THE  AGASSIZ  EXPEDITION  TO  SOUTH  AMERICA.  303 
the  delirium  abated,  the  patient  became  more  quiet,  conscious- 
ness returned,  urine  was  passed  with  some  pain  in  the  urethra, 
and  the  pupils  become  somewhat  contracted.  In  the  case  of 
the  other  patient,  who  was  less  affected,  some  of  the  extract  of 
the  Calabar-bean  was  dropped  into  the  eye,  but  without  any 
good  effect,  for  on  the  next  day  the  symptoms  were  almost  un- 
changed, while  the  patient  who  had  taken  the  solution  of  the 
Calabar-bean  internally,  had  almost  completely  recovered.  The 
rapid  and  striking  improvement  in  one  of  these  cases  appears 
manifestly  to  be  attributable  to  the  administration  of  the  Cala- 
bar-bean extract,  for  the  patient  who  was  not  treated  in  the 
same  manner  showed  no  improvement  for  forty-eight  hours. — 
Lond.  Pharm.  Journal,  from  Berliner  Klinisehe  Wochenschrift 
and  British  and  Foreign  Medico-Chirurgieal  Review. 
THE  AGASSIZ  EXPEDITION  TO  SOUTH  AMERICA. 
On  the  29th  of  March,  Prof.  Agassiz,  with  a  large  corps  of 
assistants,  sailed  in  the  steamer  Colorado  for  Rio  Janeiro,  on 
an  exploring  tour  in  South  America.  His  corps  consists  of  0. 
H.  St.  John  and  C.  F.  Hartt  to  collect  fossils  and  to  aid  in 
geological  exploration,  J.  G.  Anthony  to  collect  mollusks,  J. 
A.  Allen  to  collect  birds  and  mammals,  G.  Sceva  to  make 
skeletons  of  mammals,  birds,  the  large  reptiles  and  fishes,  and 
Mr.  Burkhardt  to  make  drawings.  Prof.  Agassiz  will  devote 
himself,  with  native  and  such  other  assistance  as  he  may  ob- 
tain, to  the  collection  of  marine  invertebrates,  yet  will  have, 
for  his  main  object,  the  study  of  the  embryology  of  some  of 
the  remarkable  fishes  of  the  Amazon,  and  investigations  with 
regard  to  the  drift  phenomena,  or  ancient  glacial  action,  in  the 
Andes. 
The  party  is  accompanied  also  by  Dr.  B.  E.  Cotting  as  sur- 
geon, with  the  wives  of  Prof.  Agassiz  and  Dr.  Cotting,  a  son 
of  Mr.  N.  Thayer  of  Boston,  and  a  son  of  Mr.  S.  G.  Ward  of 
that  city. 
The  expedition  goes  first  to  Rio  Janeiro,  whence  the  geologi- 
cal assistants  will  journey  by  land  north  to  the  Amazon,  while 
the  rest  of  the  party,  after  completing  investigations  there,  will 
take  vessel  for  the  same  river.    Prof.  Agassiz  and  party  will 
