CHEMICAL SCIENCE. 271 



weakness and trembling of the legs, tottering walk, nausea supervening with 

 fulness of the stomach, constant somnolence, great want of appetite, he 

 having remained since the morning till 11 o'clock at night without eating 

 anything. But, what is particularly worth noticing, he adds, is the condition 

 of the pulse, which, on the average, was from eighty to ninety, and which, 

 under these circumstances, was lowered to sixty -eight. At four o'clock in 

 the afternoon it was reduced to sixty, and two hours later to fifty-six, when 

 he took food in order to stop the effect. While taking the meal, he was sub- 

 ject, from time to time, to giddiness, flushing of the face, and nausea; after 

 the meal, the pulse rose to seventy-two, when he felt much relieved. He 

 continues farther on, and says : A mixture of coffee and milk, as I have 

 stated above, having the property of hindering the fermentation when in 

 vessels, acts identically in the same manner in the stomach, and constitutes 

 an inert liquid, on which the gastric juice has little or no action at all. Dr. 

 Caron continues the account of his experiments, mentioning cases he has 

 treated, and proves ultimately that many patients laboring under irritation, 

 leuchorrhcea, and hysteria, were restored to health by simple tonic treatment 

 after having given up the use of coffee. 



ON THE ECONOMICAL APPLICATIONS OF GLYCERINE. 



The following suggestions regarding economical applications of glycerine, 

 are contained in a paper read before the American Association for the Pro- 

 motion of Science, 1858, by Henry Wurtz, of New York : 



It must be apparent to every one who considers the peculiar qualities of 

 the substance, glycerine, namely, its resemblance to oils in not being volatile 

 at ordinary temperatures, while, unlike them, it is iniscible with water, alco- 

 hol, etc.; its resistance to congelation, not being perfectly solid even at the 

 freezing-point of mercury; its unchangeability; its agreeable taste when 

 pure, and harmless action upon the system ; its wide range of solvent pow- 

 ers, together with the quantity in which it may be cheaply procured, that 

 it must in future fulfil important purposes, not only in pharmacy, but also in 

 the arts. Accordingly, we find that technical applications have already been 

 proposed for it. Barreswil's method of preserving clay, which is to be used 

 for moulding purposes, in a moist and plastic state, may be alluded to as an 

 example. 



Some uses, which are probably new, have occurred also to me. 



In the first place, its conjunction of the property of compatibility with 

 human digestion and assimilation, with that of non-evaporation and even 

 absorption of water from the air, suggest applications in the preservation of 

 articles of food and luxury which are injured by desiccation. As an exam- 

 ple of minor importance, if mustard, for table use, were mixed with diluted 

 glycerine, instead of water or vinegar, the usual vehicles, it would retain its 

 liquidity indefinitely without drying up. So of many other condiments. 



A more important application, however, of a similar kind, would be in the 

 preparation of articles of confectionery composed of sugar, preserved fruits, 

 chocolate, etc., which are frequently met with enveloped in tin-foil to prevent 

 their desiccation. The same object might be accomplished more effectually, 

 and probably more economically, by admixture, in the process of manufac- 

 ture, with a certain proportion of pure glycerine. 



Another article of luxury, of still more extensive consumption, the con- 

 sumers of which demand that it should be preserved for them in a moist 



