580 
SIBERIAN EPIZOOTIC. 
The Petersburg correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, 
under the head of “ Russia/’ states that the terrible 
Siberian epidemic, as it is called, continues its ravages 
in the animal world of the western provinces. In the 
districts Schlusselburg, New Ladoga, Luga, and Zarskoje, 
which are all within a short distance of St. Petersburg, as 
many as 4400 horses, 890 cows, and 319 sheep have fallen 
within the last two months. Of the remoter districts wc 
have not received any exact numbers, but the state of things 
there may be gathered from the circumstance that the exten¬ 
sive exportation of cattle to Germany has entirely ceased. 
ARSENIOUS ACID A SUBSTITUTE EOR QUININE. 
Mr. J. Turner, surgeon to H.M. Brigade, Bombay Horse 
Artillery, has for the past twenty years successfully resorted 
to the use of arsenious acid, in large doses, in cases of inter¬ 
mittent fever. He was induced to employ it as a substitute 
for quinine, on account of the great drain upon the^cinchona 
tree, and its failure in India. He considers the fears of any 
inconvenience or danger arising from the agent to be much 
exaggerated. 
SOLUTION EOR THE PRESERVATION OF SPECIMENS. 
Arseniated alcohol has been successfully employed for 
many years by M. Leprieur for the preservation of specimens 
in natural history, and especially insects, which retain in their 
organs quite enough of the arsenious acid to repel the attacks 
of larvae. 
IODINE AND PHOSPHATES IN RAIN WATER. 
M. De Luca is of opinion that the existence of these sub¬ 
stances only occurs in water taken from near the surface of 
the earth, and that the atmospheric currents might easily 
raise them from the soil. 
