166 
BOOKS RECEIVED. 
Members of Committee— Mr. T. Crooke, Mr. B. T. Lowne, Mr. S. J. MTntire, Dr. J. 
Matthews. 
Treasurer —Mr. R. Hardwicke. 
Hon. Secretary —Mr. T. Charters White. 
Hon. Sec. for Foreign Correspondence —Mr. M. C. Cooke. 
A paper on the ratio-micro-polariscope by Mr. Janies J. Field, its inventor, was read, 
after which the instrument was exhibited. Ten new members were elected, and the 
proceedings terminated. 
MISCELLANEA. 
Explosive Agents. —On Monday night, August 2, a lad in the shop of Mr. Driver, 
of Twickenham, was in the act of filling a tank with turpentine from a cask in the shop, 
when an explosion was caused by a lighted candle the boy was then using. He was 
blown into the street, and much burnt. The whole of the stock was destroyed, and the 
adjoining premises much injured. 
From Brazil we learn that a quantity of nitro-glycerine had been procured for the 
military arsenal, but from its dangerous character it was decided to destroy it; six cases, 
containing about sixty pounds, were accordingly taken in a launch to be sunk in the 
bay. In the act of doing this an explosion occurred, which blew the boat and its crew 
of seven men to pieces. 
On Tuesday, August 10th, Mr. Payne held an inquest respecting the death of John 
Greanes, who had been employed as an errand boy at Messrs. Burgoyne and Co., whole¬ 
sale druggists, Coleman Street. While sitting on a truck in the street a piece of wood 
struck against his pocket, which caused an explosion; his clothes were set on fire, and 
he was so badly burnt that he died a few days afterwards. The lad had been in the 
habit of playing with “red fire,” and at the time of the explosion he had an ounce of 
this substance in his pocket. The jury returned a verdict of “ Accidental Death.” 
An explosion took place at the George Hotel, Bognor, on Monday, August 9th. The 
flooring of an upper room was found burning, and sulphurous vapour filled that part of 
the house. On the following day, Mr. George John Blake was charged before the 
magistrates with having, in an unlicensed place, an explosive substance. Mr. Blake 
admitted the charge, but suggested that it was not an explosive, inasmuch as it would 
only explode by the introduction of a strong detonating tube: he also explained that 
the substance was a patented invention for blasting purposes, but he was at a loss to 
account for its ignition. He was fined £1 and costs. 
The inventor of the agent referred to has explained that there was no explosion, save 
the bursting open of the tin canister in which the compound was contained,—the com¬ 
pound simply burning. He states that the cause of the ignition is not certain, but if 
it was spontaneous combustion, this would have been caused by the acidity of the sul¬ 
phur, the remaining portion of that employed in the manufacture of the compound 
having been found to be strongly acid, which acidity should have been previously neu¬ 
tralized by an alkali. 
BOOKS RECEIVED. 
Selecta e Pr^sceiptis : Selections from 
Physicians’ Prescriptions, etc., to which 
is added a Key, containing the Prescrip¬ 
tions in an unabbreviated form, with a 
Literal Translation for the use of Medical 
and Pharmaceutical Students. By Jona¬ 
than Peeeira, M.D., F.R.S. Fifteenth 
edition. London: John Churchill and 
Sons, New Burlington Street. 1869. 
This little work which has been so 
often recommended in this Journal, as 
a useful pocket companion for the Phar¬ 
maceutical student, has reached another 
edition. This, the fifteenth edition, ap¬ 
pears to have received careful revision, 
and a few alterations, rendered necessary 
by the publication of the British Pharma¬ 
copoeia, have been made. The formulae 
contained in the second and third parts 
will be found useful to the medical student, 
as well as to the student in Pharmacy, to 
whom the work is more particularly ad¬ 
dressed. 
The Medical and Surgical Reporter, 
15 numbers, from February to July. Phi¬ 
ladelphia and New York. London agents : 
Stevens Brothers, Henrietta Street, Co¬ 
vent Garden. 
