SCIENTIFIC SUMMARY. 
87 
he had already explained in times past to the Academy, and new instances 
were scarcely necessary. Here, however, the moderately weak plant had 
more hermaphrodite flowers than the strong one ; and in both classes of 
specimens the number of male flowers gradually increased with the weaken- 
ing of the axis, until the ends of the raceme were almost wholly of male 
flowers. The first flowers on the strong verticels were usually wholly 
pistillate. 
CHEMISTRY. 
The Filtration of Strong Acids. — Hr. James St. Clair gives the following 
simple and exact method in the “ Chemical News ” of September 30 : a Into 
the narrow part of an ordinary glass funnel, spun glass (such as is used in 
making tails for glass birds) is closely packed, and over this is sprinkled 
ground glass to the depth of a quarter of an inch, care being taken that 
both the funnel and glass are perfectly clean. About four ounces of boiling 
water are then allowed to pass through the filter, which is then allowed to 
dry, and, previous to being used, is moistened with a pure specimen of the 
acid to be filtered. A filter so constructed is as efficient as any with which 
he is acquainted, is very durable and cheap, while, from the fact that these 
acids do not act on glass, freedom from contamination during the process is 
perfectly ensured. Such filters, or the materials necessary for their prepa- 
ration, may be obtained at Mr. Motherwell’s, 73 Union Street, Glasgow.” 
What is Thymol ? — The 11 Medical Press ” of December 7 says that Mr. 
Henry Draper, of Dublin, exhibited to the Dublin Chemical Club, at its last 
meeting, a specimen of a new preparation which has been proposed as a 
substitute for carbolic acid. It is named thymol, and is a derivative of the 
Thymus vulgaris , the monarda or horse-mint, and the Ptychotisan East 
Indian umbelliferous plant. It is of a similar chemical composition to car- 
bolic acid, but destitute of the very unpleasant smell of this popular disin- 
fectant. It melts at 44° Centigrade, and is soluble in 300 parts of water. 
It resembles carbolic acid in forming compounds with potash and soda, but 
differs from it in that these compounds are very unstable, being decomposed 
even by carbonic acid. The introduction of this preparation recalls to mind 
the fact, that oil of thyme was in past years a favourite popular remedy for 
the toothache, and it is only now that its efficacy and the causes of such 
efficacy have been made manifest. The oil of thyme is prepared in large 
quantities in the south of France, where it is used for printing on china. 
Acid Nature of the Organic Matters in Fiver Water . — Herr E. Stolba, 
writing in the second number of “ Dingler’s Journal ” for October, states 
that, according to his experience, obtained by making (in Bohemia) a large 
number of water analyses, all waters which contain a large proportion of 
organic matter contain it in combination with bases, chiefly lime, and that, 
therefore, the organic matter is (as already suggested, and partly experi- 
mentally proved by Berzelius) of an acid nature. 
Death of Professor Miller. — The u Chemical News ” gives the following 
sketch of Professor W. Allen Miller, M.D., F.R S., Professor of Chemistry 
in King’s College, who died on October 30, 1870. He died at Liverpool, 
