G. GENERAL NATURAL HISTORY AND ZOOLOGY. 333 



or perhaps by the intestinal surface, pass into spaces or blood 

 vessels (on the walls of which they colonize and live) ; or en- 

 ter living cells and are carried to distant parts of the body, 

 growing there, and blocking the vessels, causing a sort of 

 embolism ; or else they adhere to and grow on the valves of 

 the heart, and may, in one way and another, cause various 

 diseases, and in some cases originate a disease which is fatal 

 in a few days' time. He thinks, therefore, that as there has 

 been a disinfecting surgery, w^e shall soon have a disinfecting 

 medicine, for the purpose of accomplishing the destruction 

 of these insidious enemies. 



Another obscure disease, which miKt be referred to some 

 organic cause, whether animal or vegetable, is the painful 

 and obstinate sore known in India as the Delhi or Damascus 

 boil, and in Syria as the Aleppo evil. This, which is widely 

 spread in the East, affecting men and dogs, though not fatal, 

 is yet in the highest degree harassing and troublesome. To 

 Dr. Fleming we owe the discovery that a constant element of 

 the ulcer is a small cell, which is presumably of animal origin, 

 containing nuclei, and growing remarkably fast. The sub- 

 stance from this cell, which wuU reproduce the disease almost 

 invariably, is very tenacious of life, and resists all the ordinary 

 chemical elements ; the common modes of treatment having 

 proved ineifectual. Dr. Fleming has found, however, that if 

 the cells are treated w^ith 2'>otassa fusci^ the sores w^ill be cured 

 as if by magic. This application is said to be an infallible 

 one ; and the discovery is such as to entitle Dr. Fleming to 

 the thanks of millions Avho have been affected by the disease 

 or are liable to its attacks. 20 A^ August 9, 1873, 151. 



TERRESTRIAL MOLLUSC A IX THE BAHAMAS. 



In the last number of the annals of the Lyceum, N. Y., is 

 a paper by Mr. Thomas Bland, " On the Physical Geography 

 of and the Distribution of Terrestrial Mollusca in the Baha- 

 ma Islands." The author describes the banks and islands of 

 which the Bahama group consists, the principal being the 

 Little and Great Bahama Banks, the Crooked Island, Cai- 

 cos and Turk Islands Bank, and Great Inagua. He shows 

 that the number of species of terrestrial moUusks found on 

 the islands is about eighty, of different genera, and all, with 

 one exception (Schasicheila), represented in the West India 



