1835.] Scientific Intelligence. 476 



goes on quietly, and no prussic acid is formed. — Brande's Pharm. 

 Zeit, 16, 251. 1835. 



4. According to the plan recommended by the Pharmacopeia 

 Belgica, when the muriate of iron is dissolved in water a consider- 

 able residue remains. Kop adopts a method of preparing this salt 

 which renders it completely soluble. He dissolves the oxide of iron 

 in muriatic acid, evaporates the solution in a glass flask upon the 

 sand-bath, till it acquires such a consistence as to solidify when drop- 

 ped upon a cold body from a glass rod. The flask is then taken from 

 the sand-bath and allowed to cool. The mass is completely soluble 

 in water ; the solution possesses a blackish colour. — Mulder's Na- 

 tuur en Scheikund, Arch. i. 287. 



5. Aqua Binelli. — Numerous trials have been made in Germany 

 by Dr. Kosch to determine the hemorrhages in which this styptic is 

 peculiarly efficacious. The conclusions come to are, that it answers 

 well in parenchymatous bleedings, and for hemorrhages during opera- 

 tions, especially of tumors where a number of vessels are opened ; a 

 piece of lint dipped in the preparation is to be introduced into the 

 wound. It is also very useful in bleedings from the diseased vessels 

 of old persons, or cachechtic individuals, and where the bleeding 

 vessels are so deeply situated that they cannot be isolated. — Grdfe 

 and Walther's Journ. fur Chir, und Augenheilkunde, xx. 586. 



III. — Statistics of Geneva.* 



According to M. E. Mallet, the plague, or at least a disease bearing 

 that name, in the Genevese Annals, appeared first at Geneva in 1012, 

 where it is said to have carried off" 4,000 persons. In 1349 it pre- 

 vailed over almost the whole known world ; — 6,000 persons died of 

 it in Geneva. It shewed itself likewise in 1473—90—92, 150-3 — 04 

 — 05, & — 29. Indeed, it appears to have scarcely left the city for 

 many years about this time. In 1530 it was suspected that a man of 

 the name of Caddoy extended the disease by dipping rags in the 

 matter of the boils and throwing them in the street. He was put to 

 death on this account. It appeared again in 1542, — 43, — 45, — 68, 

 —69,— 70,— 72. In 1596 it carried off" 4 persons; 1597, 14; 1598, 

 178; 1599, 77- In 16 15 it began in July and ceased in January 

 following, and destroyed 1,648 persons. In 1628 19 people died of 

 plague; 1629. 158 persons; 1630, 117; and 1631, 15 people. 

 The last plague began in 1636, when 575 people died; in 1637, 

 178; 1638,347; 1639, 221; 1640, 122. Since 1640 the plague 

 has not re-appeared at Geneva. 



If we take the whole population at 15,000, from 1630 to 1640, 

 the mortality from the plague is 1 in 52 persons. The mean of the 

 deaths from the same disease above the usual mortality is 34-6 per 

 cent. With regard to the ages of the persons who died, the mor- 



• Bibliotheque Universelle, January 1835. 



