104 
POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
The Poisonous Action of Digitaline. — Dr. Brunton of Edinburgh, in his 
prize thesis, says this substance acts as a diuretic even in health. Poisonous 
doses first occasion diminished frequency, hut increased strength of the car- 
diac pulsations, together with contraction of the capillaries. The slackening 
of the heart’s speed is due to the direct action of poison upon the heart, and 
not to the increased resistance offered by the contracted capillaries. After 
a short time the pulse becomes irregular, the capillaries dilate, the arterial 
tension diminishes, and syncope is apt to supervene. Lastly, the pulse 
becomes very rapid, and stoppage of the heart in a state of contraction soon 
follows. 
The Action of Aconitine. — Dr. Achscharumow arrives at the following con- 
clusions : — 1. Death is not due to paralysis of the respiratory muscles, but to 
stoppage of the heart from paralysis of its motor ganglia. 2. The first effect 
is irritation of the medulla oblongata, which is communicated to the vagi. 
3. Paralysis of the vagi supervenes, from continued irritation. 4. The tem- 
perature and blood-pressure are lowered. 5. The peripheral nerve endings 
and trunks are entirely paralysed. 6. Keflex function of the spinal cord 
remains intact. 7. The brain is unaffected. 8. It has no local action on the 
pupil. — Vide Reichert and Dubois Reymond's Archives , No. 2, 1866. 
METALLURGY, MINERALOGY, AND MINING. 
Reported Discovery of Coal in South Australia. — It is asserted that a mine 
of anthracite has been discovered at Port Lincoln, South Australia. Mr. Hodg- 
kiss, the owner of the land on which the deposit has been found, has claimed 
the reward of £5,000, offered three years ago to anyone finding a coal-mine 
in South Australia. 
Roasting of Grey Copper-ores in Hungary. — At the Stefanshuette works 
for the smelting of the grey copper-ores, they use of the yellow ores only 
poor quartzose ore, which is necessary for fluxing. The processes, there- 
fore, have a character quite different from that in other places, where the 
grey copper-ores form only a small part of the materials to be melted. One 
of the main progresses in the last years is the production of metallic antimony 
from grey copper-ores, since more than one-half of the regulus antimonii, 
which comes in the market from Hungary, is now produced from these 
ores. 
Production of Steam by Employment of Petroleum. — Notwithstanding the 
assertion of the American Naval Commission, that no advantages are to be 
derived from the employment of petroleum as a substitute for coal, we find 
that the English Government is taking up the enquiry in a serious spirit. A 
contemporary informs us that Mr. Richardson, who is instituting experiments 
in “burning petroleum and other oils, with a view of superseding the use of 
coals for steam purposes, has received permission from the Lords of the 
Admiralty to use a service boiler in Woolwich Dockyard for one week, in 
order to demonstrate the advantage of shale-oil as fuel. The trial has been 
requested by a number of shale-oil manufacturers in Wales and Scotland, and 
some scientific persons. 
