Chapter V: HYGIENE AND MEDICINE.--Parangi; a newly described (4)

In a recent number of the _Journal des Usines à Gaz_ appears a note by M. Chevalet, on the chemical and physical purification of gas, which was one of the papers submitted to the Société Technique de l'Industrie du Gaz en France at the last ordinary meeting. This communication is noticeable, apart from the author's conclusions, for the fact that the processes described were not designed originally for use in gas manufacture, but were first used to purify, or rather to remove the ammonia which is to be found in all factory chimneys, and especially in certain manufactories of bone-black, and in spirit distilleries. It is because of the success which attended M. Chevalet's treatment of factory smoke that he turned his attention to coal gas. The communication in which M. Chevalet's method is described deals first with chimney gases, in order to show the difficulties of the first class of work done by the author's process. Like coal gas, chimney gases contain in suspension solid particles, such as soot and ashes. Before washing these gases in a bath of sulphuric acid, in order to retain the ammonia, there were two problems to be solved. It was first of all necessary to cool the gases down to a point which should not exceed the boiling-point of the acid employed in washing; and then to remove the solid particles which would otherwise foul the acid. In carrying out this mechanical purification it was impossible, for two reasons, to make use of apparatus of the kind used in gas works; the first obstacle was the presence of solid particles carried forward by the gaseous currents, and the other difficulty was the volume of gas to be dealt with. In the example to which the author's attention was directed he had to purify 600 cubic meters of chimney gas per minute, or 36,000 cubic meters per hour, while the gas escaped from the flues at a temperature of from 400° to 500° C. (752° to 932° Fahr.), and a large quantity of cinders had frequently to be removed from the main chimney flues. After many trials a simple appliance was constructed which successfully cooled the gases and freed them from ashes. This consisted of a vertical screen, with bars three mm. apart, set in water. This screen divided the gases into thin sheets before traversing the water, and by thus washing and evaporating the water the gases were cooled, and threw down the soot and ashes, and these impurities fell to the bottom of the water bath. The gases after this process are divested of the greater part of any tarry impurities which they may have possessed, and are ready for the final purification, in which ammonia is extracted. This is effected by means of a series of shallow trays, covered with water or weak acid, and pierced with a number of fine holes, through which the gas is made to bubble. The washing apparatus is therefore strangely similar in principle to that designed by Mr G. Livesey. M. Chevalet states that this double process is applicable to gas works as well as to the purification of smoke, with the difference that for the latter purpose the washing trays are filled with acid for the retention of ammonia, while in the former application gas liquor or water is used. The arrangement is said to be a practical success.--_Journal of Gas Lighting._

* * * * *

DETERMINATION OF NITROGEN IN HAIR, WOOL, DRIED BLOOD, FLESH MEAL, AND LEATHER SCRAPS.

BY DR. C. KRAUCH.

Differences obtained in the estimation of nitrogen in the above substances are frequently the source of much annoyance. The cause of these discrepancies is chiefly due to the lack of uniformity in the material, and from its not being in a sufficiently fine state during the combustion. The hair which is found in commerce for the manufacture of fertilizers, is generally mixed with sand and dust. Wool dust often contains old buttons, pieces of wood, shoe pegs, and all sorts of things. The flesh fertilizers are composed of light particles of flesh mixed with the heavier bone dust.

Even after taking all possible precautions to finely comminute these substances by mechanical means, still only imperfect results are obtained, for the impurities, that is to say, the sand, can never be so intimately mixed with the lighter particles that a sample of 0.5 to 0.8 gramme, such as is used in the determination of nitrogen, will correspond to the correct average contents. In substances such as dried blood, pulverization is very tedious. A very good method of overcoming these difficulties, and of obtaining from the most mixed substances a perfectly homogeneous mass, is that recommended by Grandeau[1] of decomposing with sulphuric acid--a method which as yet does not seem to be generally known. From a large quantity of the substance to be examined, the coarse stones, etc., are removed by picking or sifting, and the prepared substance, or in cases where the impurities cannot be separated, the original substance, is treated with sulphuric acid; after it is decomposed, the acid is neutralized with calcium carbonate, and the nitrogen is determined in this mass.

[Footnote 1: _Handbook d. Agrict. Chem. Analyst._, p. 18.]

In order to operate rapidly, it is best to use as little sulphuric acid as possible. If too much sulphuric acid is used, necessarily a large amount of calcium carbonate is essential to get it into proper condition for pulverizing. Under such circumstances the percentage of nitrogen becomes very low, and a slight error will become correspondingly high.

20 c.c. of concentrated sulphuric acid and 10 c.c. are sufficient for 30 to 40 grammes of material. After the substance and liquid have been thoroughly stirred in a porcelain dish, they are warmed on a water bath and continually stirred until the mass forms a homogeneous liquid. The sirupy liquid thus obtained is then mixed with 80 to 100 grammes of pulverized calcium carbonate (calcspar), dried for fifteen minutes at 40 to 60° C., and after standing for one to two hours the dish and its contents are weighed. From the total weight the weight of the dish is subtracted, which gives the weight of the calcium sulphate and the calcium carbonate, and the known weight of the wool dust, etc. This material is then intimately ground, and 2 to 3 grammes of it are taken for the determination of the nitrogen, which is then calculated for the original substance.

Although the given quantities of water and sulphuric acid hardly appear sufficient for such a large quantity of hair or wool, still in the course of a few minutes to a quarter of an hour, after continual stirring, there is obtained a liquid which, after the addition of the calcium carbonate, is readily converted into a pulverized mass. Frequently a smaller quantity of sulphuric acid will suffice, especially if the material is moist. The chief merit of this process is that in a short time a large quantity of material, having a uniform character, is obtained. Its use is, therefore, recommended for general employment.

