326 
NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
at Balsall Heath a short time since. Dr. Marsden, of Earlston, in a sudden fit of insa¬ 
nity, drank a quantity of prussic acid, which he took from his own laboratory, and died 
from its effects in about three-quarters of an hour. Medical aid was obtained, but to no 
purpose. Dr. Marsden was about thirty-four years of age, and had practised for ten 
years at Moseley and Birmingham, and was much respected. He leaves a wife and 
ur children. 
A Poison for Rats.—According to the French £ Moniteur ’ there are in France 
upwards of two thousand millions of rats and other rodents. Supposing each of these 
little quadrupeds to commit the damage of only one centime per annum, this loss would 
amount in the aggregate to twenty millions of francs annually. Hence it is most de¬ 
sirable to find some means of destroying this vermin in large numbers as expeditiously 
as possible. Nux-vomica, arsenic, phosphorus, and traps have been successively tried, 
but with no very decided success, and certainly not equal to the rate of increase of these 
prolific creatures. Recent experiments, however, show that squills (Scilla maritime )), 
the bulb of which is much used in medicine, is not only a powerful poison for 
rodents, but also one they are very fond of. The way of preparing it for the desired 
purpose is as follows :—One of the bulbs is cut into slices, hashed and bruised, then 
done in the pan with fat, which is afterwards strained through a cloth and poured into 
broken plates and saucers to be placed in the cellars and other places infested with rats, 
mice, etc. To prevent dogs and poultry from eating of this poisonous compound in 
stables, pigeon-houses, or farmyards, it may be put into a wooden box, about a foot and 
a half long, and having a hole at each end. The rat gets in at one end and goes out at 
the other, after partaking of the noxious food, which soon kills it. Squills may also be 
reduced to powder for the same purpose by bruising them in a mortar to a pulp, which 
is afterwards incorporated with as much flour as it will hold. This paste is then rolled 
out, as they do for a pudding, then cut into shreds, which are left to dry on hurdles or 
on sheets of pasteboard, and are afterwards pounded in a mortar. The powder thus ob¬ 
tained will keep for years, and may be put into boxes or barrels. If manufactured on a 
large scale, it may become a profitable article of exportation. In Algeria squills cost 
nothing, the country being absolutely overrun with them.— Times. 
BOOKS RECEIVED. 
An Introductory Address delivered at the Westminster Hospital October 1, 1868. 
By Francis Mason, F.R.C.S. London: John Churchill and Son, New Burlington 
Street. 
Notes on the Metals : being a Second Series of Chemical Notes for the Lecture 
Room. By Thomas Wood, Ph.D., F.C.S. London: Longman, Green, and Co. 
1868. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Persons having seceded from the Society may be restored to their former 
status on payment of arrears of subscription and the registration fee of the 
current year. 
Those who were Associates before the 1st of July, 1842, are privileged (as 
Founders of the Society) to become Members, and by virtue of membership to 
be registered as Pharmaceutical Chemists. 
The Secretary and Registrar desires to intimate that no anonymous communications, 
or letters signed with initials only, will be answered. 
Mineral Waters .—In reference to the “ Note on Defective Samples of Potash and 
Soda Water,” in our last number, we have received a communication from Messrs. Ellis 
and Son, Ruthen, stating that, owing to the great purity of the water they use, they are 
