- Email: [email protected]
Pharmacology and Therapeutics.
277 THE death, on the 17th ult., from pneumonia, of Dr. and alleviating irritating and painful conditions of the Joseph D. Hutchison of Brooklyn, is announced. For mouth and throat. several years Dr. Hutchison served as Health Commissioner ALKALINE MERCURIAL SOAP AS AN ABSORBENT. of Brooklyn, and he was also the author of several works Dr. Svetukhin, chief of Professor Lashkevich’s clinic in and papers on Surgery. He was a delegate to the Inter- St. Petersburg, in some therapeutic notes contributed to the national Medical Congress held in London in 1881. Russ7vaya Meditsina, mentions that various preparations have been recently employed in the wards for the purpose of promoting absorption of pleuritic effusion. Iodine ointis too mild and too slow in its action to answer the ment THE commencement of a new Spanish journal to be and the odour of iodoform ointment is so strong that purpose, devoted to military medicine and surgery is announced. The it interferes too much with the comfort of the other patients, title is La Revista de Sanidad Militar. The editors are and so is found to be unsuitable for hospital practice. It Drs. Aycart and Quintana. A Spanish naval medical journal was found that iodine ointment could be advantageously is already in existence. supplemented by soft soap (sapo kalinus viridis) inunctions, or by rubbing in unguentum hydrargyri. The most valuable THE Commission sent by the Italian Government to of all applications for this purpose was, however, found to be a preparation called sapo kalinus hydrargyrosus, which is Catania with a view to examining on the spot the best means made by mixing in certain proportions metallic mercury, of combating the cholera epidemic, has just been reinforced unguentumhydrargyri, causticpotasb, and olive oil, so that the by Professor Mariano Saluzzo. resulting soap contains a third of its weight of mercury, the unguentum hydrargyri of the Russian Pharmacopoeia containing half its weight of mercury. This is agitated with THE Italian Government has just created a corps of hot water so as to form a good froth and lightly rubbed into It has the advantage over ung. hydrargyri in .sanitary police, and has placed at the head of the new body, the skin. Dr. Pagliani, Professor of Hygiene in the University of being much more easily rubbed in, in not irritating the skin and thus causing eruptions, and, lastly, in not so rapidly Turin. setting up stomatitis or salivation. From half a drachm to a drachm of this mercurial soap is used for each inunction. AT the ordinary weekly meeting of the Cardiff Board of After from six to ten applications some diminution may be Guardians on the 30th ult., Dr. Paine announced that the detected in the effusion, and after twenty inunctions the is usually found to have disappeared. Of course, epidemic of small-pox recently raging in that town had whole favourable results can only be looked for in cases of simple practically passed away. effusion; they cannot be obtained in empyema. -
’
___
-
THE twelfth Congress of the Italian Medical Association will be held this year at Pavia, from the 19th to the 24th of
September.
CYANIDE OF ZINC IN CARDIAC AFFECTIONS.
Cyanide of zinc exerts, according to Professor Lashkevich,
beneficial effect on some cardiac cases which cannot be obtained by other means. In cardiac neuroses it acts quickly and certainly. Palpitation, want of rhythm, and pain in the region of the heart are quickly affected, sometimes indeed cured, by this drug. The dose is from a tenth to an eighth of a grain three times a day. Similar beneficial effects are when there is produced organic cardiac disease. The regulating action of cyanide of zinc in valvular insufficiency is less marked than its effect on cardiac neurosis; nevertheless, there were cases in the wards where it acted better than other cardiac remedies, as digitalis, convallaria majalis, adonis vernalis, &e. In this respect it acted particularly satisfactorily in cases where other remedies could not be given without producing derangement of the gastro-intestinal system. Here it improved the action of the heart, thus increasing the secretion of urine, moderating the pulse, and diminishing the dropsy due to irritation of the gastrointestinal canal. In a case of nervous palpitation with hysterical anuria, cyanide of zinc diminished the palpitation, and at the same time caused the secretion of urine to a
__
Pharmacology
and
Therapeutics.
AN IMPROVED CAUSTIC PASTE.
DR. JULES FELix, of Brussels, having found existing caustics unsatisfactory from the great pain which is caused by their application, from the difficulty of limiting their action precisely to the part desired, from their deliquescence and from various other causes, has devised a form of caustic paste whiclf he has been using for some time past with the best results. It does not cause severe pain or set up any general reaction; the eschar is hard and well defined, so as to be easily detached. It is also a powerful antiseptic and haemostatic. It is not deliquescent, but keeps its consistence, which is that of putty, well, and so lends itself easily to manipulation. The hands should be wetted when applying it. They are not in any danger of being acted on. The paste is allowed to remain for from six to twenty-four hours according to the amount of eschar which it is desired to form. The formula for the paste is as follows: Mix in a mortar the following substances in powder :-Starch, 37grms. ; wheat flour, 112 grms. ; bichloride of mercury, 1 grm, ; dry chloride of zinc, 110 grms. ; iodol pure, 10 grms.; croton chloral, 10 grms.; bromide of camphor, 10 grms.; crystallised carbolic acid, 10 grms. Then add gradually a sufficient quantity of distilled water to form a homogeneous paste without lumps of the consistence of putty. This paste will keep an indefinite length of time.
recommence.
A NEW SOURCE FOR BORAX.
analyses made by Seiior Emil Eisele of Valparaiso, and by Mr. J. Clark of London, of several samples of crude Chilian .borax, it would appear that Chili is capable of producing at least as good borax as California, the quality being equal to a good deal of that which comes from Italy. The attempts which are being made to open up a. borax industry in Chili would therefore seem likely to prove From
some
successful.
