Miscellanies. 197 



istered in large doses ; and several members of the society have ex- 

 perienced these secondary effects in the most decided manner. 



Further, since iodine acts not only on the internal surface of the 

 intestines, but also on that of the connected parts which open into the 

 digestive tube, upon the glands of the mouth and the stomach, it must 

 also increase the saliva, the gastric juice, the pancreatic fluid, the bile, 

 &c. It must therefore modify, extensively, the process of assimila- 

 tion and nutrition, if employed in suitable doses and under appropri- 

 ate circumstances. Now, if iodine possesses a character of this kind ; 

 if, as has been said, it stimulates the activity of various glands, we 

 certainly cannot refuse it the power of resolving inveterate swellings 

 and indurations of the glands. 



But what physician would restrain the use of a medicine so power- 

 ful, to the treatment, singly, of goitre ? may we not expect from iodine 

 the best effects in diseases of the abdominal viscera, occasioned by 

 the weakness of the digestive tube, to the stagnation of the blood in 

 the vessels of those pai-ts, in scrophula, and other similar affections. 

 It promises to afford eminent service in those cases in which the veg- 

 etative process of the animal economy is in a suffering state, from a 

 diminution of vital energy. The employment, however, of this medi- 

 cine demands the greatest precaution ; if administered in excess, it 

 may easily give rise to inflammation or a morbid relaxation of the 

 parts. Two, three, six or eight drops of the tincture will be the or- 

 dinary dose, which should be repeated only once in twenty four or for- 

 ty eight hours, and taken each time in a little water. F. J. Hiester. 

 Jour, des pr ogres des sciences Medicates, 1830, Tom. II., 



(Additional selections from foreign Journals, by Mr. C. U. Shepard.) 



1. Pinguite, a neio argillaceous viineral. — (A. Breithaupt, Schweig- 

 ger's Jahrb. ; 1829, H. 3, S. 303.) This mineral is not unlike green 

 iron-earth ; but its greasy lustre or fracture, entirely distinguishes it 

 from that substance. Compact. Hardness =1. Specific gravity 

 =2.315. When heated in a glass tube, it gives off much moisture. 

 It comes from the mine of New Beschert Gluck, in the Saxon Erzge- 

 berg ; and occurs in a gangue of Heavy-Spar engaged in gneiss. — 

 {Jahrhuch fur Miner alogie, ^-c. 1830. S. 86.) 



2. Prunnerite. — The violet blue mineral found along with apo- 

 phyllite in the island of Hestoe, one of the Faroes, and hitherto ar- 

 ranged as a variety of cuboidal calcareous spar, has been, by Esmark, 

 on account of its form and large proportion of silica, put forth as a 

 new species, which he names Prunnerite, in honor of Prunner, the 

 naturalist, of Cagliari, in Sardinia. — {Edin. New Phil. Jvurn. 1830, p. 

 382.) 



