trade-mark cases," 100 U. S., 1882, and because, at the time of the enactment of the penal act of August 14, 1876, under which these indictments are drawn, there was nothing upon which that act could operate, and it was therefore nugatory, and remained inoperative even after the passage of the act of March 3, 1881, supra.

It is unnecessary, however, at this time to express any opinion concerning the novel question thus raised, as the indictments must be held bad for the reasons heretofore indicated.

Demurrer sustained.

IT

T IS to be regretted that the new Century Dictionary, which is justly pronounced a monumental and epochmaking work, has, in one direction, departed from its own expressed rule-page viii. of preface: "it is not the office of a dictionary like this to propose improvements, or to adopt those which have been proposed and have not yet won some degree of acceptance and use." A departure from this rule has been made throughout the work so far published, in the spelling of the chemical terms in -ide, the e being every where dropped in the text. Thus we find oxid for oxide, chlorid for chloride, anhydrid, dioxid, etc., etc. The spelling with -ide is given with each leading term, as an alternative, but in the body of the text the spelling with id is always used. Compare the article "Carbonic." We are aware that some English-speaking chemists who have been educated on the Continent of Europe have acquired the habit of pronouncing various terms in the German or even French manner, but we are quite certain that all others, constituting the vast majority, pronounce the last syllable of such terms as "iodide, sulphide, anhydride," in the same manner as the -ide in "tide," and consequently they will also spell it preferably with an -e, and continue doing so, in spite of the authority of the Century Dictionary.

Dr. Henry J. Menninger died on Sept. 8th, after a brief illness, at his residence in Brooklyn. His death makes a gap in the ranks of the profession which will long be felt by those who are actively engaged in educational and professional matters. His facile and genial manners and his aptitude in speaking ex foro made him the leading figure at many public occasions, and justly so. His loss will long be felt by all who knew him, or with whom he was associated.

He was born near Mainz, in 1838, his father being a prominent physician. Owing to the participation of the latter in the revolution of 1848-49, he was compelled to flee the country and settled with his family in New York City. Henry, the eldest son, was educated in the public schools, and subsequently found employment with McKesson & Robbins. In 1858 he began the study of medicine at the New York Medical College (of the University of the City of New York), from which he graduated in 1861. After the breaking out of the war, he enlisted in the volunteer service, soon advanced to lieutenant, and in the battle of Bull Run commanded a company. He was wounded in the battle of Road Mills, Va., and shortly afterwards appointed surgeon, being attached to the medical staff stationed at Newbern, N. C. During the war he also acted as correspondent of the N. Y. Tribune, for which he had already previously been engaged for a time. In 1865 he founded the Newbern Republican, and was elected in 1866 Secretary of State of North Carolina. A few years subsequently, after his term of office had expired, he removed North, and established a pharmacy at the corner of Sands and Jay streets, Brooklyn. During the years 1882 and 1883 he held the office of alderman, enjoying the respect of all, owing to his almost aggressive integrity and attention to duty. In 1883 he was elected coroner, which office he held for one term, when he retired from the public arena to devote himself entirely to his business. For many years he has been one of the officers (trustee, vice-president, chairman of examination committee, etc.) of the College of Pharmacy of the City of New York. He was also member of the Kings Co. Medical Society, of the German Apothecaries' Society of New York, of the military order of the Loyal Legion, a member of Germania Savings Bank, an ex-officer and trustee of the American Pharm. Association, and of various other bodies.

"Multis ille bonis flebilis occidit."

Part II. of the "Digest of Criticisms on the U. S. Pharmacopoeia" is now being distributed. Attention is called to the request of the Committee of Revision to loan to them complete files of such periodicals as have not been abstracted for Parts I, and II.

The Iodine Trade.

THE Chemist and Druggist of September 7th makes the following editorial remarks on the iodine market:

Just as everybody in the drug trade was meditating on the chances of a further drop in the price of this very difficult product, a circular came from Mr. Greenhough, the broker who represents the combination in London, intimating that the price of iodine had been raised from 4d. to 9d. per oz. This was dated on Monday, September 2d. Somehow the impression had got about that this time the quotation was going to 24d., and a great many clever people had resolved to wait for that eventuality before stocking. Moreover, the combination were refusing orders from brokers and speculators in certain instances. But, for all this, we know on the best authority that a very considerable quantity of iodine has been sold and delivered at 4d. to the legitimate trade, a welcome and not too frequent streak of luck in the well-skimmed business of chemical manufacturing.