When the coarser stones, etc., are weighed, and the purified portion decomposed, absolutely correct results are obtained, and in this way the awkward discrepancies from different analysts may be avoided.--_Chemiker Zeitung_, v. 7, p. 703.

* * * * *

TESTING WHITE BEESWAX FOR CERESINE AND PARAFFINS.

BY A. PELTZ.

The method which is here recommended originated with Dr. M. Buchner, and consists in preparing a concentrated solution of alcoholic caustic potash--one part caustic potash to three of 90 per cent. alcohol--and then boiling one to two grammes of the suspected wax in a small flask with the above solution. The liquid is poured into a glass cylinder to prevent solidification of the contents, and it is then placed for about one half hour in boiling water. With pure wax the solution remains clear white; when ceresine and paraffine are present, they will float on the surface of the alkali solution as an oily layer, and on cooling they will appear lighter in color than the saponified mass, and thus they may be quantitatively estimated. The author likewise gives a superficial method for the determination of the purity of beeswax. It depends on the formation of wax crystals when the fused wax solidifies. These crystals form on the surface on cooling, and are still visible after solidification when examining the surface from the side. The test succeeds best when the liquid wax is poured into a shallow tin mould After cooling another peculiar property of the wax becomes apparent. While the beeswax fills a smaller volume, that is, separates from the sides of the mould, the Japanese wax, without separating from the sides, becomes covered with cracks on cooling which have a depth corresponding to the thickness of the wax.--_Neuste Erfindungen und Erfahrungen_, viii., p. 430.

* * * * *

THE PREVENTION OF ALCOHOLIC FERMENTATION BY FUNGI.

BY PROF. E. REICHARD.

The manager of a well directed brewery, which was built according to the latest improvements and provided with ice-cooling arrangements, found that the alcoholic fermentation of lager beer did not advance with proper regularity. The beer did not clarify well, it remained turbid and had a tendency to assume a disagreeable odor and taste. Microscopic examination of the yeast, however, showed the same to be bottom yeast. After some time its action apparently diminished, or rather, the fermentation, which began well, ceased, and at the same time a white foam formed in the center of the vat. The manager observing this, again submitted it to microscopic examination. The instrument revealed a number of much smaller forms of fungi, similar to those of young yeast, and some which were excessively large, a variety never found in bottom yeast. Fully appreciating the microscopic examination, and aware of the danger which the spread of the fungi could cause, the manager resorted to all known means to retard its pernicious influence. Fresh yeast was employed, and the fermenting vats throughly cleaned, both inside and out, but the phenomena reappeared, showing that the transmission took place through the air. A microscopic examination of a gelatinous coating on the wall of the fermenting room further explained the matter. Beginning at the door of the ice cellar, the walls were covered with a gelatinous mass, which, even when placed beneath the microscope, showed no definite organic structure; however it contained numerous threads of fungi. Notwithstanding the precautions which were taken for cleanliness, these germs traveled from the ceiling through the air into the fermenting liquid and there produced a change, which would ultimately have caused the destruction of all the beer.

For a third time and by altogether different means, it was demonstrated that the air was the bearer of these germs. The whole atmosphere was infected, and a simple change of air was by no manner of means sufficient, as has already been shown. In addition, these observations throw considerable light on the means by which contagious diseases are spread, for often a room, a house, or the entire neighborhood appears to be infected. It must also be remembered how, in times of plague, large fires were resorted as to a method of purifying the air.

With the infinite distribution of germs, and as they are always present in all places where any organic portions of vegetable or animal matter are undergoing decomposition, it becomes, under certain circumstances, exceedingly difficult, and at times even impossible, to trace the direct effect of these minute germs. The organism is exposed to the destructive action of the most minute creation; several changes in this case give to them the direct effect of the acting germs. The investigation of the chemist does not extend beyond the chemical changes; nevertheless these phenomena are directly explained by the microscope, without which, in the present case, the discovery of the cause would have remained unknown.--_Arch. der Pharm._, 214, 158.

* * * * *

NEW REACTION OF GLYCERINE.

If two drops of phenic acid are diluted with three thousand to five thousand parts of water, a distinct blue color is produced by one drop of solution of perchloride of iron.

The addition of six or eight drops of glycerine entirely removes the color, and if any glycerine was present in the liquid the reaction does not take place at all. By this test the presence of 1 per cent. of glycerine can be detected. It may be applied to the analysis of wines, beers, etc., but when there is much sugar, extractive or coloring matter, the test can only be applied after evaporating, dissolving the residue in alcohol and ether, evaporating again, and then redissolving in water. Alkaline solutions must be first acidulated.--_Pharm. Zeit. für Russ._

* * * * *

LYCOPODINE.

While the phanerogams or flowering plants annually contribute to the list of newly discovered alkaloids, with the exception of muscarine and amanitine, no alkaloid has as yet been definitely recognized among the cryptogams.

Karl Bödeker, of Göttingen, has opened the road in this direction, and gives in a paper sent to Liebig's _Annalen der Chemie_, August 15, 1881, the following account of an alkaloid, which, from the name of the plant in which it occurs, he calls lycopodine.

The plant yielding the alkaloid, _Lycopodium complanatum_, belongs to the group of angiospermous cryptogams. It is distributed throughout the whole of north and middle Europe, and contains the largest proportion of aluminum of any known plant. Its bitter taste led the author to suspect an alkaloid in it.

