Polytechnic Association Proceedings. 789 



minutes in hot water, or, better yet, m strong spirits of wine or Eau 

 de Colgne; in some cases liquid ammonia may be advantageously 

 applied to the stems for a few minutes to revive the flowers. These 

 recommendations are applied by several of the largest horticultur- 

 ists of Ghent, and other parts of Belgium, and found to answer 

 in practice very Avell if properly applied. To keep well, flowers 

 should not, after being cut, be placed in localities where there is 

 tobacco smoke, or bad ventilation; neither should the rooms be too 

 much heated. 



Quite an animated discussion arose on the reading of an item 

 as to the efiect of charcoal taken into the stomach. Some main- 

 tained that it was beneficial and others that it was injurious. The 

 Chairman said a married lady of his acquaintance (the wife of an 

 allopathic physician by the way), was accustomed to eat large quan- 

 tities of charcoal made from pine wood, which she prepared herself. 

 She had pursued this practice for many years, and without experi- 

 encing any ill efiects. 



Dr. Parmelee said this was an exceptional case, such as the man 

 who eat clay for many years, and the one who eat stones, but such 

 instances do not prove the practice healthy. The objection to char- 

 coal is the hard and gritty nature of its particles. 



Mr. T. D. Stetson spoke strongly in favor of the purifying prop- 

 erties of charcoal. 



EFFECT OF ARTIFICIAL ILLUMINATION. 



Under this title, Dr. Adolph Ott read a paper showing the actual 

 quantity of carbonic acid gas generated by difierent kinds of illu- 

 minating substances. It had been found by experiment, that in 

 producing a given degree of illumination, rapeseed oil produced 

 the least, and kerosene the greatest quantity of this gas. 



ANTIMONY. 



Dr. Feuchtwanger read a paper on "Antimony;" after which a 

 long and exciting discussion took place as to the medical virtues of 

 that metal, which received its name from its fatal use among early 

 monks — and from anti-monk came antimony. 



Dr. Adolph Ott remarked that the statements which have been 

 made regarding minerals containing antimony reminded him of 

 certain facts which may be mentioned here. The telluriate of sil- 

 ver and gold has recently been found in California. It had hereto- 

 fore been only found in Transylvania. The sulphide of tellurium 