With quotations again at what we may regard as the normal figure of 9d., we naturally ask, what are the prospects of stability? Of course, it is well understood that the usual conditions of supply and demand have no influence on the price of this article; it is likely that iodine could be produced and placed on the market at a profit at 2d. per oz., perhaps even at less. The discovery of some new and extensive industrial use for iodine would be almost certain to result in a considerable fall in the price. This may be paradoxical, but it is about true. The producers in Chili and Peru could without much extra cost to themselves send ten times the quantity to Europe which now comes, and if it ever came about that the consumption depended on the price to any material extent, the existing convention would have to go. The vast and probably inexhaustible beds of nitrate of soda, which have been developed with such remarkable energy, especially of late, can furnish as a by-product whatever the world is likely to want in the way of iodine for centuries to come. The salt taken from those beds yields on an average some half per cent of iodide and iodate of sodium; the world's consumption of iodine is estimated at an annual average of a quantity approaching but under 500,000 lbs. The Chilian producers limit themselves for the purposes of the convention to the supply of some sixty per cent of the world's requirements. Any one who knows anything of the present dimensions of the nitrate trade can easily calculate from the figures we have given what a self-denying ordinance this is, or rather would be if it were not for the compensating artificial price.

The recent action of the syndicate in reducing their quotation from 9d. to 4d. has been attributed in many quarters to a wholesome fear of Colonel North, the redoubtable nitrate king. And it was doubtless in view of his possible intervention in the trade that buyers held aloof so much as they did. It was felt that if he and the feudatories whom he influences were resolved to sell iodine for what it would fetch, it would be all up with the "ring." And so it would be; but for the present, at all events, this danger does not exist. Colonel North is just now a warm supporter of the convention policy, and declares himself resolved to abide loyally by its terms. What actually happened is said to have been that a certain nitrate producer, who had formerly been associated with the syndicate, sold his business; but, it seems, kept to himself a certain stock of iodine. This he shipped to London; it came into the hands of a firm of bankers, and by them was intrusted to Messrs. Lewis & Peat for sale. As we have already reported, fifteen kegs were sold publicly at 5d. per oz., and the rest of the consignment was disposed of privately. The question of interest to the trade is whether further consignments from outside producers are probable. Messrs. Lewis & Peat assure us that they have no knowledge at all on this point. "If iodine is sent to us to sell," says Mr. Figgis, we shall get the best price we can for it, regardless of any combination." Mr. Greenhough, who represents the syndicate in London, seems quite confident that there is but little danger of fresh arrivals, and it is obvious that his principals have abundant means of knowing exactly all movements concerning iodine, and much power of influencing probable competitors. All the same, the recent incident will set people thinking. The West coast of South America is a big place, the nitrate business generally is one which cannot be read quite easily, and, lastly, the period for which the convention was last signed expires with this year. There are uncertainties, to say the least, on the horizon; and that is, perhaps, the only certainty in the business.

Queries Wanted. At the San Francisco meeting of the American Pharmaceutical Association a resolution was passed requesting the members to propose such queries as they would like to see answered next year. Such queries should be forwarded at once to the chairman of the section on scientific papers, H. M. Whelpley, St. Louis, Mo. Members who have decided to write papers should send the titles to the same address.

The Draft of a new German Pharmacopoeia has been completed by the Government Committee. It will be printed provisionally for distribution among competent critics.

QUERIES & ANSWERS.

Queries for which answers are desired, must be received by the 5th of the month, and must in every case be accompanied by the name and address of the writer, for the information of the editor, but not for publication.

No. 2,370.-Dorvault's L'Officine (M. F.).

This work has just been published in a new (12th) edition, the contents having been revised and corrected in accordance with the last revision of the codex. You will be enabled to obtain it through the book trade, for instance through J. H. Vail & Co., 21 Astor Place, N. Y.

No. 2,371.-Iodoform Silk (Dr. N.).

This may be prepared by winding a suitable quantity of white silk-twisted or braided, as may be requiredloosely over small plates of glass, such as microscopic object glasses, and immersing the plates into a solution of iodoform in ether of the desired percentage-for instance, 10 per cent. The vessel must be carefully closed and set aside for two days. The silk is then removed, wrapped in blotting paper, dried, and kept in well-closed bottles. No. 2,372.-"Nepenthe" (A Subscriber).

