PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON. 



(SESSION 1896-97.) 



November 5th, 1896. 



Dr. Albert GItkther, F.R.S., President, in tlie Chair. 



The Minutes o£ the last Meeting were read and confirmed. 



Messrs. Algernon Bertram Preeman-Mitford, C.B., and 

 "William Tyson were elected, and Messrs. Vernon H. Blackman 

 and Percy Groom were admitted Eellows of the Society. 



Dr. Morris, C.M.Gr., exhibited specimens and slides illustrating 

 the occurrence of raphides in the bulbs of the common Hyacinth 

 of gardens {Hyacinthus orientalis and varieties). Porms of 

 eczema were said to have been produced in persons handling and 

 cleaning these bulbs. Although the fact was familiar to gardeners, 

 the cause did not appear to have been clearly traced. Experi- 

 ments and observations at the Jodrell Laboratory at Kew had 

 shown that both dry and moist scales were capable of producing 

 considerable irritation in certain cases when applied directly to 

 the skin. There was little doubt that the raphides were the 

 prime agents. These needle-shaped ci'ystals (composed of 

 oxalate of lime) varied from j-^o-th to yj-o''''^ ^^ ^^ i^ch in length, 

 and were arranged in close bundles, easily dispersed by rubbing 

 the dry scales. In the growing plants they were doubtless 

 protective, as snails, for instance, avoided hyacinth bulbs but 

 attacked others growing close by. Roman hyacinths (var. 

 alhidus) were understood to cause greater irritation than other 

 varieties. 



Dr. D. H. Scott described some experiments which he had 

 tried, tending to confirm the conclusion that the irritation of the 



LINN. SOC. PKOCEELINGS. — SESSION 1896-97. 6 



