592 
Reviews. 
(  Am,  .Tour.  Pharm. 
t       Nov.,  1881. 
Artificial  AncEsthesia  and  Ancesthetics.  By  Henry  M.  Lyman,  A.M.,  M.D., 
Professor  of  Physioloj^^y  and  Diseases  of  the  Nervous  System  in  Rush 
Medical  College,  Chicago,  111.,  etc.  New  York :  William  Wood  cfe  Co. 
1881.    8vo,  pp.  338. 
Considering  that  the  author  of  this  book  professes  to  present  not  a  work 
of  original  research,  but  rather  a  compilation  derived  from  the  works  of 
the  writers  who  have  investigated  the  subject  of  artificial  anaesthesia,  he 
has  produced  a  readable  and  instructive  volume,  which,  as  the  title  indi- 
cates, is  intended  for  the  use  of  the  physician.  It  gives  a  brief  history  of 
-anaesthesia,  followed  by  a  description  of  the  phenomena  and  by  an  account 
of  the  physiology  of  anaesthesia,  the  administration  of  anaesthetics,  the 
method  of  producing  anaesthesia,  the  various  inhalers  used,  accidents 
■observed  and  their  treatment,  the  use  of  anaesthetics  for  special  purposes, 
etc.  The  larger  portion  of  the  book  treats  of  the  various  anaesthetic  sub- 
stances, of  which  nearly  fifty  are  mentioned.  The  most  important  ones 
are  chloroform  and  ether,  to  which,  respectively,  95  and  20  pages  are 
■devoted  ;  that  27  pages  are  devoted  to  alcohol  is  warranted  by  the  fact  that 
nearly  the  whole  chapter  treats  of  the  physiological  action  of  this  sub- 
stance. Chloral  hydrate,  another  important  anaesthetic  agent,  occupies 
18  pages,  chiefly  referring  to  its  physiology  and  therapeutics.  The  phy- 
sical and  chemical  characteristics  of  the  various  anaesthetic  substances  are 
given  in  brief,  but,  as  a  rule,  sufficiently  in  detail  for  correct  identification. 
The  work  forms  the  ninth  volume  of  Wood's  Library  of  Standard 
Medical  Authors. 
Ejfects  of  Pilocarpin  on  the  Color  of  the  Hair. 
Two  papers  by  Dr.  D.  W\  Prentiss,  of  Washington,  D.  C,  have  been 
reprinted  in  pamphlet  form  from  the  Philadelphia  "Medical  Times."  A 
young  lady  having  light-yellowish  blonde  hair  commenced  to  take  hydro- 
chlorate  of  pilocarpi!!  in  doses  of  0  01  gram  (gr.  I)  on  December  16th ;  a 
change  in  the  color  of  hair  was  noticed  December  28th,  and  it  continued 
to  grow  darker  until  May  1st  it  was  aluiost  of  a  pure  black.  The  color  of 
the  eyes  had  changed  from  light  blue  to  dark  blue.  The  pilocarpin  was 
■discontinued  February  22d. 
The  second  case  is  that  of  a  baby,  14  months  old,  who,  during  an  attack 
of  membranous  croup,  was  treated  with  pilocarpin  hydrochlorate ;  in 
iibout  two  weeks  the  hair  was  decidedly  darker  in  color. 
Etude  sur  les  Liquides  extraits  des  Kystes  ovariques.    Par  le  Dr.  C.  Mehu, 
Pharmacieii  de  l'hox)ital  de  la  Charite.  Paris  :  Asselin  &  Co.  1881.  Pp.  32. 
On  the  liquids  taken  from  ovarian  cysts. 
The  author  has  examined  a  large  number  of  liquids  obtained  on  the 
puncture  of  ovarian  cysts.  The  total  amount  of  liquid  obtained  in  each 
case  varied  between  220  grams  and  38  kilograms.  One  kilo  of  the  filtered 
liquid  yielded  between  10'96  and  149  grams  of  dry  substances,  the  unfll- 
tered  liq- id  occasionally  209*18  grams.  This  diy  residue  consisted  of  vari- 
able quantities  of  organic  matter,  while  the  inorganic  matter  obtained  by 
incineration  was  pretty  constant,  varying  only  between  7  and  9  grams, 
and  being  mostly  between  8-0  and  8 -5  grams  for  1  kilo  of  the  liquid. 
