the dispensing department of a large retail pharmacy, and what impressed me more than anything else, were the mottoes which confronted one all the time-" Order is Heaven's own law," ," "You can tell a workman by his chips." "A place for everything and everything in its place." These are good rules to work by. The pharmacist's first aim should be to have a well-regulated and orderly department in which physicians' prescriptions can be filled, and the clerks be free from the interruption of the ordinary business of the store. Nothing inspires physician or patient with so much confidence, as care shown in this direction. The prescription department, therefore, whether separate from the rest of the store, which is to be preferred, or, if it consist of the usual prescription screen, should be so arranged that the dispensers can work without being disturbed. A thorough system must be inaugurated and sustained, and the appointments of the prescription department should be up-to-date in every respect. An antedeluvian, or rag-time collection of prescription bottles, bearing labels which few can decipher, does not appeal to one's sense of security. Therefore, all dispensing bottles should be uniform in appearance and be labelled with neat glass labels. The bottles containing remedies of a poisonous nature should be kept separately. Poisonous chemicals and potent alkaloids should be under lock and key and stored in a special closet adjacent to the dispensing counter.

It is a good rule, and a special safe-guard, for two persons to verify the weighings of all powerful drugs. Another good rule to adopt, and one which prevents doubts from arising in the minds of customers, is that of making notes on the margin of the prescription, so that future dispensings of the same recipe may correspond. Put down the name and amount of excipient used, the weight of mass when finished, the size of capsule required, any peculiarities noticed in the preparation and the procedure adopted, in compounding all prescriptions.

PREPARATIONS REQUIRING SPECIAL CARE.

There are two classes of prescriptions compounded in the retail drug store which will repay the pharmacist who uses especial care in their preparation. I refer to ointments and lotions for the eye, or skin. Because these preparations are for external use is no reason why they should not receive as much care in dispensing as prescriptions for internal medication. A gritty ointment, made with a rancid base, is altogether inexcusable and often leads to unexpected and undesired results. The physician may blame the drugs he has used for a severe dermatitis when, if the truth were known, it would be attributed to the rancidity of the lard, or lack of care in the preparation of the ointment. By the exercise of a little more care, nearly all ointments can be made free from grit and the usual accidental admixtures of small pieces of linen, wood, etc., with which many chemicals become contaminated during the drying process, may be avoided. The ointment base should be melted at a gentle heat and while still warm, such ingredients as the prescription calls for may be added, and the whole put on to a cheesecloth strainer. Heavy substances, like zinc oxide, bismuth subcarbonate, lead carbonate, and almost any of those drugs ordinarily employed in ointments, go through the straining cloth with a little pressure, and the result will be a satisfactory, smooth ointment, free from grit and accidental admixture. After the proceedure it is only necessary to stir the ointment in a mortar with a pestle until it cools.

Lotions and solutions for use in the eye should be made from distilled and sterilized water only, and all bottles in which they are to be dispensed should also be sterilized. It is an easy matter to have some sterilized bottles, corked, wrapped up and laid away for use as required. Small Swedish filter papers and pledgets or absorbent cotton are the best through which to filter these solutions. A physician told me of a pharmacist who had used his handkerchief for straining a solution for use in the eye, and the pharmacist is wondering to this day why he lost the large and lucrative prescription business of that particular physician. Not only physicians, out customers are quick to observe any irregularities in this direction.

PERSONAL NEATNESS.

It is told of a celebrated firm of English pharmacists doing business in London, that a certain old-time customer called one day to have a prescription filled. The prescription department is so arranged that the customer can sit in front of the dispenser and watch him prepare the medicine. On this day this particular old Quaker gentleman came into the pharmacy, sat down and handed his prescription to one of the clerks to be filled. The clerk proceeded to make up the medicine and after it had been compounded, passed the bottle of medicine to the customer and was rather surprised to receive a request for another bottle. Passing the second bottle to the old gentleman he was still further surprised to receive an order for a third bottle and was none the less mortified at the request, "Please do not put the cork in thy mouth this time," and to receive the two bottles he had previously filled as a present for his lack of thought. It was a salutary and deserved lesson, and I venture to say that drug clerk never used his mouth as a cork-press again.

