72 Medicine. —^nalT/ses. 



Paris, contains an account of a wonderful cure of obstructions in 

 the liver occasioned by biliary calculi. The remedy employed 

 consisted of a combination of etlicr with s^plrits of tmpentine, the 

 efficacy of which was first disfuvered and promulgated in the 

 Gazette de Sante for 1/74. It wa< afterwards tried with the 

 most complete success by Guyton Morveau and several other 

 French physicians. In the case alluded to in the Bibliotheque 

 Medicale, fifteen calculi, each of the f,'ue of an olive, were voided 

 during six months that the above sohent was administered, and 

 the patient is now perfectly recovered. M. Guvton Morveau 

 recommends a combination of ether and the yolk of eggs, as 

 giving less pain than that of etlier and turpenthie, when the 

 patient suffers much in the expulsion of the biliary calculi. 



M. John, an eminent chemist of Berlin, has recently published 

 an octavo volume containing accurate analyses of several mineral, 

 vegetable, and animal substances, of which the following speci- 

 mens, from their novelty, may be interesting to our readers : 



The juice of Evphorlia Cyparissias: — It is composed of 77 

 parts of water ; an indeterminate quantity of tartaric acid ; 

 resin 13"S0; gum 2*7o ; extractive 2*75 ; albumen 1"37 ; caout- 

 chouc 2*75 ; and a little fat oil ; the earthy parts of the euphorbia 

 are composed of carbonates, sulphates, and calcareous phosphates. 



The analysis of the AscLepias si/riaca furnished resin 26"50; 

 an elastic substance 12'50; a glutinous vegetable substance 4; 

 extractive matter 4 ; tartaric acid and albumen 53. The plant 

 when incinerated gave carbonate of potash, phosphate of lime, 

 phosphate of magnesia, silex, iron, and oxide of manganese. 



M. .John afterwards analysed a scarlet elastic substance which 

 comes from the East, through Turkey, known by the name of 

 Cuoiitrkouc of Thi/el. This brilliant globulou.s matter is used 

 by the Russian ladies for bracelets, ear-rings, and rosaries*; and 

 it is merely a red oil insensibly indurated and oxidated, the 

 colouring matter of which is similar to that of gum lac. 



The fruit of the Rhus typltmum contains gallic acid from the 

 instant of its appearance : but, as it grows, acidulated tartrate of 

 lime is formed ; and as soon as the circulation of the juices has 

 ceased, acetic acid is formed; which seems to indicate that the 

 latter is produced by the decomposition of the tartaric acid. 



Analysis of Rocoii. — This substance as it reaches the chemist 

 is already changed by fermentation. M. John procured some 

 seeds, from which he obtained the following results : an aroma, 

 an acid, resin combined with a colouring principle, vegetable 

 mucilage, fibrine^ coloured extractive, and a peculiar matter which 



* III ilie t"inkct shops of Londoi) these rtd drops or beads are erro- 

 neously called Russian berries. Edit. 



resemblea 



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