THE JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY. 277 



rays, and, if of a fair thickness, the greater part of the heat rays, while 

 admitting- sufficient active rays to allow of wholesome effect upon the 

 room and its surroundings. Venetian blinds do not allow of the gradua- 

 tion, which is desirable, of the tone of light that may be adjusted with 

 cloth fabric. As is well known, exclusively red light has been used as 

 a therapeutic agent, and apparentl}' with encouraging results, in measles. 



Structure of Galls. E. Kuster describes (Flora) a great var- 

 iety of galls on different plants, and gives the following summary of 

 their structure. Those galls which result from the superhcial growth 

 or tlie part of the plant attacked are always of simple structure ; a great 

 histological tlitferentiation is found only m those which are the result of 

 growth in thickness. The epiderm is the tissue which offers the longest 

 resislaKc 10 the action of the gail-irritant ; the foci of tormation Oj iiic 

 gaii are uie niesophyll, the concv, and liie pith. Ihe most imponaiu 

 cnange wliah the ci)i(icTin undergoes is the lormation of liairs. In tiie 

 fully developed gall itself the epidermal tissue is greatly developed ; the 

 cork and bark but feebly. The stomates are often developed in galls as 

 air-fissures which remain permanently open ; in some willow-galls true 

 lenticels are formed. The assimilating, tissue is usually but feebly de- 

 veloped; mechanical tissues are almost invariably present in those galls 

 which are produced by growth in thickness. There are no steriods. 

 The cells of the galls themselves may resemble in form and arrangement 

 those of the normal parts of the plant affected, or the arrangement may 

 be altered, or forms of cells or of tissues may arise which are not present 

 in the normal part of the plant. The gall-irritant is a compound of 

 various sources of irritation. 



Tests for Iodoform. Deniges (Bull. Soc. Pharm. Bordeaux) has 

 devised the following test for iodoform: The sample is treated with 

 ether, the solvent evaporated and to the residue is added a few drops 

 of dimethyl anilin. If iodoform is present, the liquid becomes of a deep 

 brown color, and on warming almost to boiling and adding a little alco- 

 hol, the product assumes a violet or red tint, according to the amount of 

 iodoform present. The absorption spectrum of the liquid shows the 

 characteristic methyl violet band, and with a hand spectroscope o.i milli- 

 gram of iodoform can be readily detected. If the iodoform is mixed 

 with substance soluble in ether like guaiacol, the violet coloration is 

 hardly discernible, but the spectrum shows the characteristic band. The 

 author suggests that the formation of the brown color in the first step 

 of the process affords a means of colorimetric assay. 



