434 



ICHTHYOL. 



IDAHO. 



ICHTHYOL. This new remedy for skin-dis- 

 eases is an oily product obtained from a pecul- 

 iar bituminous mineral found in tbe region of 

 Seefeld, in tbe Tyrol. The mineral occurs in 

 beds of varying thickness lying in the midst of 

 fossiliferous rock, which bears numerous fish- 

 prints together with petrified fishes. It has 

 been surmised that the bitumen owed its origin 

 to the animal residue of fishes and other ma- 

 rine animals left there in prehistoric times, 

 when the region was still submerged by the 

 sea. Hence the namo "ichthyol." To obtain 

 the oil, the bituminous rock is first subjected 

 to dry distillation in iron retorts; the fluid 

 product which results soon separates sponta- 

 neously into a thick, tarry substance, and a 

 fluid, dark-colored, strong-smelling oil. The 

 latter is subjected to the action of concentrated 

 sulphuric acid and other chemical processes, 

 by means of which it is clarified and refined, 

 when a neutral or slightly alkaline product re- 

 sults, having a peculiar odor. This product 

 ichthyol is regarded as an extract from the 

 original oil. Its chief ingredient is said to be 

 a sulphur acid. Sulphur forms from two and 

 a half to ten per cent, of its composition (ac- 

 cording to the method of preparation). In 

 appearance it is of a somewhat tarry charac- 

 ter, but resembles none of the ordinary tars 

 either in odor or chemical composition. Its 

 consistency is about the same as that of vase- 

 line. It forms an emulsion with water, and is 

 miscible in any proportions with oils or vase- 

 line. It is partly soluble in alcohol and partly 

 in ether; wholly so in a mixture of both. 



The efficacy of ichthyol as an application in 

 skin-diseases is probably due to the sulphur it 

 contains. The drug is probably, in part, an 

 artificial production, and the chemical treat- 

 ment by which it is produced increases the 

 proportion of sulphur from two or three to ten- 

 per cent. It therefore strongly resembles, in 

 its action and nature, a ten-per-cent. sulphur 

 ointment, differing from the latter in that the 

 sulphur is in a very intimate chemical union 

 with the other ingredients. 



IDAHO. Territorial Government. The follow- 

 ing were the Territorial officers during the 

 Jear : Governor, John B. Neil, succeeded by 

 phn NY Irwin ; Secretary, Theodore F. Sin- 

 giser, succeeded by Edward L. Curtis ; Treas- 

 urer, John Huntoon ; Comptroller and Super- 

 intendent of Public Instruction, James L. On- 

 derdonk. Judiciary, Supreme Court: Chief- 

 Justice, John T. Morgan; Associate Justices, 

 Henry E. Prickett and Norman Buck. 



Legislative Session. The Legislature, which 

 convened on the llth of December, 1882, ad- 

 journed on the 8th of February, 1883. An act 

 was passed to establish a public-school system, 

 and to provide for the maintenance and super- 

 vision of public schools. This act makes the 



Comptroller ex offirio superintendent, provides 

 for the election of a county superintendent in 

 each county having more than five school dis- 

 tricts, for the election of trustees in each dis- 

 trict, for the examination of and granting cer- 

 tificates to teachers, and for teachers 1 institutes 

 in the larger counties. Another act provides 

 for the registration of the names of electors 

 and for the prevention of frauds at elections. 

 Other important acts are the following : Regu- 

 lating the killing of game and catching of fish ; 

 preventing the spread ot scab or other infec- 

 tious diseases among sheep ; to prevent cruelty 

 to animals, and protect the public from the sale 

 of unwholesome food. 



Finances. At the date of the last returns to 

 the Comptroller, the total assessed value of the 

 real and personal property in the Territory 

 amounted to $9,108,450.05. The increase in 

 valuation is shown by the following table : 



1878 $4,520,800 50 | 1881 $8,066,865 75 



1879 5,926,149 60 1882 9,108,450 05 



1880 6,408,089 14 I 



The number of taxable inhabitants has in- 

 creased in like proportion. 



The net receipts from all sources for the two 

 years ending Oct. 1, 1882, including balance on 

 hand at date of last report, were $118,638.39. 

 The disbursements for all purposes, including 

 the payment of all outstanding warrants and 

 several items of special expenses authorized by 

 the last Legislature, were $76,821.42. 



The bonded indebtedness of the Territory 

 amounts to $69,248.60, divided as follows: 

 Bonds issued under the act of 1875, due Dec. 

 1, 1885, $22,533.54. Bonds issued under act 

 of 1887, due Dec. 1, 1891, $46,715.06. 



Agriculture and Mining. On these subjects the 

 Governor, in his message to the Legislature in 

 December, 1882, says : 



Within our borders there is a large agricultural 

 areadelightful valleys and sunny plains stretching 

 out in all directions containing, in the aggregate, 

 many millions of acres of as fertile land as can be 

 found in any State or Territory of the Union. Here 

 the honorable pursuits of agriculture are being fol- 

 lowed, with the most gratifying results. No country 

 in the world produces finer grain or grows more de- 

 licious fruit than Idaho. But, while there is ample 

 scope within our boundaries for great numbers to en- 

 gage successfully in agriculture, mining is at present, 

 and must continue to be for many years, our chief in- 

 dustry. In a few years after the organization of the 

 Territory, Idaho added to the wealth of the country 

 nearly $75,000,000 in the precious metals, mostly of 

 gold from the placer-mines. 



The practical working out of the " virgin ground" 

 of the nch placer claims caused a falling off in Idaho's 

 output, and for several years there was a steady decline 

 in the amount produce'd. In early days but little at- 

 tention was given to quartz-mining, though the exist- 

 ence of valuable ledges was known. But the decline 

 in placer-mining caused attention to turn to this, and 

 enough has been accomplished to demonstrate the fact 

 that our resources in this line are far more extensive 

 than they were in placer deposits. But, with the com- 



