I30 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XII. No. 293 



tares of the disease-germ of each, actually growing on some steril- 

 ized nutrient medium. 



The last department of this portion of the museum represents 

 the effect of injury of every known kind upon all portions of the 

 human body. The whole museum presents collectively, therefore, 

 a full history of the human body from its very begmning to its end 

 in old age, under all circumstances of health, disease, and injury. 



Special work is also being done in the several separate depart- 

 ments of the museum. One of the most important now in progress 

 is the preparation of a series of sections through the human body, 

 made in eveiy possible direction. The object of these, of which 

 similar ones have never before been prepared, is to show the organs 

 of the human body from every possible point of view, thus, in the 

 complete series, exhibiting, as has never been done before, all the 

 minute relations of adjacent organs. The ordinary anatomical 

 specimen, either of the whole body or of a separate organ, only 

 shows this from one direction. This series of sections is being 

 beautifully mounted, and when completed will be of great practical 

 value to physicians and surgeons. 



Another department now being arranged will present, when 

 completed, a full collection of all supplies furnished to an army 

 medical hospital. Not only will all drugs and medicines be shown, 

 but all the instruments used, all the books furnished, and every 

 appliance for the care and comfort of the patient. In fact, there 

 will be nothing ever used in a United States army hospital, from 

 an ambulance to the most common drug, that may not there be 

 seen. These are also arranged, as far as possible, in the manner 

 in which they should be kept in an army hospital ; so that, in fact, 

 this exhibit becomes a model for all surgeons in actual charge of 

 hospitals. To supplement the collection above described, there 

 will be added those peculiar articles and appliances supplied in 

 foreign countries to their army hospitals, but not at present to be 

 found in one of our own. A fine collection has already been re- 

 ceived from Russia, and there will in due time be added similar 

 collections from all other countries. 



One of the assistants in the museum is now engaged in mounting 

 for exhibition the collection of medical medals which Dr. Billings 

 has been several years in making. This includes four hundred 

 specimens, from all countries, of medals specially granted to physi- 

 cians for distinguished services ; as, for instance, in great epidem- 

 ics, and other circumstances in which great and exceptional services 

 have been demanded. These are being uniformly mounted for 

 e.\hibition in frames. The collection, already a very fine one, is by 

 no means complete, about two hundred more specimens being 

 needed. Dr. Billings hopes gradually to obtain these. The medals 

 are not only interesting in themselves, many of them being very 

 curious, but scores of them have an immensely added value for the 

 interesting history which they suggest. 



An International Marine Conference. 

 The Pilot Chart for September contains the following : — 

 "An act of Congress, approved by the President July 9, 1888, 

 provided for an international marine conference to secure greater 

 safety for life and property at sea. Invitations have accordingly 

 been extended to each maritime nation to send one or more dele- 

 gates, to meet in Washington, April 17, 1889. The purposes of 

 the conference are defined as follows : ' To revise and amend the 

 rules, regulations, and practice concerning vessels at sea, and navi- 

 gation generally, and the " International Code of Flag and Night 

 Signals ; " to adopt a uniform system of marine signals, or other 

 means of plainly indicating the direction in which vessels are mov- 

 ing in fog, mist, falling snow, and thick weather, and at night ; to 

 compare and discuss the various systems employed for the saving 

 of life and property from shipwreck, for reporting, marking, and 

 removing dangerous wrecks and obstructions to navigation, for des- 

 ignating vessels, for conveying to mariners and persons interested 

 in shipping, warnings of approaching storms, of dangers to navi- 

 gation, of changes in lights, buoys, and other day and night marks, 

 and other important information ; and to formulate and submit for 

 ratification to the governments of all maritime nations proper in- 

 ternational regulations for the prevention of collisions and other 

 avoidable marine disasters.' 



" ' It will be understood by all States taking part in this confer- 



ence that no questions relating to trade and commerce are within 

 the scope of the discussion, and that, in the disposition of any ques- 

 tions which may be presented to the conference, no State shall be 

 entitled to more than one vote, whatever may be the number of 

 delegates representing it.' 