66 NOT DEAD BUT SLEEPING."

When in a small Canadian town with some friends a few years ago, I met with rather an amusing experience. We desired to make some purchases at a drug store before crossing the river into the States. There happened to be only one store in town, so with what must have appeared to be unseemly haste to the inhabitants of this little "Sleepy-Hollow" we went to the store in question. But we were doomed to disappointment, for though it was only just noon, we found the store locked up and on the door was pasted a piece of paper bearing the legend," Not dead, but sleeping; will be back in an hour." There was enterprise in the drug business for you! It certainly would have been a shame to wake that poor fellow up, but I have often wondered had we done so, if he would not have complained about the dullness of trade and have discussed the iniquity of Trusts and the eternal and informal question of "cut-rates." More than likely. But there is an object lesson in this little incident, for though the retail druggist may not lock the door, as our Canadian friend did, he often locks the door to a good many opportunities for increasing his business, which is almost as bad. An important item in attracting business to the store, and one which is very much neglected by the retail druggist, is the matter of window displays. The time has long since passed for the retailer to rely on show bottles filled with colored water to attract attention to his store. This is the day of progression and the show window is an important factor in bringing customers and trade to the store. As the eye is the window of the soul, so is a good window display the soul of a business. Judging by the manner in which some druggists dress the windows of their stores, it is quite evident they are not alive to the importance and value of their window space. It is not so, however, with the manufacturers of many goods offered for sale through the channels of the retail drug trade, as they are often willing, nay indeed, anxious to make free displays of their wares.

VALUE OF WINDOW DISPLAYS.

The advertising value of the window should not be underestimated, as it is often more valuable to the druggist than advertising through the medium of the newspapers. The windows should be neatly encased to keep out dust, and should be kept scrupulously clean, and frequent changes made. It is a good plan to make "dummies" of goods which are liable to be injured by exposure to the sun. Neat little printed cards. describing the preparations, their uses and price, aid materially in selling goods. I have often wondered why some retailers use such poor judgment in selecting goods to display in their windows. Where does the sense come in when a window is filled with such cheap goods as toilet paper, tooth picks, moth balls, etc.? Should a whole window full of these goods be disposed of during a single day, the net profit would be comparatively small, therefore, why not show goods which will bring in larger returns?

There is usually much undeveloped talent lying right at the door of the pharmacist, which is waiting and willing to be

utilized. I refer to the drug clerk. Put him on his mettle, give him a free hand and watch results. I have yet to see the clerk who could not make improvements in the appearance of the drug store window, both in regard to new ideas and attractive displays. The pharmacist usually has traditions to go on, whereas the youngster in the business smashes all traditions, gets out of the common rut and makes results.

The pharmacist should be a business man first-a pharmacist afterwards-for he who adopts business methods will always accomplish more and keep ahead of the one who does not. Study the ways of Trusts and big combines, cut off all dead branches in the way of unnecessary expenses; a thorough pruning is often just as necessary for the small, as it is for the big concern. Watch your goods closely, let no dead stock accumulate, and push those goods which yield proper returns. There is more profit to be made from a five cent sale of Epsom salt at ordinary rates, than many of the dollar patent medicines at "cut-rates."

varies from 60 to 85 per cent. The former usually exists in much the greater proportion.

.

Turkish or Indian geranium oil, also known as palma rosa, Indian.grass oil, and rusa oil, usually closely resembles rose geranium oil in physical appearance, solubility, specific gravity, and percentage content of alcohols and esters. In odor there is frequently a close resemblance and the optical rotation varies from +2 degrees to -2 degrees.

Ginger grass oil is supposed to be an inferior quality of palma rosa, and its properties, therefore, should very closely resemble those of the latter oil, excepting, possibly, its odor, unless it is highly diluted with turpentine or mineral oil, as is frequently the case.

It can readily be seen that a judicious mixer could combine oils possessing the properties described above so as to bewilder a chemist, even though he were well versed in the chemistry of essential oils.

Jeancard and Satie2 have studied these oils to some extent, and think they can distinguish between them by their contents. The following table is taken from their work:

ROSE GERANIUM OIL AND ITS SUBSTITUTES.'
BY LYMAN F. KEBLER, PH.C.,

Chief of Drug Laboratory, U. S. Department of Agriculture. In spite of the great advance made in the chemistry of essential oils during the past decade, ample evidence can readily be collected to show that this is as yet a fertile field for the adulterator. Many kinds of manipulators are found, from the tyro who endeavors to palm off oil of French turpentine for oil of rue, and the distiller who sprinkles his rose leaves with geranium oil before distilling, to the chemist who is an abettor to the use of acetin and glycerin in volatile oils for the purpose of increasing the apparent content of ester and alcohol, respectively.