To prepare the alkaloid the dried plant is chopped up and twice exhausted with boiling alcohol of 90 per cent. The residue is squeezed out while hot, and the extract, after being allowed to settle awhile, is decanted off, and evaporated to a viscid consistency over a water bath. This is then repeatedly kneaded up with fresh quantities of lukewarm water until the washings cease to taste bitter, and to give a reddish brown coloration when treated with a strong aqueous solution of iodine. The several washings are collected and precipitated with basic lead acetate, the precipitate filtered off, and the lead in the filtrate removed by sulphureted hydrogen. The filtrate from the lead sulphide is evaporated down over a water bath, then made strongly alkaline with a solution of caustic soda, and repeatedly shaken up with fresh quantities of ether so long as the washings taste bitter and give a precipitate with iodine water. After distilling off the ether, the residue is treated with strong hydrochloric acid, the neutral or slightly acid solution filtered off from resinous particles, slowly evaporated to crystallization, and the crystals purified by repeated recrystallization. To prepare the pure base a very concentrated solution of this pure hydrochlorate is treated with an excess of a very concentrated solution of caustic soda, and pieces of caustic potash are added, whereupon the free alkaloid separates out at first as a colorless resinous stringy mass, which, however, upon standing, turns crystalline, forming monoclinic crystals similar to tartaric acid or glycocol. The crystals are rapidly washed with water, and dried between soft blotting paper.

Thus prepared, lycopodine has a composition which may be represented by the formula C_{32}H_{52}N_{2}O_{3}. It melts at 114° to 115° C. without loss of weight. It is tolerable soluble in water and in ether, and very soluble indeed in alcohol, chloroform, benzol, or amyl alcohol. Lycopodine has a very pure bitter taste.

The author has formed several salts of the base, all of a crystalline nature, and containing water of crystallization.

The hydrochlorate gives up a part of its water of crystallization at the ordinary temperature under a desiccator over sulphuric acid, and the whole of it upon heating.--_Chemist and Druggist._

* * * * *

CONCHINAMINE.

Some years ago, O. Hesse, when preparing chinamine from the renewed bark of _Cinchona succirubra_, found in the mother liquid a new alkaloid, which he then briefly designated as conchinamine. He has lately given his attention to the separation and preparation of this alkaloid, and gives in Liebig's _Annalen der Chemie_, August 31, 1881, the following description of it:

_Preparation._--The alcoholic mother lye from chinamine is evaporated down and protractedly exhausted with boiling ligroine, whereby conchinamine and a small quantity of certain amorphous bases are dissolved out. Upon cooling the greater part of the amorphous bases precipitates out. The ligroine solution is then first treated with dilute acetic acid, and then with a dilute solution of caustic soda, whereupon a large quantity of a resinous precipitate is formed. This is kneaded up with lukewarm water to remove adherent soda, and then dissolved in hot alcohol. The alcoholic solution is saturated with nitric acid, which has been previously diluted with half its volume of water, and the whole set aside for a few days to crystallize. The crystals of conchinamine nitrate are purified by recrystallization from boiling water. On dissolving these pure crystals of the nitrate in hot alcohol of 60 per cent., and adding ammonia, absolute pure conchinamine separates out on cooling.

_Composition._--Conchinamine may be represented by the formula C_{19}H_{24}N_{2}O_{2}, without water of crystallization.

_Properties._--Conchinamine is easily soluble in hot alcohol of 60 per cent., and in ether and ligroine, from which solutions it crystallizes in quadrilateral shining prisms. It is extremely soluble in chloroform, but almost insoluble in water. It melts at 121° C., forming crystalline stars on cooling.

_Salts._--The salts of conchinamine, like the base itself, have much in common with chinamine, but are, as a rule, more easily crystallizable. They are prepared by neutralizing an alcoholic solution of the base with the acid in question.--_Chemist and Druggist._

* * * * *

CHINOLINE.

The valuable properties of which chinoline has been found to be possessed have led to its admission as a therapeutic agent, and the discoverer of these properties, Jul. Donath, of Baja, in Hungary, in a paper sent to the _Berichte der deutschen chemischen Gesellschaft_, September 12, 1881, gives the following further details as to this interesting substance.

_Antiseptic Properties._--Chinoline appears to be an excellent antiseptic. The author found that 100 grammes of a Bucholze's solution for the propagation of bacteria, charged with 0.20 g. of chinoline hydrochlorate, had remained perfectly clear and free from bacteria after standing forty-six days exposed to the air, while a similar solution, placed under the same conditions, without chinoline, had turned muddy and contained bacteria after only twelve days' standing.

_Antizymotic Properties._--Chinoline, even in the proportion of 5 per cent., does not prevent alcoholic fermentation, while in as small a quantity as 0.20 per cent. it does not prevent lactic acid fermentation.

_Physiological Effects._--The author gave a healthy man during several days various doses of chinoline tartrate, which in no way affected the individual operated on, nor was any trace of chinoline found in his urine. The author, therefore, considers that the base is oxidized by the blood to carbopyridinic acid, which is a still more powerful antiseptic than chinoline itself. Chinoline taken internally would, therefore, be a useful and safe agent in cases of internal putrid fungoid or other growth.

_Chemical Reactions._--Chinoline yields very characteristic reactions with a number of chemical reagents, for a description of which we refer to the original paper.--_Chemist and Druggist._

* * * * *

PREPARATION OF CONIINE.

