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The Museum Gazette 



about the middle of the sixteenth century. Cylindrical spectacles 

 first came into use in the nineteenth century. The first spectacles 

 were hung from the cap ; later the bridge of the nose was utilised as 

 a support for the frame. The German word Brille for spectacles, 

 comes from" the Latin beryllium, which in the Middle Ages was 

 equivalent to glass, and may be traced back to an Indian root. Pro- 

 fessor Hirschberg points out that some painters of the sixteenth 

 century who represent persons of early Christian times as wearing 

 spectacles on their noses, were guilty of an anachronism. He adds, 

 that the notion which prevailed so long that St. Jerome, who lived 

 in the fourth century, was the discoverer of spectacles is altogether 

 unfounded, — (From the Bi'itish Medical Journal^ 



Common Salt. 



Whenever common salt is scarce it will command almost 

 any price, for it is essential to health and to the comfort of 

 life. All classes, poor as well as rich, desire it, and this fact 

 has unfortunately induced many governments to put heavy 

 taxes on it. To the disgrace of our boasted civilisation and 

 our humanitarian professions, the manufacture of salt is still 

 throughout our Indian Empire a Government monopoly ! 

 To such an extent does this enhance its price that many of 

 the poor are driven to use a black earth which contains salt 

 in place of the wholesome article. 



We note with very great pleasure that an important reduc- 

 tion in this tax has recently been made. It is in succession 

 to several others in former years. The tax is now in amount 

 insignificant, but it serves to treble the price, and is onerous 

 exactly where most injurious. Simultaneously with the reduc- 

 tions there has been a very large increase in consumption, 

 thus affording proof that the tax did really hinder the use of 

 an article of the utmost importance to health. There is good 

 reason to believe that a restricted supply of salt has much to 

 do with the prevalence of leprosy. The poor Indian ryot 

 owes much to what has been already done in this matter by 

 Lord George Hamilton, Lord Curzon, and Mr. John Morley. 