By referring to the various price lists it will be found that the quotations for the geranium oils vary from $12 per pound for the Spanish to $2.25 for the Turkish oil; and ginger grass oil, which is conceded to be only another name for an inferior Turkish oil, sometimes highly adulterated, is quoted at $1.10 per pound. Certainly here seems to be a great opportunity for the clever manipulator, and aside from the assistance of a well

Cannes Spain Corsica Africa Bourbon

India

value. Per cent. Per cent.

The per cent. of esters and alcohols is based on the formulas C12H2O2 and C10H18O2 respectively.

In view of the fact that the highest grade oils grow in certain localities only and bring fancy prices, the opinion is ventured that it would not be safe to deduce any general statement from the above results, except in the case of Indian oil. Some time ago the writer received a number of samples of geranium oils in original packages, bearing the labels of the largest and best known essential oil dealers in the world, with the request that an opinion be given as to their purity and quality. On submitting the samples to an examination the results tabulated below were obtained:

African (4).

Algerian (1)

Lemon yellow. Do.

95.00

0.9319

4.47

[278.85]

71.08

-7.70

0.8981

3.20

33.61

65.57

Algerian (2)

Colorless..

0.8964

2.87

36.46

73.14

Reunion

0.9154

2.41

0.9213

1.50

Insoluble in 10 volumes.

3 Per cent. of ester calculated as geranyl acetate. trained nasal organ, let us see what are the probabilities of detecting such adulteration.

Rose geranium oil is a colorless, yellowish, 'greenish, or brownish liquid, depending on the manner of distillation and storage, and has a pleasant rose-like odor. Its specific gravity varies from 0.8878 to 0.9073; optical rotation in a 100 mm. tube, -6 degrees to -16 degrees; ester, calculated as geranyl tiglinate, varies from 8 to 42 per cent. All varieties are soluble in two to three volumes of 70 per cent. alcohol, except the Spanish, which is rendered turbid by the presence of a small amount of separated paraffin. The chief constituents are geraniol and citronellol, the total content of which, both free and combined,

1 From Bulletin No. 80, Bureau of Chemistry, U. S. Department of Agriculture.

The acid number was determined by dissolving a given weight of the oil in strong alcohol, in which all the oils were soluble in all proportions, and titrating with decinormal alcoholic potash, at the ordinary temperature, using phenolphthalein as indicator. The figures indicate the number of milligrams of potassium hydroxide required to neutralize the acidity of one gramme of oil. The esters were estimated by adding an excess of alcoholic potash to the above solution, heating to boiling with a reflux condenser for about one hour, then titrating back the excess of alkali by means of decinormal acid. From the amount of alkali consumed the necessary calculations can readily be made, either as geranyl tiglinate (C10H17CO2CII,) or geranyl acetate (C10H17CO,CH,), as the case may re2 Bul. Soc. Chim., 1900 (3), 23:37.

quire. The percentage of alcohol, free or combined, was determined by acetylizing a given weight of oil with an equal amount of acetic anhydride in the presence of fused sodium acetate. The acetylized product was purified by washing with water, and rendered anhydrous by means of fused sodium sulphate. A given weight of the acetylized oil was then saponified, as outlined above for determining esters, and from the data thus secured the desired calculations were made.

In computing the amount of alcohol, both free and combined, in geranium oil, it must be remembered that the chief ester of the natural oil is a tiglinate, and on acetylizing with acetic anhydride the free alcohols are converted into acetic esters. We therefore have a mixture of esters on which to base our calculations. The percentages of alcohols given in the table above were computed from the mixed esters. The question might arise as to whether any of the tiglinic group was replaced by the acetyl group, but this inquiry can not be answered here.