Dr. J. Schorm, of Vienna, the author of this paper, after remarking that in spite of the increase of the consumption of coniine, the methods hitherto in vogue for preparing it yielded an article which darkened on exposure to the air, and the salts of which crystallized but badly, gives the following method for preparing pure coniine and its salts:

_PREPARATION OF CRUDE CONIINE._

A.--100 kilogrammes of hemlock seed are moistened with hot water, and after swelling up are treated with 4 kilogrammes of sodium carbonate previously dissolved in the requisite quantity of water (caustic alkalies cannot be used). The swollen seed is worked up uniformly with shovels, and then placed in an apparatus of 400 kilogrammes capacity, similar to that used in the distillation of ethereal oils, and charged with steam under a pressure of three atmospheres. Coniine distills over with the steam, the greater part separating out in the receiver as an oily stratum, while a part remains dissolved in the water. The riper the seeds, the greater is the percentage yield of oily coniine, and the sooner is the distillation ended. The distillate is neutralized with hydrochloric acid, and the whole evaporated to a weak sirupy consistence. When cool, this sirup yields successive crops of sal-ammoniac crystals, which latter are removed by shaking up the mass with twice its volume of strong alcohol, and filtering. This filtrate is freed from alcohol by evaporation over a water bath, the approximate quantity of a solution of caustic soda then added, and the whole shaken up with ether. The ethereal solution is then cooled down to a low temperature, whereby it is separated from conhydrine, which, being somewhat difficultly soluble in ether, crystallizes out.

B.--The bruised hemlock seed is treated in a vacuum extractor with water acidulated with acetic acid, and the extract evaporated in vacuo to a sirupy consistence. The sirup is treated with magnesia, and the coniine dissolved out by shaking up with ether.

The B method yields a less percentage of coniine than A, but of a better quality.

_RECTIFICATION OF THE CRUDE CONIINE._

The solution of crude coniine in ether obtained by either of the above processes is evaporated over a water bath to remove the ether, mixed with dry potassium carbonate, and then submitted to fractional distillation from an air bath. The portion distilling over at 168° C. to 169° C. is pure coniine, and represents 60 per cent. of the crude coniine.

Coniine thus prepared is a colorless oily liquid, volatile at the ordinary temperature, and has a specific gravity of 0.886. At a temperature of 25°C it absorbs water, which it gives up again upon heating. It is soluble in 90 parts of water. It is not altered by light.

The author has formed a number of salts from coniine thus prepared, and finds them all crystallizable and unaffected by light.--_Berichte der deutschen chemischen Gesellschaft._--_Chem. and Druggist._

* * * * *

STRONTIANITE.

Since it has been shown by Professor Scheibler, of Berlin, that strontium is the most powerful medium of extraction in sugar refining, owing to its capacity of combining with three parts of saccharate, the idea suggests itself that the same medium might be successfully employed in the arts, and form a most interesting subject of experiment for the chemist.

Hitherto native strontianite, that is, the 90 to 95 per cent. pure carbonate of strontium (not the celestine which frequently is mistaken by the term strontianite), has not been worked systematically in mines, but what used to be brought to the market was an inferior stone collected in various parts of Germany, chiefly in Westphalia, where it is found on the surface of the fields. Little also has been collected in this manner, and necessarily the quality was subject to the greatest fluctuations.

By Dr. Scheibler's important discovery, a new era has begun in the matter of strontianite. Deposits of considerable importance have been opened in the Westphalian districts at a very great depth, and the supply of several 10,000 tons per annum seems to be secured, whereas only a short time ago it was not thought possible that more than a few hundred tons could in all be provided.--_Chemist and Druggist._

* * * * *

PARANGI--A NEWLY DESCRIBED DISEASE.

A peculiar contagious disease, called framboesia, or the yaws, has long been known to exist in Africa, the West Indies, and the northern parts of the British Islands. It is chronic in character, and is distinguished by the development of raspberry-like tumors of granulation tissue on different parts of the body.

A disease of a somewhat similar, but severer type, has for many years prevailed in Ceylon. Even less was known of this affection than of its supposed congener, until a recent careful report upon the subject by Mr. W.R. Kinsey, principal civil medical officer of Ceylon.

The disease in question is called "parangi," and is defined by Mr. Kinsey (_British Medical Journal_) as a specific disease, produced by such causes as lead to debilitation of the system; propagated by contagion, generally through an abrasion or sore, but sometimes by simple contact with a sound surface; marked by an ill-defined period of incubation, followed by certain premonitory symptoms referable to the general system, then by the evolution of successive crops of a characteristic eruption, which pass on in weakly subjects into unhealthy and spreading ulcers whose cicatrices are very prone to contraction; running a definite course; attacking all ages, and amenable to appropriate treatment.

The disease seems to develop especially in places where the water supply, which in Ceylon is kept in tanks, is insufficient or poor. The bad food, dirty habits, and generally unhygienic mode of life of the people, help on the action of the disease.

Parangi, when once developed, spreads generally by contagion from the discharges of the eruptions and ulcers. The natural secretions do not convey the poison. The disease may be inherited also.

In the clinical history of the disease there are, according to Mr. Kinsey, four stages. The first is that of incubation. It lasts from two weeks to two months. A sore will be found somewhere upon the body at this time, generally over some bony prominence. The second is the stage of invasion, and is characterized by the development of slight fever, malaise, dull pains in the joints. As this stage comes on the initial sore heals. This second stage lasts only from two to seven days, and ends with an eruption which ushers in the third stage. The eruption appears in successive crops, the first often showing itself on the face, the next on the body, and the last on the extremities. This eruptive stage of the disease continues for several weeks or months, and it ends either in convalescence or the onset of a train of sequelæ, which may prolong the disease for years.

