GLEANINGS  FROM  AMERICAN  JOURNALS. 
27 
GLEANINGS  FROM  AMERICAN  JOURNALS. 
By  the  Editor.  ^ 
Tonka  Bean  in  Hooping  Cough. — Dr.  John  Cooper,  of  Pbila., 
in  a  letter  to  the  editor  of  the  Medical  and  Surgical  Reporter^ 
(Oct.  8,  1868),  states  that  the  Tonka  bean  has  been  tried  by  him 
in  pertussis  for  the  reason  that  it  contained  coumarin,  the 
active  principle  of  clover  tops — trifolium  melilotis — recom- 
mended for  that  disease."  The  form  used  was  the  fluid-extract 
in  5  to  8  drop  doses  for  a  child  5  years  of  age.  He  found  it  to 
relieve  the  paroxysms  and  enable  the  child  to  sfeep  at  night. 
His  trials  extend  to  five  cases,  in  all  of  which  the  action  of  the 
drug  was  sufficiently  marked  to  warrant  recommending  it  to  the 
notice  of  physicians  for  therapeutic  use,  he  being  "  convinced 
that  we  have  in  it  a  means  of  saving  many  lives,  besides  giving 
great  relief  to  all  who  sulFer  from  the  disease." 
It  would  be  well  to  try  coumarin  itself  to  ascertain  if  it  is  the 
curative  agent  in  the  tonka  bean. 
The  Hot  Springs  of  Arkansas. — There  are  fifty-four  of  these 
springs  in  all,  having  a  mean  temperature  of  134''  Fahr.,  and 
ranging  from  68°  to  150°  Fahr.  They  discharge  altogether  817 
gallons  of  water  per  minute.  The  springs  are  situated  on  the 
western  slope  of  Hot  Spring  Mountain,  (which  is  a  margin  of  the 
Ozark  Mountains)  at  an  elevation  of  860  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  sea,  and  about  55  miles  west  of  Little  Rock. 
Various  analyses  have  been  made  of  them  under  the  direction 
of  the  State  Geologist,  determining  the  presence  of  lime,  mag- 
nesia, alumina,  oxide  of  iron,  carbonate  of  soda  and  potash,  sul- 
phate of  magnesia,  oxide  of  manganese,  sulphate  of  lime  and 
traces  of  bromine  and  iodine.  The  waters  enjoy  great  celeb- 
rity for  their  usefulness  in  cases  of  rheumatism  and  gout,  and 
contain  a  large  excess  of  free  carbonic  acid,  which  aids  in  the 
solution  of  some  of  the  earthy  salts. 
Preparation  of  Sponge  Tent. — Dr.  George  Syng  Bryant,  of 
Lexington,  Kentucky,  [Amer.  Jour.  Med,  Sci.^  Oct.,  1868,)  de- 
scribes several  methods  of  making  sponge  tent.  The  old  way 
was  by  saturating  the  sponge  with  warm  melted  wax  and  com- 
pressing it  until  the  wax  solidified,  and  then  cutting  it  into  suita- 