The first African oil, the second Algerian oil, and the Reunion oil are normal in every respect. The African oil No. 2 and the Algerian oil No. 1 can be considered normal except as to solubility, and it is doubtful whether these oils can justly be considered adulterated. The third African oil is low in alcohol content, high in optical rotation, and insoluble in the proper amount of 70 per cent. alcohol. The fourth African oil is a spurious product, which did not respond affirmatively for a hydroxyl group when tested by means of acetyl chlorid in the conventional manner, thus indicating the absence of any alcohol. The palma rosa oil and the Turkish oil No. 2 are both normal India products, while the first Turkish oil is abnormal. Both of the ginger grass oils are entirely different from anything described in literature. Judging from the high specific gravities and high optical rotations, these ginger grass oils are not adulterated with either turpentine or mineral oil. The last oil named, Rhodonol II, is apparently a fairly pure geraniol. It is clearly evident from the data obtained in this investigation and other work on record that a scientific adulterator could readily mix some of the cheaper geranium oils with the expensive, high grade products without much fear of detection by the analytical methods at present available. Apparently the only satisfactory procedure at our disposal for securing the proper quality of geranium oil is the use of well trained olfactories.

LETTERS FROM A RETIRED DRUGGIST

TO HIS NEPHEW.—III.

FROM CAN A. DENSIS, A RETIRED DRUGGIST, OF CINCINNATI, O., WHO HAS MADE A FORTUNE OUT OF DENSIS' WONDERFUL ASTHMA Cure, 10 HIS NEPHEW IN WHEELING, W. Va.

(With Apologies to Mr. Lorimer and his Mr. Graham.)

My Dear John:-So you have been put to running the soda fountain for the remainder of the season. Well, I am glad to hear it for it shows that you must have some little ability and an inclination to work, and the manager has some confidence in you or he would have fired you long ago instead of promoting you along.

LITTLE THINGS COUNT.

Now, I am not going to tell you anything about making soda water because each manager has his own particular method of so doing and each one believes that his method is the only right one, and I guess it is so long as he is satisfied, and I take it for granted that your manager has seen to it that you have been sufficiently informed of the important details of your work --that is, of the big things about it. But after all I don't know whether it is the big things that ought to be taught you or not for you see they are so blamed important that you can't help but learn them, for they stare you in the face no matter which way you turn, and so if you are to even pretend to do your work, why you have simply got to learn them; therefore, it is the little things that you have got to be particular about learning because they are so small that they are easy to be overlooked, and no one thinks about teaching them to you, and yet it don't take many little things to make a big one, especially when you don't know them, or, worse still, when you know them but don't practice them.

DON'T HAVE FAVORITES.

Now, there are just two little things about this soda water business that I am going to speak to you about. One of them is treat everybody alike,-don't play any favorites. I know it's very easy to slip in an extra measure of ice cream when the customer happens to be one of your best friends or a good looking girl, but don't you do it because it isn't honest to your store, nor fair to the other customers.

You might think that doing so once in a while won't do any harm but that's where you are wrong, for it does you yourself harm by weakening your sense of business methods, and the farther you go along in this business world the better you will understand that business and sentiment won't mix and that while they are both good things to practice you want to practice them upon separate occasions. After you have given one or two an extra measure the regular measure will begin to look so small to you that you will make them all extra, and that's where you are robbing the store, and I know you don't want to do that. If you have been guilty of this practice-—and I'll say to you right now that most boys have some time or other in their career done so you will probably answer me by saying that the amount which the manager has prescribed is too small and that the store is losing business on account of it. Well, even if that should be so-although I never knew a case where it was-it is not your fault nor your business to correct it, as it is not you that is losing anything, and if the manager is satisfied then you should be, and besides it's a pretty safe bet that the amount of money the store will lose by people staying away from this cause will not be more than one-tenth the sum you are robbing the store of by giving extra measures. DON'T INTRUDE IN A CUSTOMER'S CONVERSATION.

I believe I told you that there were two things I was going to speak to you about. The other one is simply to remind you to be awful careful about breaking into a conversation when you have customers seated about the fountain. I hope this warning is unnecessary in your case, because if you do this thing it speaks of bad breeding and faulty home training, and I know your mother too well to suspect you of that.

When you are invited to take part in the conversation or asked a question, of course you have a certain license, but otherwise it's not very reasonable to suppose that the party came

into the store on purpose to hear you talk, and if you keep it up you are either due for a calling down some day or are driving trade away from the fountain.

