THE JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY. 259 



at least. Further, definite inunction, occupying a few minutes for 

 each spot, and not mere anointing, should be performed. What may 

 be done in many skin diseases by proper inunction is astonishing. To 

 apply the ointment on lint is of little use. If the patient will three 

 times a day undress before a warm fire and perform inunction patiently, 

 he may avoid the disagreeable condition of keeping the skin always 

 greasy. In a case of psoriasis in which arsenic disagreed and the spotj 

 persisted, the drug was disconthiued, and strong chrysophanic oint- 

 ment was ordered to be rubbed in by the nurse three times a day. The 

 spots rapidly disappeared. 



Explosion Caused by Mixing Chlorate of Potassium and 

 Saccharine in a Tooth-Powder. The editor of Lyon Medical, 

 July 29, 1900, recalls an incident reported by M. Crequy to the "Soc- 

 iete Therapeutique" in 1894. M. Crequy prescribed the following 

 formula for a dentrifrice — chlorate of potassium, 5 ; calcined magnesia, 

 prepared chalk, borax, of each 10; essense of peppermint, 2 drops: so 

 far so good, but to make his tooth-powder more aseptic, M. Crequy 

 added 0.5 of saccharine. The compounder, rubbing the chlorate of 

 potassium and saccharine together in a mortar, produced a violent ex- 

 plosion and burned his hands. Moral : Do not handle chlorate of potas- 

 sium and saccharine at one and the same time. 



Fairbanks, A. W., and Grawitz, E. Experiments upon the 



Disinfection of Rooms ivith fonnaldehyde Gas. {The Boston Medical 



and Surgical Journal, Vol. CXLI. No. 25. These experiments 



were made upon germs of the highest virulence : Pyocaneus, diphtheria. 



typhoid, staphylococci albi, streptococci and anthrax. 



The following results were obtained : 



I. When the gas was allowed free access to the infected frag- 

 ments of cloth, a sterilization of the respective fragments occurred. 2. 

 When the infected pieces were placed between two layers of cloth a 

 negative result was obtained only with pyocaneus and staphylococcus. 

 Anthrax, diphtheria and typhoid showed positive growth. 3. When 

 placed between mattresses or wrapped many times in cloth the anthrax 

 showed growth without exception. The others were variable in the 

 results. 4. Dust collected from the rooms gave growth of anthrax 

 only. They concluded that the gas, in a strength of 2 grammes per 

 cubic metre of air space, is absolutely destructive upon all objects to 

 which il has free access. In the case of organisms of an exceptional 

 virulence an exposure of twelve hours was proven sufficient. 