Parangi may attack any one, though the poorly fed and housed are more susceptible. One attack seems to confer immunity from another.

Although some of the sequelæ of the disease are most painful, yet death does not often directly result from them, nor is parangi itself a fatal disease. Persons who have had parangi and passed safely through it, are not left in impaired health at all, but often live to an old age.

The similarity of the disease, in its clinical history, to syphilis, is striking. Mr. Kinsey, however, considers it, as we have stated, allied to, if not identical with framboesia.--_Medical Record._

* * * * *

A CASTOR OIL SUBSTITUTE.

So far back as 1849, Mr. Alexander Ure investigated the purgative properties of the oil of anda. The specimen with which the experiments were tried had not been freshly prepared, and had indeed been long regarded as a curiosity. Twelve ounces were alone available, and it was a yellowish oil, quite bright, about the consistence of oleum olivæ, devoid of smell, and free from the viscid qualities of castor oil. There was a small supply of anda fruits differing a good deal in appearance one from the other, but we are not aware whether these were utilized and the oil expressed; as far as our recollection serves, the subject was abandoned. It was known that the natives of Brazil used the seeds as an efficient purgative in doses of from one to three, and it was in contemplation to introduce this remedy into England, though it was by no means certain that under distinctly different climatic influences equally beneficial results might be expected. Mr. Ure determined, by actual experiment, to ascertain the value of the oil in his own hospital practice. He found that small doses were better than larger ones, and in several reported cases it appeared that twenty drops administered on sugar proved successful. Oil of anda-açu, or assu, therefore, would stand mid-way between ol. ricini and ol. crotonis. These researches seem to have been limited to the original sample, although the results obtained would appear to justify a more extended trial. M. Mello-Oliveira. of Rio Janeiro, has endeavored to bring the remedy into notice under the name of "Huile d'Anda-Assu," and possibly may not have been acquainted with the attempt to introduce it into English practice. He describes the anda as a fine tree (_Johanesia princeps_, Euphorbiaceæ), with numerous branches and persistent leaves, growing in different parts of Brazil, and known under the name of "coco purgatif." The fruit is quadrangular, bilocular, with two kernels, which on analysis yield an active principle for which the name "Johaneseine" is proposed. This is a substance sparingly soluble in water and alcohol, and insoluble in chloroform, benzine, ether, and bisulphide of carbon. Evidence derived from experiments with the sulphate of this principle did not give uniform results: one opinion being that, contrary to the view of many Brazilian physicians, this salt had no toxic effect on either men or animals. Local medical testimony, however, was entirely in favor of the oil. Dr. Torrès, professor at Rio Janeiro, using a dose of two teaspoonfuls, had been successful. Dr. Tazenda had obtained excellent results, and Dr. Castro, with a somewhat larger dose (3 ijss.), was even enthusiastic in its praise. It might, therefore, be desirable at a time when new remedies are so much in vogue, not to abandon altogether a Brazilian medicament the value of which is confirmed both by popular native use and by professional treatment. M. Mello-Oliveira comes to the conclusion that oleum anda assu (or açu) may be employed wherever castor oil is indicated, and with these distinct advantages: first, that its dose is considerably less; secondly, that it is free from disagreeable odor and pungent taste; and thirdly, being sufficiently fluid, it is not adherent to the mouth so as to render it nauseous to the patient. In this short abstract the spelling of the French original has been retained. As this therapeutic agent claimed attention thirty years ago, and has again been deemed worthy of notice in scientific journals, some of our enterprising pharmacists might be inclined to add it to the list of their commercial ventures.--_Chemist and Druggist._

* * * * *

HOUSEHOLD AND OTHER RECIPES.

Mr. Jas. W. Parkinson gives in a recent number of the _Confectioner's Journal_ the following useful recipes:

CHRISTMAS PLUM PUDDING.

Stone a pound of bloom raisins; wash and clean a pound of Zante currants; mince finely a pound of beef suet; mix with this, in a large pan, a pound of stale bread crumbs and half a pound of sifted flour. Beat together in another pan six eggs, and mix with them half a pint of milk. Pour this over the suet and flour, and stir and beat the whole well together; then add the raisins, currants, and a seasoning of ground cinnamon, grated nutmeg, powdered ginger, and a little ground cloves, a teaspoonful of salt, one pound of sugar, and a glass of Jamaica rum. This pudding may now be boiled in a floured cloth or in an ornamental mould tied up in a cloth. In either way it requires long and constant boiling, six hours at least for one such as the above. Every pudding in a cloth should be boiled briskly, till finished, in plenty of water, in a large pot, so as to allow it to move about freely.

To take the boiled pudding out of the cloth without breaking it, dip it into cold water for a minute or two, then place it in a round bottomed basin that will just hold it, untie the cloth and lay bare the pudding down to the edge of the basin; then place upon it, upside down, the dish on which it is to be served, and invert the whole so that the pudding may rest on the dish; lastly, lift off the basin and remove the cloth. The use of the cold water is to chill and solidify the surface, so that it may part from the cloth smoothly.

Plum pudding may also be baked in a mould or pan, which must be well buttered inside before pouring the pudding into it. Two hours' boiling suffices.

PLUM-PUDDING SAUCE.

Put into a saucepan two ounces of best butter and a tablespoonful of flour; mix these well together with a wooden spoon, and stir in half a pint of cold water and a little salt and pepper. Set this on the fire and stir constantly till nearly boiling; then add half a tumbler of Madeira wine, brandy, or Jamaica rum, fine sugar to the taste, and a little ground cinnamon or grated nutmeg. Make the sauce very hot, and serve over each portion of the pudding.