This correspondent has had an English prescription presented to him in which "Nepenthe" was ordered as one of the ingredients.

According to Squire and others, this is a proprietary preparation made at Bristol. It is said that a solution of 3 grains of tartrate (?) and 1 grain of sulphate of morphine in a fluidounce of sherry wine is a close imitation of it. It is intended, presumably, as a substitute for tincture of opium.

No. 2,373.-Chloral-Urethane (M. J. S.).

This is a new hypnotic introduced, or rather first studied as to its therapeutic property, by Huebner and Stricker. It is a compound produced by the addition of one molecule each of anhydrous chloral and urethane (ordinary or ethylic urethane). It is insoluble in water, and decomposed by hot water into its constituents. Whether it will ever play any considerable rôle is more than doubtful, firstly, owing to its insolubility, and second, to its high price.

No. 2,374.-Cement for Aquarium (Detroit).

A good preparation is said to be the following, which is given by Dieterich:

Mix the solids and make them into a paste with the oil.

No. 2,375.-Artificial Brandy.

There are numerous works in which you may find formulas for preparing artificial liquors. We do not believe, however, that many of those which are published are of any mercantile value whatever. Moreover, we do not believe in artificial brandy, and therefore cannot undertake to suggest any formula. We fear, however, that most of the brandy, even that which is imported from the best French localities, is more or less manipulated. Evidence to this effect has been amply furnished by several U. S. consuls in France.

No. 2,376.-Preserving Anatomical Preparations ("College").

According to Grawitz, the following method is to be recommended:

Prepare a solution of 5 oz. chloride of sodium, 640 grains sugar, 320 grains nitrate of potassium, in 34 fl. oz. of water, and acidulate it by the addition of about 3 per cent of boric or tartaric acid. The object of this acidulation is to convert the hæmoglobin in the specimen into hæmatin. Immerse the specimens in the solution, and then dilute the latter with enough water to cause the specimens to sink. After six to eight weeks the latter will be sufficiently "pickled." They are then transferred to a fresh, colorless solution prepared from the same ingredients.

The process may also be carried out by using the above solution diluted with one-third or one-half of its volume of water. In this case the specimens are covered with the liquid, care being taken that all inclosed air bubbles are expelled, and the vessels completely filled with the liquid, so that it will touch the lid when this is put on.

No. 2,377.-Beef Peptone (H. C. B., Philadelphia). Prof. J. Bauer gives, in Von Ziemssen's "Handbook of General Therapeutics," Vol. I., p. 88, the following directions, by Leube, for making beef peptone: 1,000 Gm. of beef, freed from fat and bone, are finely chopped and placed in an earthen or porcelain vessel with 1,000 C.c. of water and 20 C. c. of pure hydrochloric acid. The porcelain vessel is then introduced in a Papin's digester, the cover of which is firmly closed, and boiled from 10 to 15 hours, with occasional agitation in the first part of the time. At the end of the fifteen hours the mass is taken out of the digester and rubbed in a mortar till it presents

the appearance of an emulsion. It is then boiled for another 15 to 20 hours, without the lid of the digester being once raised, after which it is treated with pure sodium carbonate almost to neutralization, evaporated to the consistence of a pulp, and divided into four portions, each representing 250 Gm. of the meat.

No. 2,378.-Unguentum Ophthalmicum Compositum ("Licentiate ").

This was officinal in the first German, and is still so in the Swiss Pharmacopoeia. It is known as St. Yves' salve. The formula of the Pharm. Germ. I. was as follows:

Our correspondent added enough water to Cox's gelatin, in a capsule, to cover it, and then proceeded as directed. The added water was driven off by the subsequent heating.

The difficulty is this: that chrysarobin is insoluble in water, and that gelatin, which is exceedingly soluble in water, repels or refuses to form homogeneous mixtures with substances which are themselves insoluble in water. The gelatin must be omitted from the above prescription if a homogeneous ointment is to be produced.

