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DIALYSIS. 



DIMAN, BYRON. 



(Twaddell's hydrometer) of the strength of sea- 

 water. Meanwhile the piece of flesh expands 

 like a wetted sponge, gradually acquiring at 

 the same time a great part of the natural juice 

 it had previously lost by salting. The brine 

 left in the bag can, after a night's dialysis se- 

 parately within fresh water, be used for soup. 

 Salted meats so treated become, it is stated, in 

 effect fresh ; while, if without bone, they gain 

 in juices about one-third of their weight. They 

 may accordingly be cooked in a variety of ways 

 not suitable for salt meats ; and it is anticipated 

 that through adoption of the process at sea, 

 not only the palatableness of flesh foods, but 

 also the health of those consuming them, may 

 be improved. 



In the journal last quoted (June 11, 1864), 

 Mr. S. Johnson suggests an extension of the 

 dialytic process, in a new manner, to the 

 purpose of freshening and rendering edible the 

 carcasses of animals which may have been pre- 

 served by Dr. Morgan's method the injecting 

 of antiseptic and preservative substances into 

 the blood-vessels. The writer thinks that Dr. 

 Morgan's mode of curing and preserving the 

 flesh of animals, in applying which the carcasses 

 must be preserved entire, must sooner or later 

 come into quite general use, at least in certain 

 of the British colonies, where now millions of 

 animals are annually stripped for their hides, 

 and left to birds and beasts of prey. He pro- 

 poses that to prepare the preserved carcasses 

 for use, when required, a current of water shall 

 be made to circulate through the system of 

 blood-vessels (though he does not enter into 

 particulars as to the manner of effecting this), 

 the vascular system of the animal thus being 

 made to serve the purpose of Whitelaw's dialy- 

 tic membrane. On shipboard, after removal of 

 the preservative agents, the phosphates, etc., 

 sometimes recommended for supplying the want 

 created through lack of vegetable food, could 

 be introduced. The writer also thinks that 

 the objection to curing meats by creosote, or 

 by phenic acid, owing to difficulty of afterward 

 removing their flavor, may by the like process 

 be obviated. A later note states that the French 

 Government has had trial made of Dr. Morgan's 

 method, in the preserving of entire sheep and 

 oxen, and that the results have been found satis- 

 factory. The flesh of animals killed and so in- 

 jected was, several months later, found good. 



If the processes now indicated prove to be 

 practicable, it would appear that through a re- 

 sort to them the transportation of game and of 

 slaughtered animals to distances in the warm 

 season could be carried on to an extent which 

 circumstances do not now permit; and that, 

 both for land transportation and for use at sea, 

 a very considerable saving might be effected in 

 the way of dispensing with the necessity of 

 packing in ice. 



Detection of Vegetable Poisons by Dialysis. 

 M. Grandeau has found the dialytic method 

 highly applicable to the separation of the al- 

 kaloids from animal matters with which they 



are liable to be found intermixed. He cites in 

 stances of detection of digitaline in urine con- 

 taining but 0.01. gramme of that substance, and 

 also of the separation by the method in question 

 of morphine, brucine, and digitaline from ani 

 mal matters. 



In the second volume of the " Clinical Lec- 

 tures and Reports" of the London Hospital, 

 Dr. Letheby has two papers on the subject of 

 poisons and their detection, the first entitled 

 " On Liquid Diffusion in Relation to Physiology 

 and Toxicology." In this, he confirms Gran- 

 deau's conclusion as to the value of dialysis as 

 a mode of detecting the presence of organic 

 poisons, and shows its application also in case 

 of arsenic and tartar-emetic. "While thus ad- 

 mitting, however, the utility of the process for 

 discovering the presence of such poisons, he 

 judges that dialysis is not well suited to deter- 

 mining their quantity. 



DIMAN, Hon. BYRON, Governor of Rhode 

 Island, 1846-'47, born in Bristol, R. I., in 1795, 

 died at Bristol, August 1, 1865. He grew up 

 before the era of public schools, enjoying the 

 private tuition of the excellent Bishop Gris- 

 wold, whose faithful and judicious instructions 

 he always recalled with affectionate regard. 

 His studies at school formed, however, but a 

 small part of his acquisitions. Up to a late 

 period in his life he remained a diligent reader, 

 and few men, devoted to active business, pos- 

 sessed a more varied store of general informa- 

 tion. He was particularly at home in all mat- 

 ters of geography and topography, and would 

 often astonish his friends with the exactness of 

 his knowledge of places he had never visited. 

 There was scarcely a European city of note 

 with the general outline of which he was not 

 well acquainted. The most marked feature, 

 however, in his intellectual character, was his 

 fondness for antiquarian lore. Possessing a 

 wonderful retentive memory for dates and per- 

 sons, he delighted to discuss the days gone by, 

 and call back the men of a former generation. 

 With him, it may be safely affirmed, perished 

 one of the largest funds of local history pos- 

 sessed by any man of his time. Nor was his 

 knowledge limited to local traditions. He was 

 well versed in New England history, and in the 

 history of the mother country, especially dur- 

 ing the Commonwealth. An ardent admirer 

 of the Puritans, and especially of their great 

 hero, Cromwell, he always stood firm for 

 rational liberty in Church and State, and gave 

 his most emphatic approval to the great meas- 

 ures of President Lincoln. Of English politics 

 he also possessed a very exact knowledge. At 

 an early age Gov. Diman entered the counting 

 room of the late Hon. James De Wolf, who, 

 during the war of 1812, had accumulated one 

 of the largest estates, for that time, in New 

 England. At the death of Mr. De Wolf, in 

 1837, he continued for a long time to manage 

 much of the property. At one time he was 

 extensively engaged in the whale fisheries, and 

 used to show with just pride a beautiful model 



