28 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[July 8, 1S7L- 
insight and energy the town of Bristol owes so much in 
the way of sanitary improvement. 
H As to the germ theory itself,” writes Dr. Budd, “ that 
is a matter on which I have long since made up my mind. 
Erom the day when I first began to think of these sub¬ 
jects, I have never had a doubt that the specific cause of 
contagious fevers must be living organisms. 
“ It is impossible, in fact, to make any statement bear¬ 
ing upon the essence or distinctive characters of these 
fevers, without using terms w r hich are of all others the 
most distinctive of life. Take up the writings of the most 
violent opponent of the germ theory, and, ten to one, 
you will find them full of such terms as ‘ propagation,’ 
‘ self-propagation,’ ‘ reproduction,’ ‘ self-multiplication,’ 
and so on. Try as he may—if he has anything to say 
of those diseases which is characteristic of them—he can¬ 
not evade the use of these terms, or the exact equiva¬ 
lents to them. While perfectly applicable to living 
things, those terms express qualities which are not only 
inapplicable to common chemical agents, but as far as I 
can see actually inconceivable of them.” 
Once then, established within the body, this evil form 
of life, if you will allow me to call it so, must run its 
course. Medicine as yet is powerless to arrest its pro¬ 
gress, and the great point to be aimed at is to prevent 
its access to the body. It was with this thought in my 
mind that I ventured to recommend, more than a year 
ago, the use of cotton-w r ool respirators in infectious 
places. I would here repeat my belief in their efficacy 
if properly constructed. But I do not wish to prejudice 
the use of these respirators in the minds of its opponents 
by connecting them indissolubly with the germ theory. 
There are too many trades in England w 7 here life is 
shortened and rendered miserable by the introduction of 
matters-into the lungs which might be kept out of them. 
Dr. Greenhow has shown the stony grit deposited in the 
lungs of stonecutters. The black lung of colliers is another 
case in point. In fact, a hundred obvious cases might 
be cited, and others that are not obvious might be added 
to them. We should not, for example, think that print¬ 
ing implied labours where the use of cotton-wool respi-! 
rators might come into play; but I am told that the 1 
dust arising from the sorting of the type is very destruc¬ 
tive of health. I wrnnt some time ago into a manufactory 
in one of our large towns, where iron vessels are enamelled ! 
by coating them with a mineral pow T der, and subjecting j 
them to a heat sufficient to fuse the pow r der. The organi¬ 
zation of the establishment was excellent, and one thing 
only was needed to make it faultless. In a largo room 
a number of women were engaged covering the vessels. 
The air was laden with the fine dust, and their faces ap¬ 
peared as white and bloodless as the powder with which 
they w r orked. By the use of cotton-wool respirators 
these women might be caused to breathe air more free 
from suspended matters than that of the open street. 
Over a year ago I was wnitten to by a Lancashire seeds¬ 
man, who stated that during the seed season of each year 
his men suffered horribly from irritation and fever, so 
that many of them left his service. He asked me could I j 
help him, and I gave him my advice. At the conclusion ! 
of the season this year he wwote to me that he had simply j 
folded a little cotton-w r ool in muslin, and tied it in front 1 
of the mouth; that he had passed through the season j 
in comfort and without a single complaint from one of 
his men. 
The substance has also been turned to other uses. An 
invalid tells me that at night he places a little of the 1 
wool before his mouth, slightly moistening it to make it 
adhere ; that he has thereby prolonged his sleep, abated 
the irritation of his throat, and greatly mitigated a 
hacking cough from wdiich he hail long suffered. In 
fact, there is no doubt that this substance is capable of 
manifold useful applications. An objection was urged 
against the use of it: that it became wet and heated by 
the breath. While I was casting about for a remedy for 
this, a friend forwarded to mo from Newcastle a form of 
respirator invented by Mr. Garrick, an hotel-keeper at 
Glasgow, which meets the case effectually, and, by a 
slight modification, may bo caused to meet it perfectly. 
The respirator consists of a space under a partition of 
wire-gauze, intended by Mr. Garrick for “ medicated 
substances,” and which may be filled with cotton-w’ooL 
The mouth is placed against the aperture, which fits 
closely round the lip3, and the air enters the mouth 
through the cotton-wool, by a light valve, wdiich is 
lifted by the act of inhalation. During exhalation this 
valve closes; another breath escapes by a second valve, 
into the open air. Tho wool is thus kept dry and 
cool; the air in passing through it being filtered of every¬ 
thing it holds in susjiension.* 
(To be continued.) 
IMPROVED DOVER’S POWDER. 
I3Y 13. D. KEATOK, M.D. 
A very convenient and useful compound is Dover’s 
Powder; but, unfortunately, a very nauseous one. I have 
for several years past had it under consideration, making 
various changes in its composition; but until recently 
with poor success. The diaphoretic powrder of Dr.. 
Tully, and also that lately recommended by Dr. Brins- 
made, I have found on trial to be good anodynes , but far 
inferior in diaphoretic effect to the old Dover. The 
ipecacuanha cannot be dispensed wdth, but I think the 
opium and sulphate of potash (tho main nauseants) can 
be replaced wdth better ingredients. Ipecacuanha.in closes 
under half a grain is anti-emetic, and “ not guilty ” in 
the nauseous taste of Dover. 
Out of Dover’s, Tully’s and Brinsmade’s powders I 
have compounded a fourth, which T believe contains the 
excellences of all. There is 1 gr. of ipecacuanha, and 
one-sixth gr. sulph. morphia (equal to 1 gr. opium) to 
every 10 grs. of the mixture. Tho camphor acids much 
to it as an anodyne; the chalk is anti-acid, and necessary 
to ho hi the camphor in pulverized form; and the liquo¬ 
rice, besides disguising the taste of the rest, is of itself 
useful as a demulcent, expectorant, etc. I can confi¬ 
dently recommend this to my brethren of the profession 
who choose to give it a trial, as superior to the old Dover’s 
powder in every respect. 
P> Sulph. Morphias gr. x 
Pulv. Camph. 5iij 
„ Ipecacuan. 5.j 
Cretae Prroparat. 5iij 
Pidv. Glycyrrh. 5iij. 
Thoroughly mix. Dose same as Dover (in water). 
— Pharmacist, from Tolono, III., Medical Gazette. 
Milk an Antidote to Poisoning by Nitrate of 
Silver. —Mr. Ernest Hart, in a recent number of the 
British Medical Journal , relates that while house-surgeon 
at St. Mark’s Hospital, a piece of nitrate of silver, wdth 
which he was painting the fauces of a child, broke, and 
the larger part of the caustic stick was swallow r ed. He 
produced immediate vomiting by forcing his fingers on 
to the gullet, and having obtained a large supply of 
milk, pumped several pints into the child's stomach and 
out again. The child had dysenteric symptoms during 
the next three days and occasional vomiting, but was 
kept on milk diet and recovered. Milk acts as an anti¬ 
dote to nitrate of silver in virtue of its large proportion 
of suspended albumen. Mr. Hart uses it in lieu of salt 
and w r ater for neutralizing the excessive effects of even 
the mitigated caustic, when employing it locally on the 
mucous membrane of the eyelids. 
* Mr. Ladd, of Beak Street, sells these respirators. 
