630 ANNUAL RECOED OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



and for three hours applied all the remedies that could be 

 thouo-ht of. No evidence of life manifesting itself in this in- 

 terval, Dr. Joux proceeded to apply plates of iron, heated to 

 a white heat, to the upper parts of the body, near the more 

 vital orsrans. After a short time, to the astonishment of the 

 assistants, faint signs of breathing were observed, and in the 

 course of half an hour the man came to life, and was finally 

 fully restored, the only inconvenience sustained being the re- 

 sult of the severe cauterization which his skin necessarily un- 

 derwent. 18A,Ilbnia7yl4,1873,52l. 



CUEING PHOSPHOKUS BUENS. 



As a preventive of evil consequences from burns by phos- 

 phorus, it has been suggested to place the part aifected as 

 soon as possible in a concentrated solution of carbonate of 

 soda, perfectly harmless phosphate of soda being thereby 

 formed. 12 C\ SejJtemher, 1872, 71. 



LAUGHTER AS A REMEDIAL OPEEATION. 



At a recent meeting of the German Scientific Association, 

 at Leipsic, Dr. Hecker made some remarks upon laughter. 

 He stated that tickling, Avhich he styled a variable, intermit- 

 tent excitement of the nerves of the skin, produced irritation 

 of the sympathetic nerves, with the result of an expansion of 

 the pupil and a contraction of the blood-vessels, and that the 

 consequent diminution of j^ressure on the brain, permeated 

 with blood-vessels, is so considerable as not to be without 

 danger. Powerful expiration operates against such a dimi- 

 nution of pressure, and therefore laughter, which consists 

 simply in intermittent forced movements of expiration, must 

 be recognized as a decided remedy for the effects of tickling. 



Laughter due to a sense of the ludicrous, according to his 

 experiments, is also to be accounted for as the result of an 

 intermittent cheerful excitement, accompanied by similar 

 bodily manifestations, w^hich may be referred to stimulation 

 of the sympathetic nerves. Laughter thus seems to have a 

 remedial oftice. 19(7, October 26, 1872, 352. 



A CHINESE REMEDY FOR SNAKE BITES. 



Among the most esteemed drugs nsed by the Cliinese is 

 ojie known as " ch'ing rauh hsiang," the root of a >species of 