NATIONAL PLUM PUDDING.

An excellent plum pudding is made as follows: Half a pound of flour, half a pound of grated bread crumbs, a pound of Zante currants, washed and picked; a pound of raisins, stoned; an ounce of mixed spices, such as cinnamon, mace, cloves, and nutmeg; an ounce of butter, two ounces of blanched almonds, cut small; six ounces of preserved citron and preserved orange peel, cut into small pieces; four eggs, a little salt, four ounces of fine sugar, and half a pint of brandy. Mix all these well together, adding sufficient milk to bring the mixture to a proper consistency. Boil in a floured cloth or mould for eight hours.

THE SAUCE FOR THE ABOVE.

Into a gill of melted butter put an ounce of powdered sugar, a little grated nutmeg, two wine glasses of Madeira wine and one of Curacoa. Stir all well together, make very hot, and pour it over the pudding.

EGG-NOG, OR AULD MAN'S MILK.

Separate the whites and yolks of a dozen fresh eggs. Put the yolks into a basin and beat them to a smooth cream with half a pound of finely pulverized sugar. Into this stir half a pint of brandy, and the same quantity of Jamaica rum; mix all well together and add three quarts of milk or cream, half a nutmeg (grated), and stir together. Beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth; stir lightly into them two or three ounces of the finest sugar powder, add this to the mixture, and dust powdered cinnamon over the top.

EGG FLIP.

Beat up in a bowl half a dozen fresh eggs; add half a pound of pulverized sugar; stir well together, and pour in one quart or more of boiling water, about half a pint at a time, mixing well as you pour it in; when all is in, add two tumblers of best brandy and one of Jamaica rum.

ROAST TURKEY.

The turkey is without doubt the most savory and finest flavored of all our domestic fowls, and is justly held in the highest estimation by the good livers in all countries where it is known. Singe, draw, and truss the turkey in the same manner as other fowls; then fill with a stuffing made of bread crumbs, butter, sweet herbs rubbed fine, moistened with eggs and seasoned with pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg. Sausage meat or a forced meat, made of boiled chicken meat, boiled ham grated fine, chopped oysters, roasted or boiled chestnuts rubbed fine, stewed mushrooms, or last but not the least in estimation, a dozen fine truffles cut into pieces and sauted in the best of butter, and added part to the stuffing and part to the sauce which is made from the drippings (made into a good brown gravy by the addition of a capful of cold water thickened with a little flour, with the giblets boiled and chopped fine in it). A turkey of ten pounds will require two and a half hours' roasting and frequent basting. Currant jelly, cranberry jelly, or cranberry sauce should always be on the table with roast turkey.

WOODCOCKS AND SNIPE.

Some epicures say that the woodcock should never be drawn, but that they should be fastened to a small bird spit, and should be put to roast before a clear fire; a slice of toast, put in a pan below each bird, in order to catch the trail; baste them with melted butter; lay the toast on a hot dish, and the birds on the toast. They require from fifteen to twenty minutes to roast. Snipe are dressed in the same manner, but require less time to cook. My pet plan to cook woodcock is to draw the bird and split it down the back, and then to broil it, basting it with butter; chop up the intestines, season them with pepper and salt, and saute them on a frying pan with butter; lay the birds on toast upon a hot dish and pour the saute over them.

CANVAS-BACK DUCKS.

Select young fat ducks; pick them nicely, singe, and draw them carefully without washing them so as to preserve the blood and consequently the full flavor of the bird; then truss it and place it on the spit before a brisk fire, or in a pan in a hot oven for at least fifteen or twenty minutes; then serve it hot with its own gravy, which is formed by its own blood and juices, on a hot dish. It may also be a little less cooked, and then carved and placed on a chafing dish with red currant jelly, port wine, and a little butter.

PHEASANTS.

A pheasant should have a clear, steady fire, but not a fierce one. The pheasant, being a rather dry bird, requires to be larded, or put a piece of beef or a rump steak into the inside of it before roasting.

WILD DUCKS.

In order to serve these birds in their most succulent state and finest flavor, let them hang in their feathers for a few days after being shot; then pluck, clean, and draw, and roast them in a quick oven or before a brisk fire; dredge and baste them well, and allow them twenty minutes to roast; serve them with gravy sauce and red currant jelly, or with a gravy sauce to which a chopped shallot and the juice of an orange has been added.

WILD FOWL SAUCE.

The following exquisite sauce is applicable to all wild fowl: Take one saltspoon of salt, half to two-thirds salt spoon of Cayenne, one dessert spoon lemon juice, one dessert spoon powdered sugar, two dessert spoons Harvey sauce, three dessert spoons port wine, well mixed and heated; score the bird and pour the sauce over it.

BROWN FRICASSEE OF RABBITS.

Cut a couple of rabbits into joints, fry these in a little fresh butter till they are of a light brown color; then put them into a stewpan, with a pint of water, two tablespoonfuls of lemon juice, the same of mushroom catchup, one of Worcester sauce, and a couple of burnt onions, a little Cayenne and salt; stew over a slow fire till perfectly done; then take out the meat, strain the gravy, and thicken it with a little flour if necessary; make it quite hot, and pour it over the rabbits.

ORANGE PUDDING.

Beat up the yolks of eight eggs, grate the yellow rinds from two oranges, add these to a quarter of a pound of finely powdered sugar, the same weight of fresh butter, three teaspoonfuls of orange-flower water, two glasses of sherry wine, two or three stale Naples biscuits or lady fingers, and a teacupful of cream. Line a dish with puff paste, pour in the ingredients, and bake for half an hour in a good oven.

