N. MATERIA MEDICA, THERAPEUTICS, AND HYGIEXE.573 



and consequently its action is not explainable on account of 

 its chemical properties, he comes to the conclusion that the 

 chemical constitution and the chemical properties of a body 

 have no direct relation whatever with the power of that 

 body to arrest fermentative or putrefactive change. 1 A, 

 January 19,1872,32. 



DRY EARTH THE BEST DISINFECTANT. 



In the course of a recent discussion before the Lyceum of 

 Natural History upon the subject of disinfectants, in which 

 Dr. Endemann, Professor Joy, and others participated, it was 

 stated that, of all disinfectants, dry earth was the most satis- 

 factory. Dr. Endemann had tried all the disinfectants sold 

 in the market, by composting bloo.d, decayed meat, and veg- 

 etable garbage with them in boxes, and leaving them for six 

 months in the best condition for a fair test. At the expira- 

 tion of the time the only sample that remained absolutely 

 sweet and inodorous was the one made up of dry earth and 

 peat. As the result of numerous experiments conducted by 

 himself, Professor Joy stated that he fully concurred in the 

 statement of Dr. Endemann. Journal of Applied Chemistry. 



ORIGIN OF MALARIA. 



Mr. Daniel Vaughan, of Cincinnati, contends that malaria 

 results primarily from the volatile oils of plants, which be- 

 come evaporated from their surfaces and are carried into the 

 atmosphere. If these were uniformly diffused, he thinks they 

 would produce little injury; but, being carried from the high 

 grounds into the moist, damp, low lands, they become accu- 

 mulated in an excessive degree, and produce the evils referred 

 to. He does not suppose that all the volatile oils have the 

 same effect on human life, some, probably, being much more 

 potent than others ; but he thinks that this question can only 

 be settled by observation and experiment. London, Edin- 

 burgh, and Dublin Phitosoph. Mag,, November, 1871, 209. 



POLLUTION IN W r ATER. 



A bill in reference to public health has been brought before 

 the British Parliament, with a strong probability of its be- 

 coming a law, embracing, as it does, the recommendation of 

 the Royal Sanitary Commission, which lias been engaged for 



