465 
Facts and Observations, 
NEW CURE EOR TETANUS. 
% 
In a severe case of tetanus, with opisthotonos, M. Pes- 
cheux injected subcutaneously into the neck, at the median 
line, a solution of sulphate of atrophine. The poisonous 
qualities of the agent were well marked, but with their 
disappearance also disappeared the tetanic symptoms. 
POISONING OF PIGS WITH HELLEBORE. 
Mr. Barker, a farmer at Habton, in Yorkshire, has lost 
several pigs from this agent. It appears that some powdered 
hellebore, used for killing lice on stock, had been found by 
one of the servants, and, although labelled, was supposed to 
be colouring,” and was mixed with the milk. The mix¬ 
ture proving a failure, it was thoughtlessly thrown into 
the pig-tub, and the consequence was the poisoning of 
nearly a dozen pigs. 
GUN COTTON AS A FILTER FOR STRONG ACIDS. 
Bottger recommends chemists to use gun cotton as a 
filter for concentrated acids and liquids decomposable by 
organic matters. The author employs it with the greatest 
advantage for filtering concentrated nitric acid, fuming sul¬ 
phuric acid, chromic acid, permanganate of potash, and even 
concentrated solutions of potash and aqua regia. He says 
that, properly prepared, gun cotton is only attacked at the 
ordinary temperature by acetic ether. 
INDIGO TEST FOR GLUCOSE. 
Glucose and grape sugar transform blue indigo into 
white in the presence of alkalies. Mulder on this reaction 
founds a process for the detection of small quantities of these 
sugars. He adds to the liquid to be tested sulphate of 
indigo, to which an excess of carbonate of potash or soda has 
previously been added. The addition of the alkaline salt 
scarcely affects the blue colour of the indigo solution even 
after boiling, and the presence of the alkali is necessary for 
the reduction of the indigo to take place. If the liquid con¬ 
tains glucose or grape sugar, the blue colour disappears at 
the ordinary temperature, and more quickly if it be heated. 
Cane sugar boiled with the blue liquor produces no change. 
