82 
Varieties. 
/  Am.  Jour.  Pharm 
I,       Feb.,  1882. 
little,  if  any,  action  on  yeast-cells.  It  forms  several  salts,  some  of 
Avhich  seem  destined  to  play  an  important  part  in  the  treatment  of  dis7 
ease.  The  tartrate  and  salicylate  are  both  colorless,  the  former  occur- 
ring in  the  form  of  small  acicular  crystals,  whilst  the  latter  is  an 
amorphous  powder.  They  both  have  a  peculiar  pungent  smell,  and  a 
somewhat  irritating,  though  by  no  means  an  unpleasant  taste.  From 
the  observations  of  Dr.  Donath,  of  Dr.  Leopld  Loewy  of  Fiinf  kirchen, 
and  of  Dr.  Salkowski  of  St.  Petersburg,  it  would  appear  that  the  tar- 
trate of  chinoline  possesses  antiperiodic  properties  of  the  highest  order ; 
and  there  is  reason  to  suppose  that  it  will,  to  some  extent,  replace 
quinine,  especially  as  it  can  be  turned  out  at  one-fifth  the  price,  the 
dose  being  almost  the  same.  Dr.  Loewy  records  forty  cases  of  inter- 
mittent fever  successfully  treated  with  the  new  remedy,  besides  many 
cases  of  neuralgia.  The  only  objection  to  its  use  is  that  it  occasionally 
uj^sets  the  stomach. 
It  must  be  remembered  that,  although  these  remedies  are  being 
extensively  tried  both  in  France  and  Germany,  we  have  as  yet  had  but 
little  experience  of  their  use  in  this  country ;  and,  until  their  physio- 
logical action  has  been  more  fully  investigated,  a  certain  amount  of 
caution  should  be  exercised  in  giving  the  larger  doses  that  have  been 
recommended. — Phar.  Jour,  and  Trans.,  Dec.  21;  Brit.  Med.  Jour. 
VARIETIES. 
Effects  of  removing  Mountain  Forests.— Attention  has  long  been 
given  to  devising  means  to  limit  tlie  ravages  of  these  torrents,  which  ruin 
the  land,  threaten  estates,  destroy  roads,  and  sometimes  even  compromise 
the  existence  of  villages.  Walls  have  been  built  along  the  banks  to  protect 
them,  or  across  the  streams  to  allay  the  force  of  the  waters.  The  most 
efficacious  means,  however,  as  yet  discovered,  has  been  to  maintain  the 
woods  on  the  slopes  of  the  mountain.  The  effect  of  cutting  away  the 
trees  in  promoting  the  formation  of  torrents  has  not  been  doubted  by  the 
inhabitants  of  mountainous  regions,  and  is  clearly  set  forth  by  M.  Surrell, 
who  says :  "  When  we  examine  the  tracks  in  the  midst  of  which  torrents 
of  recent  origin  have  been  formed,  we  perceive  that  they  have  in  all  cases 
been  despoiled  of  their  trees  and  bushes.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  we 
examine  hills  whose  sides  have  been  recently  stripped  of  wood,  we  observe 
that  they  are  cut  up  by  numerous  torrents,  which  have  evidently  been 
formed  very  lately.  Here  is  a  remarkable  double  fact :  wherever  there  are 
recent  torrents  there  are  no  longer  forests,  and  wherever  the  ground  is 
cleared  these  torrents  are  formed  ;  and  the  same  eyes  that  see  the  woods 