DON'T USE THE STORE AS A RECEPTION ROOM.

When you first went into the drug store your friends no doubt looked upon you with a certain amount of awe. Gradually, though, they became accustomed to your new surroundings and got to dropping in to see you oftener and staying longer, until by this time I suspect that one or two of them could be classed as regular loafers. The best thing for you to do is to tell them right now that it is against the store's policy to allow loafers and that you will see them after you get through work. To be sure there is not any harm in the head clerk's having an occasional friend drop in to cheer him through a portion of a cold, rainy night, but you wait until you are a full fledged clerk before you begin to have privileges, and even then be just as light as possible with the loafing proposition, for while a woman doesn't care how many men are around when she buys beef steak or groceries, she is going to be a little backward about selecting a syringe or buying "Lydia Pinkham's" when any more masculine eyes than necessary are focused upon her, and if she finds loafers present the chances are that she will ask for a postage stamp or look at the directory and then go out and seek a store where the clerks are more thoughtful and less popular.

It is not very likely that any of your friends have ever thought of it in this light, so you had best explain it to them, for somehow or other every one seems to want to loaf in the drug store. I imagine it is for the same reason that the fellow always shoots the gun he didn't know was loaded-just simply because he oughtn't to.

Your affectionate uncle,

CAN A. DENSIS.

CAMPHOR FROM TURPENTINE.

Description of the New Synthetic Product.

Synthetic camphor, identical in almost all its properties with natural camphor, is now being produced in large quantities from oil of turpentine at the little town of Port Chester, N. Y., by the Port Chester Chemical Company. The process of manufacture is camparatively simple, the oxidation of the turpentine being effected by treatment with oxalic acid. Turpentine, chemically considered, and, speaking roughly, is CH16 and camphor is C1HO; the only chemical difference between turpentine and camphor being one atom of oxygen. Of course this is not to be regarded as anything more than a general statement. Pinene, the essential constituent of oil of turpentine, is broken down into pinoyl oxalate and pinoyl formate by the introduction of a carboxyl (oxalic acid), and both of these can, by simple chemical means, be converted into camphor. Pinoyl oxalate yields camphor by distillation with steam in the presence of an alkali; while pinoyl formate under the same treatment, yields Borneo camphor, borneol or camphol C1H1OH, which, chemically considered, is a hydrate of camphor readily converted in turn into pure camphor by oxidation.

The process of conversion, as carried out on a large scale at the Port Chester works, is described as follows:

In steam jacketed reaction tanks, oil of turpentine, weighing at least 2000 pounds, is placed, together with anhydrous oxalic acid, the result of this reaction being pinoyl oxalate and pinoyl formate. After the completion of this step in the process the mass, which is liquid, is pumped into a set of stills for treatment. Here it is distilled with live steam in the presence of an alkali, the resultant formation occurring as ordinary camphor and Borneo camphor, dissolved in the oily products of the reaction. These oils are fractionally distilled to extract the camphor and borneol further. After the pleasant smelling oils have passed over, the camphor and borneol distill in the steam

and are precipitated in the condenser in a white mass somewhat resembling boiled rice. The crude product is then forced by compressed air through a filter press and thoroughly washed to free it from all traces of oil, when it is dropped into an oxidizing tank, where the borneol oxidizes into ordinary camphor.

The mass is again transferred to a rapidly revolving centrifugal machine, where the oxidizing liquors are thrown out, and the camphor, being heavier, remains behind, comparatively pure, but stained from the oxidizing compound, so that it resembles light brown sugar. After removal from the separator it is placed in a large steam jacketed sublimer. In this vessel a slow heat frees it from any water it may contain, and the temperature is then raised to the boiling point of camphor, and a rapid current of air projected over the surface of the pan, blowing the camphor into a condensing chamber, where it settles in the form of snowflake-like crystals.

The yield of camphor by this process is from 25 to 30 per cent. of the weight of turpentine used. In addition to camphor there are a number of light oils produced in the process which are also found in nature, namely, dipentine, oil of lemon, oil of lime and a number of other natural terpenes and essential oils.