VENISON PASTRY.

A neck or breast of venison is rendered very savory by treating it as follows: Take off the skin and cut the meat off the bones into pieces of about an inch square; put these, with the bones, into a stewpan, cover them with veal or mutton broth, add two thirds of a teaspoon of powdered mace, half a dozen allspice, three shallots chopped fine, a teaspoonful of salt, a saltspoon of Cayenne, and a tumbler of port wine; stew over a slow fire until the meat is half done, then take it out and let the gravy remain on the fire ten or fifteen minutes longer. Line a good sized dish with pastry, arrange your meat on it, pour the gravy upon it through a sieve, adding the juice of a lemon; put on the top crust, and bake for a couple of hours in a slow oven.

CHRISTMAS RED ROUND.

Rub well into a round of beef a half pound of saltpeter, finely powdered. Next day mix half an ounce of cloves, half an ounce of black pepper, the same quantity of ground allspice, with half a pound of salt; wash and rub the beef in the brine for a fortnight, adding every other day a tablespoonful of salt. At the expiration of the fortnight, wipe the beef quite free from the brine, and stuff every interstice that you can find with equal portions of chopped parsley, and mixed sweet herbs in powder, seasoned with ground allspice, mace, salt, and Cayenne. Do not be sparing of this mixture. Put the round into a deep earthen pan, fill it with strong ale, and bake it in a very slow oven for eight hours, turning it in the liquor every two hours, and adding more ale if necessary. This is an excellent preparation to assist in the "keeping of the Christmas season."

PLUM PORRIDGE FOR CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES.

Make a good strong broth from four pounds of veal and an equal quantity of shin of beef. Strain and skim off the fat when cold. Wash and stone three pounds and a half of raisins; wash and well dry the same weight of best Zante currants; take out the stones from two and a half pounds of French prunes; grate up the crumbs of two small loaves of wheat bread; squeeze the juice of eight oranges and four lemons; put these, with a teaspoonful of powdered cinnamon, a grated nutmeg, half a dozen cloves, and five pounds of sugar into your broth; stir well together, and then pour in three quarts of sherry. Set the vessel containing the mixture on a slow fire. When the ingredients are soft add six bottles of hock; stir the porridge well, and as soon as it boils it is fit for use.

SUGARED PEARS.

Half a dozen of those fine pears called the "Bartlett" will make a small dish worthy the attention of any good Christian who has a sweet tooth in his head. Pare the fruit, cut out the cores, squeeze lemon juice over them, which will prevent their discoloration. Boil them gently in enough sirup to cover them till they become tender. Serve them cold, with Naples biscuit round the dish.

TABLE BEER.

Table beer of a superior quality may be brewed in the following manner, a process well worth the attention of the gentleman, the mechanic, and the farmer, whereby the beer is altogether prevented from working out of the cask, and the fermentation conducted without any apparent admission of the external air. I have made the scale for one barrel, in order to make it more generally useful to the community at large; however the same proportions will answer for a greater or less quantity, only proportioning the materials and utensils. Take one peck of good malt, ground, one pound of hops, put them in twenty gallons of water, and boil them for half an hour; then run them into a hair-cloth bag or sieve, so as to keep back the hops and malt from the wort, which when cooled down to sixty-five degrees by Fahrenheit's thermometer, add to it two gallons of molasses, with one pint, or a little less, of good yeast. Mix these with your wort, and put the whole into a clean barrel, and fill it up with cold water to within six inches of the bung hole (this space is requisite to leave room for fermentation), bung down tight. If brewed for family use, would recommend putting in the cock at the same time, as it will prevent the necessity of disturbing the cask afterward. In one fortnight this beer may be drawn and will be found to improve to the last.

MINCE MEAT.

This inevitable Christmas luxury is vastly improved by being mixed some days before it is required for use; this gives the various ingredients time to amalgamate and blend.

Peel, core, and chop fine a pound of pippin apples, wash and clean a pound of Zante currants, stone one pound of bloom raisins, cut into small pieces a pound of citron, remove the skin and gristle from a pound and a half of cold roast or boiled beef, and carefully pick a pound of beef suet; chop these well together. Cut into small bits three-quarters of a pound of mixed candied orange and lemon peel; mix all these ingredients well together in a large earthen pan. Grate one nutmeg, half an ounce of powdered ginger, quarter of an ounce of ground cloves, quarter of an ounce of ground allspice and coriander seed mixed, and half an ounce of salt. Grate the yellow rind of three lemons, and squeeze the juice over two pounds of fine sugar. Put the grated yellow rind and all the other ingredients in a pan; mix well together, and over all pour one pint of brandy, one pint of sherry, and one pint of hard cider; stir well together, cover the pan closely, and when about to use the mince meat, take it from the bottom of the pan.

PUMPKIN PIE.

"What moistens the lip, and what brightens the eye?
What calls back the past like the rich pumpkin pie?"

Stew about two pounds of pumpkins, then add to it three-quarters of a pound of sugar, and the same quantity of butter, well worked together; stir these into the pumpkin and add a teaspoonful of powdered mace and grated nutmeg, and a little ground cinnamon; then add a gill of brandy, beat them well together, and stir in the yolks of eight well-beaten eggs. Line the pie plates with puff paste, fill them with the pumpkin mixture, grate a little nutmeg over the top, and bake.

BRANDY PUNCH.

