502 
EDITORIAL. 
“ Animals under the influence of protoxyde of nitrogen gas may 
live in it several hours, but the combustion which takes place in 
the organism is too active, and fatal organic alterations may re¬ 
sult from it.” 
The attempts that were made by Harling Capes and Lewis 
Green have shown that dogs, like men, are susceptible to the ac¬ 
tion of the peroxyde, but that with dogs, the great irritability 
and lively drunkenness observed in man, is not noticed with the 
dog. The anesthesia takes place rapidly, in one or two minutes, 
the muscular relaxation is complete and the sensibility sufficiently 
marked to allow without reaction, on the part of the animal, the 
extraction of a tooth or a simple operation of short duration. 
Rapid in its action, the method can be easily resorted to, spe¬ 
cially with the peculiar instrument invented by the English sur¬ 
geons. The animals recover from the anesthesia in a few mo¬ 
ments without difficulty. As for the dangers to run, they seem 
very little; it is necessary to have the animal inhale the gas for 
four or five minutes to succumb to it. 
* 
* * 
VlRULENCY AND CONTAGIOSITY OF PERSPIRATION IN TUBER- 
culosis. —This very important subject has been the object of a 
communication made before the Academy of Medicine of Paris 
relating the observations made by a Dr. Piery of Lyon. Called 
to care for numerous tuberculous people who, most all, lived 
with their children in poor quarters, often in only one room, he 
made two principal observations, one of which at least, is in posi¬ 
tive opposition with general classical data: the absence of tuber¬ 
culous contagion amongst children who were playing on the floor 
surrounded with the dust of sputa, carrying to their mouth 
culinary tools and other objects, soiled more or less with Koch’s 
bacilli, and in fact being placed in almost ideal conditions of con¬ 
tamination. And again, by opposition, he observed the frequent 
contagion between husband and wife, also appp^'-Jy exposed, 
but however being still able to take, instinctively or other reason. 
