VETERINARY SCIENCE AND PRACTICE. 593 



substitutes for carbolic acid (creoliu, lysol, cresolin, cresin, solveol, and 

 tricesol). Formic aldehyde is then considered somewhat more at length 

 and a brief summary of the history of the knowledge of its importance 

 as a germicide and disinfectant is given. 



For practical purposes those methods of using the gas are thought 

 best in which the gas is allowed to work in statu nascendi. With proper 

 apparatus for generating gas, it is thought it might possibly be used 

 successfully against insects injurious to vegetation. 



Summarizing the subject, it is pointed out that formalin in the 

 strength of 1 : 10,000 prevents the growth of tuberculosis, anthrax, 

 cholera, typhus, pus, and diphtheria germs. A very weak gaseous 

 form is sufficient to prevent growth. A 1 per cent solution of for- 

 malin kills pathogenic organisms in one hour. A 3 per cent solu- 

 tion with a final addition of alcohol may be used for rendering the 

 hands germ free; but whether the skin is attacked in such use is 

 uncertain. Spraying with formalin and a subsequent inclosure of arti- 

 cles will effectually sterilize them. Uniforms can be disinfected on a 

 large scale without injury in 24 hours. A 1 per cent solution is suffi- 

 cient to deodorize feces and in 13 minutes to render them germ free. 

 Buildings, etc., may be disinfected by 1 to li per cent, by volume, of 

 the gas. Finally, formic aldehyde is a useful etching material and pre- 

 servative. It is added further that the substauce has the advantage 

 ovei* carbolic acid, lysol, etc., of not being retarded in its action by albu- 

 minoid matter and not injuring articles to which it is applied. A slight 

 objection, that it adheres to clothing and upholstered goods, is met by 

 stating that its odor may be removed by proper ventilation and by the 

 use of dilute ammonia, which readily absorbs the gas. It has been 

 found useful in preserving food, milk, etc., but its effects in this direc- 

 tion should be studied further before it is given a general recommenda- 

 tion. Used for ticks on cattle, it is found by the author that a calf 

 exposed for 2 hours in an atmosphere of 2 per cent of the gas suf- 

 fered no especial distress; there was only a slight watering of the eyes 

 and an occasional cough, both of which disappeared upon bringing the 

 animal to fresh air. Its use as a disinfectant of imported hides, owing 

 to its rapid action and penetrating power, is thought worthy of high 

 recommendation. With reference to the amount of wood alcohol to be 

 employed in the disinfection of rooms, etc., by means of lamps for gen- 

 erating the gas, it is stated that 1 liter of the alcohol will, if all converted, 

 produce 748 grams (361 liters) of the gas, which, in a room of 1,000 

 cu. ft. capacity, would give 1.26 per cent of the gas. Finally, it is 

 stated that a 40 per cent solution of the gas can be obtained for one- 

 fourth the price of formalin. 



Prolonged gestation (Chron. Ayr. Canton Vaud, 10 (1897), No. 6, p. 177). — Note is 

 made of a mare that was covered on June 3 and 4, 1895, but did uot foal until Sep- 

 tember 1, 1896, or for a period of 455 days — about 15 months. 



Heredity color in horses, F. Gai.ton {Nature, 56, No. 1460, pp. 598, 599). — From 

 a consideration of numerous data the conclusion is arrived at that the sire and the 