Take three dozen lemons, chip off the yellow rinds, taking care that none of the white underlying pith is taken, as that would make the punch bitter, whereas the yellow portion of the rinds is that in which the flavor resides and in which the cells are placed containing the essential oil. Put this yellow rind into a punch bowl, add to it two pounds of lump sugar; stir the sugar and peel together with a wooden spoon or spatula for nearly half an hour, thereby extracting a greater quantity of the essential oil. Now add boiling water, and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Squeeze and strain the juice from the lemons and add it to the mixture; stir together and taste it; add more acid or more sugar, as required, and take care not to render it too watery. "Rich of the fruit and plenty of sweetness," is the maxim. Now measure the sherbet, and to every three quarts add a pint of cognac brandy and a pint of old Jamaica rum, the spirit being well stirred as poured in. This punch may be bottled and kept in a cool cellar; it will be found to improve with age.

BOEUF A LA MODE (FAMILY STYLE).

The rump is the most applicable for this savory dish. Take six or eight pounds of it, and cut it into bits of a quarter of a pound each; chop a couple of onions very fine; grate one or two carrots; put these into a large stewpan with a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, or fresh and well clarified beef drippings; while this is warming, cover the pieces of beef with flour; put them into the pan and stir them for ten minutes, adding a little more flour by slow degrees, and taking great care that the meat does not burn. Pour in, a little at a time, a gallon of boiling water; then add a couple of drachms of ground allspice, one of black pepper, a couple of bay leaves, a pinch each of ground cloves and mace. Let all this stew on a slow fire, and very gently, for three hours and a quarter; ascertain with a fork if the meat be tender; if so, you may serve it in a tureen or deep dish. A well-dressed salad is the proper accompaniment of boeuf à la mode.

PUNCH JELLY.

Make a bowl of punch according to the directions for brandy punch, only a _little_ stronger. To every pint of punch add an ounce of gelatine dissolved in half a pint of water; pour this into the punch while quite hot, and then fill your moulds, taking care not to disturb it until the jelly is completely set. This preparation is a very agreeable refreshment, but should be used in moderation. The strength of the punch is so artfully concealed by its admixture with the gelatine that many persons, particularly of the softer sex, have been tempted to partake so plentifully of it as to render them somewhat unfit for waltzing or quadrilling after supper.

ORANGE SALAD.

This somewhat inappropriately-named dish is made by removing the rind and cutting the fruit in slices crosswise and adding equal quantities of brandy and Madeira, in proportion to the quantity of fruit thus dressed, strewing a liberal allowance of finely-powdered sugar over all.

CRANBERRY JELLY.

Put two quarts of cranberries into a large earthen pipkin, and cover them with water; place them on a moderate fire, and boil them until they are reduced to a soft pulp; then strain and press them through a hair sieve into an earthen or stone ware pan, and for each pint of liquid pulp allow one pound of pulverized sugar; mix the pulp and sugar together in a bright copper basin and boil, stirring constantly for ten or fifteen minutes, or until the mixture begins to coagulate upon the spatula; then remove it from the fire and fill your moulds; let them stand in a cool place to set. When wanted for use, turn it out of the mould in the same manner as other jellies.

JOVE'S NECTAR.

For three gallons, peel the yellow rind from one and a half dozen fresh lemons, very thin, and steep the peelings for forty-eight hours in a gallon of brandy; then add the juice of the lemons, with five quarts of water, three pounds of loaf sugar, and two nutmegs grated; stir it till the sugar is completely dissolved, then pour in three quarts of new milk, _boiling hot_, and let it stand two hours, after which run it through a jelly bag till it is fine. This is fit for immediate use, but may be kept for years in bottles, and will be improved by age.

PLUM, OR BLACK CAKE.

For this Christmas luxury take one pound of butter and one pound of pulverized sugar; beat them together to a cream, stir in one dozen eggs beaten to a froth, beat well together, and add one pound of sifted flour; continue the beating for ten minutes, then add and stir in three pounds of stoned raisins, three pounds of Zante currants, washed, cleaned, and dried, a pound and a half of citron sliced and cut into small pieces, three grated nutmegs, quarter of an ounce of powdered mace, half an ounce of powdered cinnamon, and half a teaspoonful of ground cloves; mix all well together; bake in a well-buttered pan in a slow oven for four hours and a half.

BLACK CAKE (PARKINSON'S OWN).

"If you have lips, prepare to smack them now."
--_Shakspeare, slightly altered._

Take one and a half pounds of the best butter, and the same weight of pulverized sugar; beat them together to a cream; stir into this two dozen eggs, beaten to a froth; add one gill of old Jamaica rum; then add one and a half pounds of sifted flour. Stir and beat all well together, and add two pounds of finest bloom raisins, stoned; two pounds of Zante currants, washed, cleaned, and dried; one pound of preserved citron, sliced thinly and cut into small pieces; one pound of preserved French cherries, in halves; one pound of green gages, and one pound of preserved apricots, stoned and cut into small pieces; half a pound of preserved orange and lemon peel, mixed, and cut into small pieces; three grated nutmegs, half an ounce of ground mace, half an ounce of powdered cinnamon, and a quarter ounce of ground cloves. Mix all the ingredients well together, and bake in a well-buttered mould or pan, in a _slow oven_, for five and a half hours.

This cake is vastly improved by age. Those intended for the Christmas festivities should be made at or about the first of October; then put the cake into a round tin box, half an inch larger in diameter than the cake; then pour over it a bottle of the best brandy mixed with half a pint of pure lemon, raspberry, strawberry, or simple sirup, and one or more bottles of champagne. Now put on the lid of the box, and have it carefully soldered on, so as to make all perfectly air-tight. Put it away in your store-room, and let stand till Christmas, only reversing the box occasionally, in order that the liquors may permeate the cake thoroughly.