404 SCIENCE PROGRESS. 



in looo solution of curare and injected into the peritoneum 

 of a frog, while as a control 20 parts of salt solution mixed 

 with the same amount of curare were injected into another 

 frog, this latter was completely curarised in ten minutes, 

 while the former one was unaffected. In other experiments 

 the serum was first injected into frogs and the curare subse- 

 quently. Thus a frog received i '3 c.c. of serum and the 

 following day O'^g milligram of curare, six times the lethal 

 dose, without showing any symptoms. It was ascertained 

 that 0'4 c.c. of serum just neutralised the minimal fatal dose 

 of curare (mg. 0'o65) for the frog. 



This summary suffices to show that the belief of the 

 ancients in the venomous nature of the toad and salamander 

 was not altogether devoid of foundation. The appearance 

 of these creatures and the peculiar sensation experienced on 

 handling them, to many most repulsive, together with their 

 shy, retiring habits, would favour an evil repute in an age 

 when Nature was not studied as she is now and before the 

 advance of scientific investigation and the growth of indi- 

 vidual culture had banished superstition and ignorance. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 



(i) Rainey, G. Quart. Journ. Micro. Sc. (Toad), iii., p. 257, 



1855. 



Calmels. AjxJi. de Physiol. (Toad), p. 321, 1883. 



SCHULTZ, Arch. f. Mikroskop. Anat. (Toad and Sala- 

 mander with full Bibliography), xxxiv., p. if, 1889. 



(2) Davy. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. Land., pt. ii., p. 127, 1826. 



(3) Davy. Edin. New Phil. Jonm., N. S., xiii., p. 200, 1861, 



(4) Pelletier. Journ. de Phannacie, iii., p. 535, 1817. 



(5) Gratiolet and Cloez. CojHp. Rend. Acad. Sc, xxxiv., p. 



729, 1852. 



(6) Casali and Fornara. La Revista Clinica, p. 297, 1873, 



and p. 193, 1874. 



(7) Calmels. Comp. Rend. Acad. Sc, xcviii., p. 536, 1884. 



(8) Gratiolet and Cloez. Comp. Rend. Acad. Sc, xxxii., p. 



592, 1851. 



(9) Vulpian. Mem Soc Biol., p. 125, 1856. 



(10) Zalesky. Med. Chem. Untersiichungen. Hoppe-Seyler, \., p. 

 85, 1866-71. 



