SCIENTIFIC SUMMARY. 
329 
in the “New York Medical Journal” for March. It is a paper of some 
considerable length, and deals fully with the researches of Handheld, Jones, 
Fox and Fenwick. 
Electro- Puncture in Aneurism of the Aorta . — Recent numbers of the 
“ Gazetta Medica Italiana-Lombardia ” contain four additional cases related 
by Drs. De Cristoforis and Machiavelli, in which electro-acupuncture was 
employed for the relief of aneurism of the arch of the aorta. They are 
related in considerable detail, and are of great interest, showing, at least, 
that the practice is an inoffensive one, and gives the patient relief from great 
suffering. 
Death of a Distinguished Obstetrician. — Professor Pietro Luzzati, of Milan, 
died suddenly on March 22. He was one of the most accomplished obste- 
tricians of his country. 
London Water. — In his report for 1870 to the Registrar-General, Professor 
Frankland states [“ Medical Press”] that during the year each person in the 
metropolis was supplied with twenty gallons of water. His remarks on the 
quality of water are generally favourable, but then he considers 1870 a favour- 
able year to the companies, because of its extreme drought. Professor Frank- 
land supplies also a statement of the weight of nitrogen contained in the 
organic matters found in each sample of water. Organic matters of animal 
origin are more highly nitrogenous than those of vegetable origin, and there- 
fore the presence of any considerable proportion of organic nitrogen in river 
waters known, like those of the Thames and Lea, to be polluted by sewage, 
must be regarded as throwing grave suspicion upon their quality. Another 
table is given showing the amount of previous sewage or animal contamina- 
tion. So far as chemical analysis can show, the whole of this can be oxy- 
dised and converted into mineral and innocuous compounds when the 
analyses were made ; but there is always a risk that some portion may have 
escaped this decomposition, and produce disease in those who drink the 
water. The risk is much greater when the water is from rivers and shallow 
wells than when it is from deep wells and springs. Professor Frankland 
states that while the evidence of this previous contamination in the Thames 
and Lea waters exposes them to grave suspicion, he regards the same evi- 
dence (though greater in amount) in the Kent Company’s water as 
practically of no importance, if access of drainage from the upper strata be 
rigidly excluded from their deep chalk wells, and since the spring of 1868 
his analyses afford no indication of any such soakage into these wells. The 
whole report is more favourable than we imagine the next one is likely to 
be, the drought having greatly benefited the companies in the one respect 
of purity of their water. 
Detection of Picrotoxin in Beer. — The “Food Journal” for April quotes 
from the Berlin “ Wochenschrift” some important remarks on this subject. 
It gives a method of detecting the presence of picrotoxin, the poisonous prin- 
ciple of the seeds of Cocculus indicus, in adulterated beer. The analysis is 
based upon the fact that a solution of sugar of lead containing ammonia 
precipitates sugar, dextrin, gum, &c., but not picrotoxin, * which, however, 
can be extracted by shaking up the acidulous solution with ether. The beer 
under examination is first treated with ammonia until the smell of that 
substance strongly manifests itself. The precipitate is allowed to settle. To 
