MISCELLANY. 



249 



movement of the ventricle. The phases of 

 electrical variation are thus seen to be simi- 

 lar to those of the work done by the mus- 

 cle. 



College Exploring Expeditions. We 



learn from the Tribune that the present 

 Senior Class of Princeton College has or- 

 ganized a scientific exploring expedition to 

 the West. An association has been formed 

 to train men in scientific studies, and fit 

 them as far as possible for the work to be 

 done. The plan of the association's work 

 is as follows : A knowledge of geology, as 

 good as can be obtained, is required of each 

 man. Then the work is mapped out into 

 subdivisions of natural history and paleon- 

 tology, and from these each one selects a 

 specialty for himself. The meetings are 

 held fortnightly. At these, the association 

 generally receives an address from some 

 scientific member of the faculty. After 

 this, scientific papers are read by the mem- 

 bers, in alphabetical order, four each even- 

 iug. A question chosen at the previous 

 meeting is then discussed. The faculty 

 have given a room, have arranged the stud- 

 ies to help the association as much as pos- 

 sible, and given facilities for special and 

 outside work. The association is forming 

 a working collection of fossils and minerals, 

 not intended to be complete, but typical. 

 In the mean time the executive committee 

 are taking steps to secure government aid 

 in the shape of wagons, mules, etc., and to 

 get the most favorable possible terms from 

 the railroad companies. If, as is hoped, 

 the committee is successful in obtaining 

 free passes, the expenses will probably not 

 exceed $100 per man. It is not yet fully 

 determined what portion of the West will 

 be explored probably, however, the Green 

 River, in Wyoming Territory, and Yellow- 

 stone National Park, or else the Wahsatch 

 Mountains, will be selected. The member- 

 ship is limited to thirty regular and ten al- 

 ternate members. Vacancies occurring in 

 the regular membership are filled from the 

 alternates, who attend all meetings, and 

 perform regular duties. 



Eucalyptus as an Anti-Periodic Two 



instances are cited by Dr. Curnow, of Lon- 

 don, of the cure of intermittent fever by the 



use of tincture of Eucalyptus globulus. We 

 give in full the author's account of one of 

 these cases, as sufficiently illustrating the 



action of the drug : S. S , aged eighteen, a 



Norwegian, was admitted to King's College 

 Hospital, May 23, 1876. He had been suf- 

 fering from intermittent fever for four or 

 five weeks. The attacks were moderately 

 severe and of a well-marked tertian type. 

 An expectant plan of treatment was pursued 

 until June 9th, and during this period the 

 paroxysms recurred on alternate, days with 

 the utmost regularity. They began at 10 

 a. m., reached their acme between 1.30 and 

 3 p. m., and passed off about 6 p. m. The 

 highest temperatures varied from 104.8 to 

 105.6. On June 9th the tincture of the 

 Eucalyptus globulus was given in one-drachm 

 doses three times daily. Tlie next day, on 

 which another attack was due, his tem- 

 perature rose to 100, and on the 12th to 

 100.4 ; and after this date no further parox- 

 ysm occurred during the remainder of his 

 stay in the hospital. 



improvements in Iron-Manufacture. Dr. 



Andrews, in his inaugural address at the 

 Glasgow meeting of the British Association, 

 referred to the many improvements recently 

 introduced in iron-manufacture. But there 

 yet remains, he said, ample work to be 

 done. The fuel consumed in the manufact- 

 ure of iron, as indeed in every furnace in 

 which coal is used, is greatly in excess of 

 what theory indicates, and the clouds of 

 smoke which darken the atmosphere of 

 English manufacturing towns, and even of 

 whole districts of country, are a clear indi- 

 cation of the waste, but only of a small por- 

 tion of the waste, arising from imperfect 

 combustion. The depressing effect of this 

 atmosphere upon the working-population 

 can scarcely be overrated. At some future 

 day the efforts of science to isolate, by a 

 cheap and available process, the oxygen of 

 the air for industrial purposes, may be re- 

 warded with success. The effect of such 

 a discovery would be to reduce the con- 

 sumption of fuel to a fraction of its pres- 

 ent amount ; and, though the carbonic acid 

 would remain, the smoke and carbonic 

 oxide would disappear. In the mean time, 

 Dr. Andrews suggests that in many locali- 

 ties the waste products of the furnace might 