CARBOLATE OF MERCURY IN SYPHILIS.
Dr. Schadeck has employed carbolate of mercury both internally and hypsdermically in syphilis with remarkable success. He gave it in thirty-five cases in the form of a without pill finding it give rise to any gastric disturbance. The formula was-R Hydrargyri carbolici oxydati, 3 dr.; BORATE OF AMMONIUM IN PHTHISIS. pulv. glycyrrh. q.s. ut f. massa pil. ex qua form. pil. No. 60; Borate of ammonium has been found by Professor Lash- from two to four pills daily after food. This preparation kevich of great value in phthisis. Internally he gives five was originally used by Gamberini in 1886. Dr. Schadeck grains three times a day in solution, either alone or com- also employed the carbolate of mercury in ten cases in the bined with codeia, hyoscyamus, or other sedatives. This he form of hypodermic injections, which he administered in the finds produces a marked effect on the expectoration, and in glutal region, causing the needle to penetrate the muscles some cases where the affection had only reached an early deeply. The liquid used was a mucilage containing 2 per stage a distinct diminution of the pyrexia was observed. cent. of carbolate of mercury in suspension. In this way The solution was also employed with advantage as an inha- his results were as satisfactory as when the preparation lation (in the form of spray ?), reducing the expectoration was given by the mouth.
’
___
-
THE twelfth Congress of the Italian Medical Association will be held this year at Pavia, from the 19th to the 24th of
September.
CYANIDE OF ZINC IN CARDIAC AFFECTIONS.
Cyanide of zinc exerts, according to Professor Lashkevich,
beneficial effect on some cardiac cases which cannot be obtained by other means. In cardiac neuroses it acts quickly and certainly. Palpitation, want of rhythm, and pain in the region of the heart are quickly affected, sometimes indeed cured, by this drug. The dose is from a tenth to an eighth of a grain three times a day. Similar beneficial effects are when there is produced organic cardiac disease. The regulating action of cyanide of zinc in valvular insufficiency is less marked than its effect on cardiac neurosis; nevertheless, there were cases in the wards where it acted better than other cardiac remedies, as digitalis, convallaria majalis, adonis vernalis, &e. In this respect it acted particularly satisfactorily in cases where other remedies could not be given without producing derangement of the gastro-intestinal system. Here it improved the action of the heart, thus increasing the secretion of urine, moderating the pulse, and diminishing the dropsy due to irritation of the gastrointestinal canal. In a case of nervous palpitation with hysterical anuria, cyanide of zinc diminished the palpitation, and at the same time caused the secretion of urine to a
__
Pharmacology
and
Therapeutics.
AN IMPROVED CAUSTIC PASTE.
DR. JULES FELix, of Brussels, having found existing caustics unsatisfactory from the great pain which is caused by their application, from the difficulty of limiting their action precisely to the part desired, from their deliquescence and from various other causes, has devised a form of caustic paste whiclf he has been using for some time past with the best results. It does not cause severe pain or set up any general reaction; the eschar is hard and well defined, so as to be easily detached. It is also a powerful antiseptic and haemostatic. It is not deliquescent, but keeps its consistence, which is that of putty, well, and so lends itself easily to manipulation. The hands should be wetted when applying it. They are not in any danger of being acted on. The paste is allowed to remain for from six to twenty-four hours according to the amount of eschar which it is desired to form. The formula for the paste is as follows: Mix in a mortar the following substances in powder :-Starch, 37grms. ; wheat flour, 112 grms. ; bichloride of mercury, 1 grm, ; dry chloride of zinc, 110 grms. ; iodol pure, 10 grms.; croton chloral, 10 grms.; bromide of camphor, 10 grms.; crystallised carbolic acid, 10 grms. Then add gradually a sufficient quantity of distilled water to form a homogeneous paste without lumps of the consistence of putty. This paste will keep an indefinite length of time.
recommence.
A NEW SOURCE FOR BORAX.
analyses made by Seiior Emil Eisele of Valparaiso, and by Mr. J. Clark of London, of several samples of crude Chilian .borax, it would appear that Chili is capable of producing at least as good borax as California, the quality being equal to a good deal of that which comes from Italy. The attempts which are being made to open up a. borax industry in Chili would therefore seem likely to prove From
some
successful.
CARBOLATE OF MERCURY IN SYPHILIS.
Dr. Schadeck has employed carbolate of mercury both internally and hypsdermically in syphilis with remarkable success. He gave it in thirty-five cases in the form of a without pill finding it give rise to any gastric disturbance. The formula was-R Hydrargyri carbolici oxydati, 3 dr.; BORATE OF AMMONIUM IN PHTHISIS. pulv. glycyrrh. q.s. ut f. massa pil. ex qua form. pil. No. 60; Borate of ammonium has been found by Professor Lash- from two to four pills daily after food. This preparation kevich of great value in phthisis. Internally he gives five was originally used by Gamberini in 1886. Dr. Schadeck grains three times a day in solution, either alone or com- also employed the carbolate of mercury in ten cases in the bined with codeia, hyoscyamus, or other sedatives. This he form of hypodermic injections, which he administered in the finds produces a marked effect on the expectoration, and in glutal region, causing the needle to penetrate the muscles some cases where the affection had only reached an early deeply. The liquid used was a mucilage containing 2 per stage a distinct diminution of the pyrexia was observed. cent. of carbolate of mercury in suspension. In this way The solution was also employed with advantage as an inha- his results were as satisfactory as when the preparation lation (in the form of spray ?), reducing the expectoration was given by the mouth.