No. 2,380.-Prescription Difficulty (H. K. A.). The following prescription has been presented to one of our subscribers, who wants to know what change takes place:

Bromine is one of the most energetic substances (elements), and seeks to enter into combination whenever there is a possibility of doing so. Among organic substances particularly, there are comparatively few that are able to resist its action. In most cases, at all events, when the substance with which it comes into contact contains any atoms of hydrogen which are replaceable, it takes their place in the molecule. Thus, in the case of camphor, for instance, which has the composition C10H16O, there may be either one or two atoms of hydrogen replaced by bromine, according as 1 or 2 molecules, that is, or 4 atoms, of the latter are made to act upon 1 molecule of camphor. It always takes two atoms of bromine to cause the replacement of one atom of hydrogen, because while 1 atom of bromine takes the place of the latter, the other atom combines with the liberated hydrogen to form hydrobromic acid. Thus:

etc.

CHO + Br, = C10H1BrO + HBr
camphor
monobromated hydrobromic
camphor
acid.

In the case of carbolic acid or phenol, which has the composition C.H.O, all the hydrogens can be replaced by bromine, forming C.H.BrO, or monobromphenol, C.HBr.O, or dibromphenol, C.H.Br.O, or tribromphenol, etc., Under ordinary circumstances, when phenol is brought together with bromine, tribromphenol is formed, which usually appears as a whitish precipitate if thrown down in an aqueous solution, but may be obtained in colorless crystals. In the mixture forming the subject of this query, the bromine forms one of these substitution products with the phenol. As to which one is formed depends on circumstances. If the bromine were first treated with a little carbolic acid, and the temperature were above the normal, one of the higher products would be formed. If the bromine were added to the phenol and vaseline previously mixed, one of the lower ones would be produced. At all events, the bromine would disappear, as such, eventually. The vaseline may be regarded as taking no part in the reaction.

No. 2,381.-Oxgall Soap (End.).

This kind of soap, which is but little used here, but is extensively employed in Europe-in Germany it is known as "Fleckseife"-is prepared by combining about 1 part of oxgall with 2 parts of previously well-dried hard soap.

As is well known, bile exerts an important function upon digestion in the living organism, not by true saponification, but by subdividing the fats or oils into the most minute particles, so as to appear almost to dissolve them. In fact, it may be said to remove the antipathy between the molecules of fat and the watery materials with which the latter become mixed. This property of the bile, to subdivide fats and render them capable of forming an emulsion with water, is made use of in various directions. For instance, in painting with water colors, when it is found that the paper will not take any liquid color owing to traces of fat, it is only necessary to add a small proportion of bile to the color, when the paper will at once receive it. Addition of a little bile to certain inks, not containing ingredients which would form precipitates therewith, causes the inks to become fit for writing upon fatty fabrics, skins, etc.

The removal of oil or fat stains from all kinds of fabrics, even the most delicate ones, may, in most cases, be accomplished by using oxgall, either applied in substance and then washed off with warm soap solution, or by using oxgall soap. This may be prepared by melting 2 parts of dried soap with 1 part of fresh oxgall, with or without the addition of a perfume (though this has not much effect). When the mass cools, it is cut into cakes or formed into small balls for sale or use.

By the way, according to Schaedler, fresh oxgall may be kept for a long time without alteration, even in casks, by adding 7 parts of acetic ether to every 1,000 parts of fresh oxgall.

No. 2,382.-Paraldehyde (P. P. L.).

This subscriber asks a series of questions regarding paraldehyde, which we will answer connectedly.

Paraldehyde (also spelled paraldehyd, perhaps preferably) is a so called polymeric modification of ordinary aldehyde (acetaldehyde), in which 3 molecules are combined together to form 1 molecule.

Aldehyde is C.H.O; paraldehyde is (C2H.O), or C6H12O3. In its manufacture, the first step is to prepare pure aldehyde. This is accomplished by oxidizing alcohol by means of bichromate of potassium and moderately strong sulphuric acid. The mixture is distilled, the distillate afterwards warmed to 122° F., and the vapors conducted into ether, which is afterwards saturated with ammonia, which causes the formation of a crystalline compound, viz., aldehyde-ammonia. The crystals are warmed with diluted sulphuric acid, which sets the pure aldehyde free, and the vapors of the latter are condensed by cooling. This pure liquid aldehyde is now slowly treated with chloride of zinc (or certain other agents) which causes it to become heated, while at the same time the molecular change takes place. On cooling to 32° F., the paraldehyde crystallizes out. The remainder of the liquid is treated again in this manner, until the whole of it is converted and the product has acquired the uniform boiling point of 255.2° F. The spec. grav. of pure paraldehyde is 0.9920.998. At a low temperature it crystallizes, but melts again at 51° F. It is soluble in alcohol and ether in all proportions; at 59° F., it is soluble in 10 parts of water, which solution becomes turbid on warming, as paraldehyde is more soluble in cold than in hot water.

