HA R D 1 VICKE ' S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



merit of the discovery there was a small demand for I 

 the article, but this was chiefly for the gratification of 

 a natural and laudable curiosity which is not yet quite 

 satisfied. Not one of the important applications for 

 which the substance was supposed to be suitable has 

 led to an increase in the demand. The advantages 

 which were at first claimed for.'saccharine are precisely 

 the same as those which are still urged in its favour, 

 and yet the public does not seem to be impressed 

 by them. The most obvious of these favourable con- 

 siderations is the smallness in bulk of the new product 

 as compared with the magnitude of sugar packages. 

 But this is not of necessity an advantage. Alcohol is 

 of small bulk as compared with light wine, but the 

 latter is very much preferable, and commands the 

 market. Beef is bulkier than its essence, and yet has 

 not gone out of fashion. Common salt maintains its 

 .ground against more intense salinities. Theine is the 

 most concentrated form of a refreshing drink, but it 

 is not yet infused for the five o'clock cup. When it 

 comes into fashion, perhaps saccharine will be 

 employed as a sweetener, but not till then. Nicotine 

 is the most intense of narcotics, but no one puts it in 

 his pipe to smoke it. Even opium and haschish are 

 looked upon askance by those who indulge in the 

 bulkier weed. The sugar crop of Cuba is expected 

 ibis year to amount to 1,000,000 tons, but the fact 

 that it will take a thousand ships to bring it away is 

 not regarded as a detriment, and nobody cares to 

 inquire how many kilogrammes of saccharine will be 

 produced by the little German factory. It is also a 

 curious thing that it is found advisable to increase the 

 bulk of saccharine by mixing with it a quantity of 

 bicarbonate of soda to diminish its objectionable sweet- 

 ness. It is also claimed as an advantage for saccharine, 

 that it possesses a certain amount of antiseptic power. 

 But so does sugar, in so far as it preserves the flavour 

 of fruit in the form of jam, and supersedes some of 

 the salt required for the curing of hams. Saccharine 

 jam would be decidedly objectionable on account of 

 its want of bulk, while it would be double the price, 

 weight for weight. A scrape of saccharine jam would 

 certainly not be relished by the juveniles, who are 

 .good judges of !the genuine article. Another of the 

 recommendations of saccharine is that it is non- 

 fermentable, but this should be set down as a draw- 

 back, since it makes the luxuries of coal-tar brandy, 

 whisky, gin and beer unattainable, to say nothing of 

 the so-called non-intoxicant temperance drinks. Sac- 

 charine yeast might be appreciated for bread-making, 

 but it is not to be had. The fourth of the advantages 

 promised by the discovery of saccharine is its value as 

 a medicine, sugar being held responsible for the 

 infirmities of diabetes and fatty degeneration ; but 

 this promise also has not been kept, or else medical 

 men have failed in their duty of making its virtues 

 known. Sufferers from diabetes could always refrain 

 from the use of sugar, as Banting did in order to 

 reduce his fatness ; and yet these ailments continue 

 prevalent. It is just possible that sugar has been 

 libelled in this matter. In diabetes, sugar is found 

 in the urine, but it has not been shown that the sugar 

 has its origin in the patient's food. Fatness is some- 

 times a disease, but as lean people are in the majority 

 there is no reason why they should not take the means 

 to fatten themselves. Saccharine has been recom- 

 mended for the sweetening of nauseous medicines, 

 and this point may be conceded in its favour, as it is 

 a drug rather than an article of food. An attempt is 

 being made in America to restore saccharine to its 

 original popularity. Dr. Falhberg has taken an 

 interest in this movement, and it is to him that I am 

 indebted for the recapitulation of the virtues of sac- 

 charine. The owners of the German manufactory 



have promised that if they receive sufficient encourage- 

 ment they will set up a second factory in the United 

 States. What response the Americans will make to 

 this offer remains to be seen ; but in the meantime 

 the consumption is trifling. — Melbourne Leader, 



NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



To Correspondents and Exchangers. — All notes or other 

 communications should reach us before the 8th of the month in 

 order to insure their insertion in the following number of 

 Science-Gossip. 