A sample of the product, in the possession of the editor of the AMERICAN DRUGGIST, shows a remarkable resemblance to natural camphor. An effort was made to determine the solubility of the synthetic gum in ordinary solvents, such as water, alcohol and oil, but data concerning this were not obtainable from the manufacturers. Some experiments were, however, conducted by Professor William A. Noyes, who communicated the results to the American Chemical Journal, Vol. 27, No. 6, June, 1902, and Vol. 28, No. 6, December, 1902. The Port Chester Chemical Company are also in possession of a report on their synthetic camphor from Dr. H. W. Wiley, of the Bureau of Chemistry, United States Department of Agriculture, which reads as follows:

"With reference to appearance, odor, taste and power to sublime in large, fern-like crystals, the synthetic camphor is identical with natural camphor. It is somewhat more friable and melts (after softening between 130 and 140 degrees) at 176 degrees. The melting point of natural camphor is 175 degrees.

"A determination of the influence on polarized light was made, using the Schmidt and Haensch polariscope. Solutions of five grams in 50 Cc. of pure olive oil gave the following readings in a 200 mm. tube:

These results show that the synthetic product is most probably an isomer, which, however, in all its physical properties so closely approximates the native camphor that it can be generally substituted for it.

Most of the demand for the synthetic product comes at present from the celluoid and gunpowder manufacturers, and, as the flower crystals is the kind especially required in these industries, the company intend for the present to confine themselves to the manufacture of this form only, the cake form being produced in limited quantities and for exhibition purposes only.

Pharmaceutical Troubles in Germany.

The Government of Germany does not hesitate to regulate the most minute affairs of its children. It has long since taken the country's pharmacy under its wing, and is gradually arranging all the details of the Apotheker's life, so that in course of time that strictly scientific individual will have nothing in the world to do but obey a code of rules and enjoy life. For some time the authorities have limited the number of pharmacies, and have so arranged that concessions cannot be transferred. The result of this and innumerable other regulations has been an extraordinary demand for pharmacies and inordinately high prices for those which can be sold.-Monthly Magazine of Pharmacy.

Furol is a dry beer yeast of guaranteed purity, made by Bonaccio in Geneva: Chemical analyses of this product show that it is really a pure yeast, in contrast to the ordinary article sold. The product is said to be very useful in the shape of a soap which may be applied externally in skin diseases. (Pharmaceutische Post, October 25, 1903.)

Cholelysin, a New Cholagogue, according to the Pharmaceutische Post (August 9, 1903), contains 20 per cent. of sodium oleate in solution, the latter being, as is well known, a very efficient solvent for gallstones. The remedy is easy to administer and is given in doses of from one-half to one teaspoorful at bedtime, before breakfast and before dinner. It is taken pure or with water or mineral water.

Apopin Oil. According to Reismann, (Journal of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan, March, 1903, No. 253) an ethereal oil is obtained in Formosa which possesses a great similarity to camphor as to odor, and which is called by the natives: "Schùyu." Professor Schimoyama called this oil "apopin oil," from the place where it is obtained. Nothing definite is as yet known as to the source of the oil, save that the plant from which it derived belongs to the family of the Lauraceae.

Mixed Acoin and Cocaine for Local Anaesthesia.-Kraus recommends a combination of acoin and cocaine in anesthesia for operations on the eye and its surrounding parts. This combination was first used in France. The author employed the following formula: Acoin, 0.025 Gm.; cocaine, 0.05 Gm., and solution of sodium chloride, 0.075 per cent., enough to make 5.0 Gm. When the mixture is needed for operations where more extensive bleeding is expected, a few drops of the ordinary adrenalin solution are added to it. The solution of acoin-cocaine must be used soon after having been prepared on account of its liability to decompose.

A Color Reaction in Mixing Senega Infusion and Codeine Syrup has been noted by Cioperesco (Bollettino Assoc. Farmac., 1903, p. 6), who found that on mixing these two ingredients a yellowish-green color resulted. This is due to the fact that the senegin and saponin, which possess acid properties, give rise to a green color when combined with alkalies. Therefore, the reaction is only produced with the free base codeine, but not with its salts, and with codeine syrup only when the latter is prepared freshly, as on standing it becomes acid and develops codeine salts. The same reaction has also been observed in ammoniacal solution of anise

Ektogan, a new dusting powder, has been added to the already large list of new remedies. According to the Pharmaceutische Post (October 25, 1903) ektogan is a mixture of zinc hydroxide and dioxide, containing about 50 per cent. of each. It is equivalent to about 8 per cent. of active oxygen. It occurs as a yellowish-white, odorless and tasteless powder, which is insoluble in water. It is used externally in wounds and in skin diseases in the form of a moist dressing, mixed with citric, tartaric or tannic acid, whereby the oxygen is liberated. With iodides ektogan develops nascent iodine. It is said to be strongly antiseptic, and is used in the form of a powder, a gauze and a plaster.

