July 23, 1870.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
IJtlmtos. 
said he thought Mr. Holland had not quite apprehended 
the statements he had made. He had said all along 
that sewage going into a running stream where there 
was abundance of vegetation, fish, and a large quantity 
of oxygenated water, even in the condition of sedimen¬ 
tary sewage, was by a natural process quickly disposed 
of. But what he also said was that the main cause of 
all those nuisances, which arose from the discharge of 
sewage into running streams was the sedimentary 
matter it contained, and that the distribution of sewage 
upon the land at the present time did not provide a re¬ 
medy, and was accompanied by a large number of dis¬ 
advantages. He said, further, that there was another 
means whereby these sedimentary matters could be 
separated; that by a process of chemical precipitation, 
as by lime, sulphate of alumina, or the agents employed 
by the A. B. C. Company, or that recommended by Mr. 
Blyth, they had the power to do certainly, and without 
danger, what they were not doing certainly when the 
sewage was put on the land, and with a great deal of 
danger. By this system of precipitation they could 
separate those solid elements, and could superadd agents 
which were not particularly injurious to the highest 
forms of animal life, but were deadly to those creatures 
referred to. There was, indeed, a mode within their 
reach, of dealing with those sedimentary matters which 
were the real cause of nuisance by accumulating in the 
rivers, and of rendering the water in such a condition 
that it might safely be admitted into a stream of eight 
or ten times its volume. It was a fact that in every one 
of the places visited, where the irrigation system was 
adopted, they found—whether by accident or design— 
abundant evidence of those evil results which it was 
most desirable they should seek to avoid. The system 
of precipitation, by chemical processes, could, however, 
be carried on without the slightest danger to the public, 
but this could not be said of any system of irrigation; 
for it was indisputable, from the investigations of Dr. 
Murchison, that sewer gases would produce sewer fever; 
and as these gases are abundantly evolved from irri¬ 
gated land, no doubt it was a question open to a groat 
deal of discussion how far they must be diluted be¬ 
fore they would cease to produce dangerous conse¬ 
quences. He had told them what he found in his own 
experience at a model place—the Hebble Brook—where 
the inhabitants were so decimated by fever that the 
system was obliged to be stopped. He was asked whe¬ 
ther the sewage then was to be wholly lost, and not 
utilized upon the land ? He hoped he had sufficiently 
answered those questions by showing that the proposed 
mode of dealing with it was open to the objections that 
it was dangerous and uncertain, and that there were 
other and better means of dealing with it. He did not 
mean to say that by irrigation sewage could not be 
defecated, but he contended that the system required 
great attention, and that the result could not be realized 
in practice ; whereas, by the adoption of chemical pro¬ 
cesses, there was a safe and certain mode of accomplish¬ 
ing the object, and, so far as he knew, these processes 
were more economical, for there was not a single in¬ 
stance in the country in which the utilization of sewage 
by irrigation had proved profitable. 
. On the motion of Mr. Liddle, a vote of thanks was 
given to Dr. Letheby for his paper, and the proceedings 
terminated. 
Morphia Collodion. — A preparation under this 
name is recommended in ‘ L’ Union Medicale,’ as an 
application for neuralgic pain. It is made in the pro¬ 
portion of 1 part of hydrochlorate of morphia to 30 
parts of flexible collodion, and is applied by means of a 
camel’s-hair brush. 
A System of Botanical Analysis applied to the Dia¬ 
gnosis of British Natural Orders ; for the use of 
Beginners. By W. Handsel Griffiths, Ph.D.E. 
London: Wyman and Sons. 1870. Pp. 26. 
This artificial key, published at the request of the au¬ 
thor’s pupils, is compiled from various botanical works, 
but differs from most analytical keys in being arranged 
along the pages, and having the less important characters 
indented from the more important. This renders it much 
easier to consult, and it may prove a useful aid to be¬ 
ginners. 
Vollstandige Anleitung zur Fabrikation kunst- 
licher Mineralwasser und der Brause-getranke, 
etc. etc. By Dr. Hermann Hager. Second Edition. 
Breslau: E. Gunther. 1870. 
In Germany the manufacture of aerated water and 
artificial mineral water is now almost entirely in the 
hands of pharmacists, and there is scarcely a town where 
they are not made. It is to provide for the wants of 
those engaged with such work that this book has been 
prepared, and the information it affords in regard to 
machinery, materials, and formulae is such as to be very 
useful. It would probably repay the trouble of transla¬ 
tion. 
Science for the People : a Memorandum on Various 
Means for Promoting Scientific and Practical Know¬ 
ledge among the Working Classes, addressed to Lord 
Henry Gordon Lennox, M.P., Chairman of the Council 
of the Society of Arts. By Thomas Twining, one of 
the Vice-Presidents of the Society. London: C. 
Goodman, 407, Strand. 1870. Pp. 136. 
The object of this book is to consider the best means 
of disseminating a knowledge of domestic economy 
amongst the lower classes, so that they may “ know how 
their dwellings should be constructed in accordance with 
sanitary principles ; what household improvements they 
may derive from the discoveries of science, or borrow 
from the customs and appliances of other nations ; what 
fabrics they should wear; what food they should eat, 
and how it ought to be cooked; how they may distin¬ 
guish things which are genuine, wholesome, substantial, 
durable, and really cheap, from those which are cheap 
only in appearance; and, in short, how they may live 
with judgment, and get the best money’s worth for their 
money.” But to enable the working classes to attain to 
this happy state, Mr. Twining has found they must have 
a certain modicum of scientific instruction, some know¬ 
ledge of the elements of physics, chemistry, human phy¬ 
siology, and natural history. This want he has en¬ 
deavoured to meet by instituting at the Twickenham 
Economic Museum and elsewhere, short courses of lec¬ 
tures of the most elementary character. In this attempt 
he has felt the want of a sufficient staff of lecturers who 
could restrict themselves to giving merely outlines, and 
yet make them interesting and instructive. The plan 
he has generally adopted has been to provide written 
lectures, which could be read while an assistant acted as 
demonstrator. 
Mr. Twining also urges the necessity of establishing 
popular museums in furtherance of his object. These 
museums are to contain typical collections of natural 
history specimens, the examples being so chosen as to 
illustrate as completely as possible the principles of 
structure and classification. Also illustrative examples 
of domestic economy, such as building designs, house¬ 
hold furniture, utensils, clothing, food, etc. 
This groundwork of science, especially if it becomes, a 
part of primary education, may prove of great use in 
