BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 535 
The stomach was carefully secured at both its orifices, and 
detached. On making an incision, I was surprised at not 
seeing the paper in which 1 had wrapped the pill, naturally 
expecting it would have been reduced to a pulp by the fluid 
of the stomach. I, therefore, sought for it, and, lo ! here it 
is, in precisely the same condition as when introduced into 
the gullet of the dog, and containing nearly all the strychnine. 
I have been afraid to disturb it until I had exhibited it to 
you, and now I will weigh the contents, and ascertain how 
much has been absorbed or dissolved. This experiment is 
important, as showing the small quantity of strychnia neces- 
sary to destroy life; and, had I not been thus particular to 
search for the paper envelope, it might, possibly, have led 
to a fallacy, as 1 must have used an acid, and that would have 
dissolved out the strychnia, and the inference would have 
been that it was obtained from the contents of the stomach, 
whereas it had never been diffused. In this case, also, none 
of the absorbed strychnia was detectable in the blood or any 
part of the animal, although the greatest care was observed 
in making the experiments. 5 ’ The talented lecturer, who was 
listened to throughout with great attention, added that he 
had made further experiments, which he thought proved that 
it was highly probable a more or less insoluble compound of 
organic or animal matter with strychnia is formed. 
3 . — On the Products and Constituents of Wheat . 
By Dr. Gilbert. 
Dr. Gilbert’s paper contained the results of a large num- 
ber of experiments made by him and Mr. Lawes, during a 
period of several years, upon wheat grown in this country as 
well as abroad. Dr. Gilbert subjected the various coarse 
and fine varieties of flour to analysis, and showed that the 
nitrogen increased in proportion as the sample was coarser 
and contained more bran. The flour that contained least 
nitrogen was that which took up least water in the process of 
bread-making, and an interesting question arose as to the 
nutritive value of bread containing much or no bran. 
Dr. Gilbert’s opinion being in favour of the latter, as far as 
working men are concerned, notwithstanding the theoretically 
higher value of bread containing bran. Another interesting 
fact stated by Dr. Gilbert was that the Black Sea wheat in 
Europe and the Southern State wheat in America were far 
richer in gluten than those from more northern latitudes ; 
those from Dantzic containing least gluten, while they stood 
highest among bread-making grain. The character of the 
