158 THE MICROSCOPE. 



A scientist in the Magazine of Pharmacy asserts that the usual 

 physico-chemical methods for determining the potable nature of 

 water, have proved themselves to be quite insufificient, and he says 

 that "recourse must be had to the microscope and to the culture- 

 glasses used by physiologists in their inoculation experiments, be- 

 fore any really sound and valuable knowledge can be gained by the 

 examination of waters," as to their purity or impurity. 



The Vicious Cigarette. — Some of the cigarettes which are 

 smoked to so large an extent are said to be dangerous articles. A 

 physician had one of them analyzed, and the tobacco was found to 

 be strongly impregnated with opium, while the wrapper, which was 

 warranted to be rice paper, was proved to be the most ordinary of 

 white paper, whitened with arsenic, the two poisons combined being 

 presented in sufficient quantities to create in the smoker the habit of 

 using opium without being aware of it, which craving can only be 

 satisfied by an incessant use of cigarettes. 



Those who suffer what they think to be the disgrace of blonde 

 or gray hair will readily appreciate the importance of a discovery 

 just made. In a paper before the Smithsonian Institute, Dr. D. 

 W. Prentiss described the case of a Washington lady who had been 

 treated several months for blood poisoning, with jaborandi, a 

 Brazilian plant used in medicine. It was given in subcutaneous 

 injections to produce sweating. Within two weeks after the admin- 

 istration of the drug, which was in December, tlie light blonde hair 

 of the lady began to turn to a dark color. In the middle of January 

 it was a chestnut brown color, and in May it was nearly a pure 

 black. A microscopical examination of the hair shows an increased 

 quantity of pigment matter. 



"I have ruled plates up to 1,000,000 to the inch, one of which 

 was purchased by the U. S. Government at Washington. I do not 

 believe that I will ever attempt to rule higher than r, 000,000 lines 

 per inch, as from my practical experience and judgment I have con- 

 cluded that that is the limit of ruling." — C. Fasoldt in Jotirnal of 

 Microscopy. 