" The importance of this subject is so great, and the need for 

 concerted international action so pressing, that a full attendance of 

 delegates is confidently expected. This office will gladly do all in 

 its power to facilitate the collection and proper presentation of data, 

 and the officers in charge of the various branch hydrographic of- 

 fices will receive and foward any well-considered suggestions that 

 may be handed to them. It should be remembered, however, that 

 an intimate knowledge of all the conditions of the problem is very 

 necessary to the suggestion or invention of any scheme likely to 

 possess such merit as to render its adoption at all probable, and 

 every plan should be thoroughly considered in all its details before 

 being submitted. In this way the work of the conference itself will 

 be greatly facilitated." 



It is only just to say that this most important conference — im- 

 portant not only to mariners and ship-owners, but to every person 

 who intrusts his life or that of his friends, or his property, to the 

 treacherous sea — was conceived, its purposes defined, and its plan 

 perfected, by the United States Hydrographic Office, which also' 

 recommended it to Congress in such a way as to induce that un- 

 willing body to make provision for its expenses. It is certain to be 

 a success. 



Disinfectants that neutralize Each Other. 



Dr. Joseph Holt, formerly president of the New Orleans Board 

 of Health, in a letter on the yellow-fever in Florida, recently pub- 

 lished, used this language : " When the sulphurous fumigation is 

 used after the wettuig of surfaces with the mercuric solution, ' the 

 sulphurous gas ' does not ' unite with the mercuric salt forming a 

 compound which impairs the germicidal power of both,' as de- 

 clared by Assistant Surgeon J. J. Kinyoun, of the United States Ma- 

 rine Hospital Service, in his recent report on the Louisiana quarantine. 

 That officer was sent here as an expert, and has made a positive 

 statement in regard to a point in chemistry without having taken 

 the trouble to try the experiment. When sulphurous-acid gas or 

 liquid, or sulphuric acid, is added to a solution of the bichloride of 

 mercury, there is absolutely no chemical interchange, but the solu- 

 tion remains perfectly clear. A drop or two of the solution of the 

 iodide of potash will reveal the mercuric element by an abundant 

 precipitation." 



This is a very important matter, on account of its practical bear- 

 ing on the effectiveness of the two agents mentioned, in disinfec- 

 tion, and the results that follow from using one after the other. 

 Dr. Kinyoun has therefore written a reply, from which the follow- 

 ing extracts are taken : " As Dr. Holt is a man who wields a large 

 influence in the Southern country in regard to sanitary matters, I 

 think it only a matter of justice to the public to correct the error 

 that Dr. Holt has himself made in stating that the sulphurous 

 fumes do not form an insoluble compound with the mercuric salt, 

 etc. 



" In this connection I would respectfully state that the fact had 

 been long known to me, even prior to my inspection of the Louisi- 

 ana quarantine, that when SOo is passed through, or brought in 

 contact with, a solution of bichloride of mercury, a change took 

 place. The mercuric was changed to a mercurous salt ; and, ob- 

 serving it during the process of fumigation, I confirmed it before 

 submitting my report. Owing to the want of time, I have not un- 

 dertaken to find out the exact proportion of the constituents due to 

 the re-action. Suffice it to say that the precipitate is calomel. 



" It is apparent, that, if bichloride solution is used prior to sul- 

 phur fumigation, the amount of water alone which is present would 

 absorb a great quantity of the gas, and prevent its penetration 

 where the bichloride solution does not reach ; and when the change 

 occurs in the solution of bichloride, it is obvious that the germicidal 

 power of both is impaired. When SO2 is passed through a solu- 

 tion of bichloride containing an equal quantity of ammonia at the 

 temperature of 25° to 40° C, the change takes place slowly ; but 

 when the solution or gas is heated to from 40" to go'^ C, the change 

 takes place rapidly, converting nearly all the mercuric to a mercu- 

 rous salt." 