Titration with Titanium Chloride.-Knecht and Hibbert (Berichte der Deutschen Chemischen Gesellschaft, 1903, 36, 1549) use a solution of about 1 per cent. of titanium chloride which has been standardized by comparison with a solution of ferric oxide of known strength for the titration of iron salts, according to the following reaction.

solution acidulated with sulphuric acid. Then the total iron is titrated with titanium chloride. The difference shows the ferric iron.

Easily Soluble Tablets of Mercuric Chloride,-Attempts have been made recently to increase the solubility of tablets of mercuric chloride by the addition of substances which would develop carbonic acid gas in solution. Such a procedure was recommended recently by Myers (Pharmaceutische Zeitung, 1903, p. No. 86), but according to a recent communication by Sauter of Geneva (Schweizerische Wochenschrift für Chemie und Pharmazie), the carbonates which thus would be set free would impair the action of the mercuric chloride. The same is true of tartaric and citric acids and their neutral and acid salts. Nothing but chlorides should be added to mercuric chloride tablets, and even then the sodium chloride must exist in the tablet as the full salt with its one-and-a-half molecules of water in order to make sure that the physician is getting the full action of the mercuric chloride in the combination.

Differences Between the Red and the Yellow Mercuric Oxides. Schoch (Chemiker Zeitung, 1903, 27, 155) has found that yellow mercuric oxide is, when washed and dried at ordinary temperature, a crystalline body whose structure differs materially from that of the red oxide. The yellow oxide occurs in the form of quadratic plates under the microscope with a magnification of 1000 or 1200 diameters. The crystals of yellow oxide grow larger when brought into contact with the precipitant solution or with a solution of sodium or potassium chloride. At the same time the crystals grow reddish-orange, until after some time they become decidedly reddish. When boiled with salt solution the yellow oxide becomes red and shows the prismatic crystals of the red oxide. Heating the yellow oxide dry to 250 degrees C., or higher, gives rise to a change in color to red and to a change in structure to the prismatic form of the red oxide.

Behavior of Iodine and Iodoform with Albumen.-Schmidt (Apotheker Zeitung, October 28, 1903, p. 756) says that solutions of albumin are capable of decomposing iodoform, the statements of Kobert and Altenburg to the contrary, notwithstanding. It is difficult, however, to show the presence of iodine in these solutions by means of starch, as for this purpose it is necessary to remove the albumin entirely without affecting the iodine compound in the solution. The basic properties of the albumin molecule are the cause of the decomposition of iodoform. If albumin, or its nearest derivatives, be treated with iodine in solution there is always formed a compound which reacts like iodic acid, thus showing the basicity of the albumin molecule. Iodine, in the nascent state, removes hydrogen from the albumin molecule. This gives rise to the development of hydriodic acid. Blood, pus and urine containing albumin show free iodine in the presence of iodoform in virtue of this decomposition.

Color Reactions for Chloroform, Iodoform and Bromoform. -Dupony (Répertoire de Pharmacie, 1903, p. 349) has found that color reactions can be obtained by the addition of chloroform to phenols, varying according to the particular phenol used. With benzophenol, for example, there is obtained a yellow color; with resorcin a garnet red, with napthol, a blue color. If onehalf a cubic centimetre of a 5 per cent. alcoholic solution of thymol be treated with a drop of chloroform and a little caustic alkali be added, a yellow color arises on boiling the mixture, which soon turns red. An intense violet color is produced on the addition of 1 cc. of sulphuric acid and heating for the second time. If a few drops of the violet mixture be dissolved in acetic acid, the fluid will show a spectrum very much like that of oxy-hæmoglobin, with the difference that the two bands are nearer to the red of the spectrum. The violet colored solution gives in the spectroscope a bank between D and the red. In the absence of chloroform, sulphuric acid and caustic alkali with