46 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



animals, but simply blood as compared with other animal and 

 vegetable coloring substances. 20 A, June 10,658. 



DIFFUSION OF LIGHT BY FUCIISINE. 



Mr. Christiansen was the first to ascertain that the disper- 

 sion of light by fuchsine is different from that of other bodies. 

 Mr. Kundt has since discovered that nearly all bodies which 

 in the solid state show a well-defined surface color have an 

 abnormal dispersion spectrum when examined in the form of 

 a concentrated solution. In fuchsine, aniline blue, aniline 

 green, indigo, indigo carmine, carthamine, murexide, cyanine, 

 hyper-manganate of potash, and in carmine, the red "light is 

 more dispersed than the blue; and in bodies with green in 

 their surface color, the green in the spectrum is least deflect- 

 ed. Thus cyanine, aniline violet, aniline blue, and even in- 

 digo carmine, give the colors as follows : green, blue, red 

 the green being least deflected. 19 C, xx., 162. 



THE SPECTROSCOPE FOR TESTING THE PURITY OF WATER. 



Professor Church, of Cirencester, has lately applied the 

 spectroscope to excellent advantage in determining the ques- 

 tion of infiltration of sewage into water. In one instance, 

 where several cases of typhoid fever had been developed in 

 a particular neighborhood, which it was suspected had been 

 caused by the use of water contaminated by drainage from a 

 urinal, a few grains of a lithium salt were introduced into the 

 urinal. Two hours after, a spectroscopic examination of the 

 well-water referred to showed unmistakably the presence of 

 lithium, while previously no traces of its existence had been 

 found under the same treatment. 1 A, December 30, 322. 



ILLUSTRATION OF FLUORESCENCE. 



Professor Fliickiger, of Berne,has recently detailed a method 

 of preparing a liquid which exhibits the phenomenon of fluo- 

 rescence to a very remarkable degree. If one drop of nitric 

 acid be added to about seventy of the essential oil of pepper- 

 mint, and the two thoroughly shaken together, the fluid turns 

 to a faint yellow color, and then becomes brownish. After 

 an hour or more it assumes a brilliant blue-violet, or green- 

 ish-blue, when examined by transmitted light. Seen by re- 

 flected light, the liquid is of a copper color, and not transpa- 

 rent. ^6 A, April 20, 527. 