Water has no effect upon it, and we are not aware why some physicians object to its being dispensed with water, as our correspondent states.

Paraldehyde may be administered in capsules, but preferably in suitable dilution in wine, simple or aromatic elixir, and simple vehicles. A solution of it in any strongly alcoholic liquid is unadvisable, as the effects of the remedy may be modified or neutralized by the alcohol.

It is difficult or impossible to say what would be the average toxic dose. It appears to act, when given in excessive quantities, somewhat like alcohol. In certain forms of mental diseases quite large doses are usually given. How it produces death is not definitely made out. Since it is known that it may be gradually taken in increased doses, and eventually produces secondary symptoms resembling those of alcohol poisoning, it may be supposed to act somewhat analogous to the latter, at least in excessive doses.

We would recommend to our correspondent to consult Loebisch, "Die neueren Arzneimittel,"8°, Wien und Leipzig, 3te Aufl., 1888.

No. 2,383.-Methozin, Antipyrine, Analgesine (Subscribers).

We are asked the question: "Why is it proposed to apply the name methozin, which I have encountered in my reading, to antipyrine? Has any physician ever prescribed, or any apothecary ever dispensed it under that name?"

The name "methozin" was proposed, and is now and then used-very unwisely, we think-for the purpose of stripping antipyrine of its character of a patented or proprietary article. Antipyrine is, of course, a fanciful name for a certain chemical compound, proposed by a process which is covered by a patent. If any one can produce the same compound by another process, there is nothing to hinder him from doing so, but he cannot call it antipyrine. If the true chemical constitution of antipyrine were known, it would probably be possible to devise a name which would recall its chemical constitution, though it is

and this is phenyl-dimethyl-pyrazolon, commonly called antipyrine. Now it would take considerable manipulation to mould the above chemical term into an euphonious "prescription term," without obscuring its meaning. Nevertheless, the new Austrian Pharmacopoeia, which contains antipyrine, and uses Antipyrinum as main title, has "Phenyldimethylpyrazolonum" as a synonym.

And even supposing such a term were found, why should we use it? Is there the slightest probability that the medical profession would generally adopt it? As long as the substance is sold as antipyrine, it will be generally prescribed for, or demanded by the public under this name, and it should be designated by the same name in the standard works of reference, and even in the Pharmacopoeia. Nobody is likely to look either in the text or in the index of such a work under any other name than antipyrine." By the way, the last edition of the U. S. Dispensatory treats of antipyrine on page 1711, but the name is omitted in the index, which may mislead some users of the work to suppose that antipyrine is not treated of at all therein.

The French have introduced the name "analgesine" for it; but it does not appear to have driven the original name out of existence.

The Arsenical Water of Court St. Etienne (Belgium). IN 1872 died J. T. Liboutton, for the previous forty-two years burgomaster of the little town of Court St. Etienne (St. Stephen's Court) in Brabant. He left the greater portion of his fortune to the town, in order that an asylum or almshouse for the aged poor might be built there. The authorities set to work without delay, and in the year 1878 the building was completed. It was called, from the name of its founder, the Hospice Liboutton." short time elapsed before it was observed that old people appeared to thrive there in a very remarkable manner; the bloom and freshness of youth returned more or less, replacing the dull pale tints of age; and this occurred so rapidly that it seems to have attracted general notice.

A very

In trying to account for this singular fact, the management of the Hospice came to the conclusion that it could not possibly be due to any special article of diet, for the food taken was of a very ordinary kind; nor were the pure air of the locality and the dryness of the soil considered sufficient to explain the mystery, for mystery it certainly was, and so it remained until suddenly three of the inmates of the establishment died at very short intervals, and within six months of the opening of the Hospice a fourth inmate retired voluntarily from the place, fearing to meet with the same fate as his three companions.

The food, the air, and the soil had been inquired into; at last attention was turned towards the water supplied to the establishment. It was found to be arsenical.

