138 
THE AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACY. 
operation had been performed upon her by Dr. M. O’Connor for strangulated 
hernia. At the inquest the jury returned a verdict of death from natural 
causes, to wit, “ peritonitis, consequent upon an operation for strangulated 
femoral hernia.” 
The following report on the maize blight by Mr. William Morris, F.F.P. 
and S., G-las., F.B.M.S., London, may be of some interest: — “I have examined 
microscopically the sample plant of diseased maize you sent me, also several 
specimens fresh from the country. Your specimens consisted of one plant and 
three cobs of corn, evidently having been gathered several weeks. The other 
specimens were still green and fresh, only a few days old, and consisted of 
several stalks, leaves, and one cob of: corn not ripe. The first three cobs were 
grown to maturity, fairly healthy, a little pinched in the grain. The other cob 
was not ripe, and appeared to be in good condition. No diseased grains in 
either sample. On the stalks and leaves I cannot detect any rust or smut 
(ustilago). The various fungi that are visible arise from the decay of the dead 
portions of the leaves, and these black fungi are always to be found on decaying 
vegetable matter. There is not the least sign of any swelling, contortion, or 
distortion, of any portion of the plants, which would be if it had been attacked 
with a ustilago (smut). If it had been rust the leaves would have been covered 
with a fine red dust, so much so that, if a person walked through a field attacked 
with this disease, his clothes would be covered with it, from the experience of 
which I myself have suffered. From the examination of the above specimens it 
appears to me that the plant having been stunted in the early part of its 
growth, probably from want of sufficient moisture, a copious sudden fall of rain 
taking place, the plant absorbed more moisture than it could properly utilise. 
This caused the stem to increase in size quicker than its silicious cuticle could 
bear the strain of, causing small fissures to be formed in the stem near the 
joints. The cellular tissue now being exposed to the action of the air, fermenta- 
tion immediately set up, the torulag spores sent out their filaments (mycelium), 
which, ramifying through the cellular tissue, caused decomposition at the joints, 
and a gradual decay of the leaves, and now become covered with the minute 
black spots which are the fungoid scavengers of all decaying vegetable matter. 
From the above observations you may dismiss any idea of fungoid (rust or smut) 
character. You may call it a maize gangrene or cellutitis, as there are any amount 
of bacteria to be found in the diseased vegetable tissue at the joints. I herewith 
enclose you a drawing of the ravages of the ustilago maydis (smut) on maize, which 
may be interesting to the members of the board and the public in general, and will 
convey a better idea than any written description I can give you of this disease.” 
A clerk, named Charles Stewart Miller, died at his residence, Elizabeth- 
street, Paddington, from, it is believed, a dose of prussic acid self-administered^ 
He was a member of the Soudan contingent, and respondent in a divorce case 
now before the court. 
A servant girl employed at Messrs. Hodgson and Co.’s, Summer Hill, com- 
mitted suicide on 10th March by taking a portion of the contents of a bottle of 
carbolic acid. She died shortly afterwards. Domestic trouble was said to be 
the cause. 
Clinton H. Walbridge, alias Carl von Berin, a chemist, who absconded 
from Sydney in October last with about £1000 belonging to the Australian 
Powder and Explosive Manufacturing Company, of Narrabeen, near Sydney, 
arrived in Melbourne on the 1st March, having been brought back from 
England by Senior-constable Murphy, of the Sydney Police. The prisoner went 
to England by the ship Loch Vennachar, for London. Senior-constable Murphy 
started in pursuit by the B.M.S.S. Ballarat on 19th November, and arrived at 
