N. MATERIA MEDICA, THERAPEUTICS, AND HYGIENE. 643 



fluid ill which it was immersed only require to be heated 

 to the boiling-point to render the fibrine ready for use. It 

 is easy to digest and very palatable, and is considered as a 

 o-reat culinary delicacv. It is said that the stomach will re- 

 tain this in many cases w^here any thing else is promptly re- 

 jected, its presence creating a craving for more food, and 

 thus promoting instead of decreasing the appetite. 1 A, May 

 23, 1873,255. 



THE SEXSATION OF COLD NOT IMPAETED BY COLD ALCOHOL. 



An interesting discovery, which may prove to be of con- 

 siderable importance in its practical applications, has lately 

 been made by Horvath, who announces that, in the course of 

 experiments on the eftect of cold on frogs, he has ascertained 

 that the immersion of the finger in alcohol at a temperature 

 of 25 Fahr. produces no pain, but that contact with a solid 

 body under such circumstances is distinctly appreciated. 

 Hence he concludes that tactile perception remains, though 

 the sensation of cold is not experienced. 



Still further, Horvath found that in the case of wounds and 

 burns, if the part affected be immersed in alcohol, the pain 

 immediately ceases, and the subsequent progress of a cure is 

 greatly accelerated. If, therefore, the excessive and continu- 

 ous pain which usually accompanies extensive burns be one 

 cause of death, it is suggested that life may often be saved 

 by the alleviation of the pain resulting from the application 

 of glycerine or alcohol, and that possibly tetanus may also 

 be prevented. The severe pain produced by immersing the 

 liand in cold water is well known, while in ether and quick- 

 silver it is still more intense. 13 A^ June 15, 1873, 213. 



POISONIXG OF THE ATMOSPHERE BY AESENIC IN WALL-PAPEES. 



The poisonous effects upon the air of rooms of arsenical 

 ])igments on wall-paper have been generally ascribed to the 

 inhalation of the dust, which w-as found to contain arsenic 

 and copper, but cases of arsenical poisoning of this kind have 

 occurred in which, on account of the moisture still present in 

 the wall and the effectual fixing of the colors, this explanation 

 will not answer. Upon these a recent series of experiments 

 by Fleck throw^s some light. Air in glass receivers was sub- 

 jected to the action of Schweinftirth green and arscnious 