The spring issues near some lodes of mispickel (arsenical iron pyrites), and I find that this water, which is cold, bright, and clear, and has a pleasant taste, yields to analysis 19 grains of total residue to the imperial gallon. Öf these, 0.7 grain is arsenic acid, and 0.84 grain ferric oxide, the remainder being composed of the usual compounds of lime, soda, silica, and magnesia found in spring waters. It is supposed to have a constant composition, but to establish this fact it will be necessary to make another analysis at some distant date. Nevertheless, it is supplied to various pharmacies, and is used in medicine as a substitute for Fowler's solution or Bourbole water from the Puy de Dôme (France). It is much richer in arsenic than the water of Mont Doré (Puy de Dôme).

Such is, in a few words, the history of the most recently discovered arsenical mineral spring. The composition of this water and the geological nature of the district-not far from the celebrated plains of Waterloo-do not indicate the remotest connection with any volcanic phenomena.-DR. T. L. PHIPSON in Chem. News,

On the Poisonous Plants Indigenous to California.* BY HANS HERMAN BEHR, M.D.

IN the present state of our knowledge, the enumeration of the dangerous plants in a new country like California seems to partake somewhat of procrastination; but a beginning has to be made, and the circumstance of our very fragmentary knowledge, when exposed to the view of the profession, will act as a stimulus for the investigation of a matter of such vital importance.

Let us first consider those plants of whose dangerous qualities we might be convinced a priori, or which at least belong to genera where analogy with foreign species of the same genus or order justifies us in considering them dangerous.

We have two species of a cucurbitaceous genus, exhibiting a full measure of all the drastic properties developed by some other members of the order, namely, Megarrhiza (according to some botanists, Echinocystis) fabacea and Marah, both species comprised under the vernacular name of Manroot.

The active principle seems to be most developed in the enormous rhizome. The presence of this active principle is the more to be regretted as otherwise the considerable amount of starch contained in these rhizomes would make both of the species valuable food plants, like the yam of the tropics, to which the slender climbing stem proceeding from a giant rhizome bears a kind of external resemblance.

The intense bitterness of the rhizome warns the curious in time and prevents accidents. The stem and leaves seem to be inert. The prickly capsule is full of a saponaceous juice, which disappears with the ripening. Neither the properties of the saponaceous juice nor those of the seeds have been thoroughly examined, and a close investigation may lead to the discovery of some new principle. In the meantime we must suppose that these parts bear an analogy to Colocynthis, in the same way as the rhizome coincides in many points with the root of Bryonia alba.

We have a species of Gratiola-Gratiola ebracteatabut it is doubtful if this little and rather rare annual possesses any of the properties that have given its European congener, Gratiola officinalis, its botanical name and its reputation amongst the farmers of the old Continent.

We have two species of Solanum: Solanum nigrum, the common nightshade; it is not poisonous in California, at least under ordinary circumstances. The same species is common in Europe, where it is considered poisonous.

The second species, Solanum umbelliferum, has not yet been sufficiently investigated. Stem and leaves may act like those of Solanum Dulcamara, the bittersweet of our stores, which it resembles. As to its berries I have no data.

Datura Stramonium (thorn apple) is common enough in some localities, and does not differ in any way from specimens derived from other countries.

Our beautiful Rhododendron occidentale, frequently called Azalea, contains in its roots a narcotic principle not yet sufficiently investigated. It may be that the leaves partake of the active principle contained in the leaves of the Siberian Rhododendron chrysanthum.

Ledum glandulosum (Labrador tea) deserves to be investigated as a narcotic. It resembles Ledum palustre so much that we may expect the same active principle which in medieval times was used to make beer more intoxicating, and the prohibition of which for this purpose is one of the first instances of a sanitary law. The leaves at present are only in use for killing vermin on cattle, and fleas that infest rural abodes.

Caucalis nodosa and Caucalis microcarpa (yerba de vivora) are firmly believed by our old settlers to be infallible remedies for the bite of the rattlesnake. If they really cure snakebite, or at least diminish its danger, they must possess a power that under ordinary circumstances might do harm. Both the plants comprised under the name yerba de vivora are insignificant-looking annuals, and perhaps owe their reputation to the circumstance that they are strictly vernal and not to be found where snakes are most likely to be met with. But we must not judge a priori; investigation may reveal powers which we did not expect in the herb.