To Anonymous Querists. — We must adhere to our rule of 

 not noticing queries which do not bear the writers' names. 



To Dealers and Others. — We are always glad to treat 

 dealers in natural history objects on the same fair and general 

 ground as amateurs, in so far as the "exchanges" offered are 

 fair exchanges. But it is evident that, when their offers are 

 simply Disguised Advertisements, for the purpose of evading 

 the cost of advertising, an advantage is taken of our gratuitous 

 insertion of "exchanges," which cannot be tolerated. 



We request that all exchanges may be signed with name (or 

 initials) and full address at the end. 



Special Note. — There is a tendency on the part of some 

 exchangers to send more than one per month. We only allow 

 this in the case of writers of papers. 



To our Recent Exchangers.— We are willing to be helpful 

 to our genuine naturalists, but we cannot further allow dis- 

 guised Exchanges like those which frequently come to us 

 to appear unless as advertisements. 



EXCHANGES. 



Duplicate sets and eggs of oyster-catcher, ring plover, 

 eider duck, shieldrake, common and lesser tern, sparrow- 

 hawk, lesser redpoll, wheatear, etc. Desiderata, razorbill, 

 shag, cormorant, guillemot, etc. — Mr. George Ratclifle, 3 Bald- 

 win Street, Hawcoat, Barrow-in-Furness. 



Science-Gossip for 18S8-92 (sixty numbers), in fair con- 

 dition. Offers. — T. E. Sclater, Natural History Stores, 

 4j Northumberland Place, Teignmouth. 



Wanted, Science-Gossip for i88r. I will give the follow- 

 ing rare numbers in exchange: February 1865, January, 

 February, October, and November 1866, November 1878, and 

 from January to August of 1889 ; or Phillip's " Geology" will 

 be given for the above.— P. J. Roberts, 11 Back Ash Street, 

 Bacup. 



Wanted, really good collection of postage stamps ; also 

 side-blown eggs of goldcrest and curlew. Offered, large 

 number of choice skins, eggs of echinoderms, British shells, 

 Science-Gossip, handsomely bound, from commencement, 

 etc. State desiderata. — Charles Jefferys, Naturalist, Tenby. 



Offered, clutches of chough, sparrow-hawk, kestrel, dipper, 

 stonechat, goldcrest, rock-pipit, grey wagtail, goldfinch, twite, 

 hooded crow, nightjar, c. sandpiper, woodcock, snipe, water- 

 rail, merganser, mute swan, little grebe, gannet, cormorant, 

 shag, ringed guillemot, razorbill, puffin, c. tern, swift tern, 

 sooty tern, noddy, herring-gull, Manx shearwater, storm- 

 petrel ; nests with many. Wanted, good clutches not in my 

 collection. British list. — R. J. Ussher, Cappagh Lismore, 

 under Cahir. 



BOOKS, ETC., RECEIVED FOR NOTICE. 



"The Physical Review" (London: Macmillan & Co.). — 

 "Journal of Conchology" (Leeds: Taylor Bros.). — "The 

 Canadian Entomologist" (London: London Printing and 

 Lithographing Office). — ".Practical Solid Geography," by 

 J. Payne (London: Thos. Murray). — "Le Micrographe Pre- 

 parateur " (Paris : J. Tempere). — " Reports of Observations 

 and Experiments" (Washington: Government Printing Office). 

 — " Naturalists' Journal " (London : Elliot Stock). — "Natural 

 Science" (London: Macmillan & Co.). — "Natural Food" 

 (London: Fowler & Co.). — "The Geological Magazine" 

 (London: Regan Paul, Trench, Triibner & Co.). — "The 

 Midland Naturalist" (Birmingham: Cornish Bros.). — "The 

 American Microscopical Journal" (Washington: Smiley). — 

 "The Microscope" (Washington: Microscopical Publishing 

 Co.), etc., etc. 



Communications received up to the ioth ult. from : 

 E. A. M. — E. W. S.— W. H.— W. 0.— H. J. T.— J. M. — 

 T. J.— T. R. — T. E. S.— A. A.— J. E. — McP. — R. T. S.~ 

 H. A. G.-J. B. R.— G. G.— J. M.— etc., etc. 



