N. MATERIA MEDICA, THERAPEUTICS, AND HYGIENE. 571 



pair of mittens dyed a scarlet color with aniline dye. The 

 cases here referred to show the necessity of prudence, and 

 the great desirability of finding some harmless substitute for 

 arsenic in the preparation of these popular colors. 



RELATION OF TYPHOID DISEASES TO CRYPTOGAMIC VEGETA- 

 TION. 



The very decided relationship between cases of typhoid 

 fever and the exposure of the patient to sewage emanations 

 lias induced the inquiry whether the cause of the disease 

 may not consist in some peculiar form of fungus, developed 

 under certain circumstances, in accordance with the prevail- 

 ing idea of the relation between microscopic fungi and dis- 

 eases of various kinds. A writer in the Gardeners' Chron- 

 icle reports his having discovered in sewers a gelatinous 

 cryptogam, which adheres to bits of sticks, and contains in 

 its mass transparent branched confervoid threads, intermixed 

 with rounded cells, supposed to be the spores. 



In the passage of such water through the soil these fungi 

 are strained out, the water becoming quite clear and almost 

 potable. It is suggested by this writer that the way in 

 which the plant acts, if it be the prime agent in producing 

 the disease, is by the entrance of its minute spores into the 

 circulation, causing changes of the blood in the body, some- 

 thing like those produced by yeast in beer, such changes be- 

 ing probably very decided when coming in contact with milk 

 or water containing nitrogenous matter, lie concludes with 

 the suggestion that, where the microscope shows evidence 

 of the existence of such confervoid bodies in drinking-water, 

 it should always be rejected as unfit for use except after 

 boiling, and that their absence is a warrant of the potability 

 of the^liquid. 14 A, November, 1873, 348. 



CALCIUM IODATE A VALUABLE ANTISEPTIC. 



Sonstadt has ascertained that calcium iodate is an admira- 

 ble antiseptic. Among other results of his experiments, he 

 found that the albumen from fresh eggs treated with 0.05 of 

 a gramme of the iodate, in a bottle, kept sweet six months. 

 Fresh herrings immersed in a similar diluted solution of the 

 iodate remained good four days, and the peculiar rancid fla- 

 vor of salt herrings could be entirely removed by first soak- 