The odor of Heracleum lanatum (cow parsnip) causes vertigo in some persons. Although these effects are neither constant nor general, an investigation is recommended, as it is of importance to know the properties of an herb of so frequent occurrence in the neighborhood of habitations.

Our Enanthe Californica (fool's parsnip), notwithstand

* Paper read at the meeting of the American Pharmaceutical Association at San Francisco.

Whole No. 185.

ing its great resemblance to Enanthe fistulosa of Europe, seems not to be poisonous.

Sium cicutafolium (water parsnip) is decidedly poisonous, and the more dangerous as the taste of its root resembles that of parsnip more than any other of the poisonous umbelliferæ. It is probably this plant that caused the disaster of Coyote Creek in the year 1869, where, of a party of six prospecting miners, only three escaped with their lives.

We have three species of Cicuta (water hemlock), all of which, if not poisonous, are at least suspicious. As they are generally found in marshes or in otherwise not very accessible places, they are not apt to cause accidents.

It is not certain that Conium maculatum (the spotted hemlock) is originally a native herb. At present it is very common, and in some localities forms thickets, whose nauseous smell is apt to affect sensitive constitutions. The disagreeable smell, however, serves as a kind of warning and prevents accidental poisoning.

Eremocarpus setiger is used by the Indians to narcotize fish. Its properties otherwise are but imperfectly known. It smells like strawberries, but its dusty, straggling appearance is not calculated to invite passers-by and so cause accidents.

Another euphorbiaceous plant, Hendecandra procumbens (Croton Californicus), is a powerful drastic.

Our native species of Euphorbia are annuals, and I do not think that their milk is acrid enough to do harm, but Euphorbia Lathyris, a kind of spurge introduced from Europe, is a powerful drastic in all its parts. Rats do not like to dig in the ground where this plant grows in sufficient numbers.

Rhus diversiloba (our poison oak or yedra) cannot well be called a poison, as no case is known where this shrub and its exhalations have caused more than the temporary trouble of a skin eruption. All the cases where the eruption became permanent admit of the explanation that a predisposition for cutaneous troubles existed which would have developed sooner or later without having received a start by the action of poison oak.

There does not seem to be anything specific in the action of the shrub. Many people are affected in a similar way by inhaling the vapor of turpentine on visiting a newly painted room. Our poison oak, as well as the Rhus Toxicodendron of the Atlantic States, requires an idiosyncrasy in the individual to act upon, or else it remains inert. I have remarked the same peculiarity in the case of the dreaded Semecarpus of the East Indies, and I should not wonder if the terrors of Rhus caustica in South America and of the Melanorrhoea (the Japanese varnish tree) rest on a similar exaggerated action, and would by a close investigation resolve themselves into an inconvenience befalling only those who are liable to be affected in that way.

As to antidotes, there exists no specific for the cure of the eruption if it is once fairly established. The exanthema has to be treated according to general rules. Nevertheless there seems to be a foundation in the belief of our fellow-citizens of Spanish descent that an infusion of the leaves of Rhamnus Californica (Cascara sagrada), used as a wash, acts as a preventive. But as this remedy, to be of any use, must be applied before the eruption has developed, and as the receptivity for the noxa in the majority of people is altogether wanting, it is difficult to judge about the merits of the application. It is true that I know of a few cases of persons formerly liable to be affected who have been exempt since they have used the wash immediately after each exposure.

The second California species of Rhus, Rhus aromatica, is entirely harmless, and its berries are edible.

Actæa spicata (baneberry) is rather local. The beautiful coral-red berries look inviting enough, but I have never heard of any accident.

All

A species of Delphinium is dreaded by herders, who frequently lose sheep by this plant, but it is difficult to identify the species from their vague descriptions. we can make out from their statements is that it must be a perennial, growing, when in flower, above the height of

a man.

Our species of Ranunculus lose their poisonous acridity by drying, so that the hay is not affected by their pre

sence.

It is the reverse in regard to our Prunus ilicifolia, a kind of wild cherry, whose foliage develops its poisonous properties only during the process of withering. This peculiarity causes occasionally the loss of a sheep or a cow, because these animals acquire the habit of browsing on the trees that grow near the trail that leads to their pasture grounds, and do so with impunity, until some day they encounter in a tree, on which they have browsed every day, a branch that, perhaps in consequence of an injury, has begun to wither.