632 
Varieties, 
i  Am.  Jour.  Phann^ 
1      Dec,  1882. 
cent,  of  the  weight  of  the  dog's  body.  Washing  with  cold  water  does  not 
remove  all  the  poison,  so  that  mushrooms  thus  prepared  are  poisonous  when 
taken  in  larger  quantities.  Dried  mushrooms  are  still  dangerous  for  from 
twelve  to  twenty  days,  and  also  the  water  in  which  they  have  been  boiled. 
They  require  to  be  dried  for  at  least  a  whole  month,  and  are  only  really 
safe  after  four  months'  drying. — Chic.  Med.  Heview,  Oct.  1. 
Nutritive  Value  of  Soups  and  Broths.— The  distinguished  German 
Professor  Virchow  has  been  accused  of  being  the  chief  ojDponent  of  soup. 
He  says  ("  Scientific  American  ")  that  this  is  not  true,  for  he  had  merely 
said  that  meat  broths  are  neither  nutritious  nor  "  substantial."  That  if  all 
the  meat  which  one  uses  should  be  boiled  and  soup  made  of  it,  the  meat 
would  become  for  the  greater  part  indigestible,  and  the  soup  would  not  be 
a  substitute  for  it.  Ordinary  meat  broth  or  bouillon  in  its  pure  form  can 
only  be  recognized  as  a  condiment.  By  the  addition  of  eggs,  tlour,  fat  and 
other  things  it  may  acquire  a  certain  nourishing  and  heating  value.  It  is, 
primarily,  only  a  very  dilute  aqueous  solution  of  substances  that  are  in  part 
of  low  value  as  heat  producers,  such  as  gelatin,  and  in  part  of  the  stimu- 
lating aromatic  parts  of  the  meat.  Taken  warm,  it  is  of  nearly  the  same 
value  as  coffee  or  tea,  but  is  inferior  to  wine,  schnapps  or  beer ;  it  only 
stimulates  the  nerves.  It  has  one  advantage  over  every  other  condiment, 
namely,  it  contains  no  poisonous  substance,  it  is  incomparably  milder,  hence 
much  better  adapted  to  feeble  persons  ;  and  finally,  it  can  be  very  conveni- 
ently combined  with  substances  that  are  actually  nutritious,  and  imparts, 
to  them  an  agreeable  and  substantial  taste. — Chic.  Med.  Jieview,  Oct.  1. 
Milk  Powder  in  Gastric  Affections.— The  "Medical  Times  and 
Gazette"  says  that  Dr.  Debove,  in  a  communication  to  the  Paris  Hospital 
Medical  Society,  "Gaz.  Hebdomadaire,"  August  25th,  observes  that  the 
milk  regimen,  which  is  so  indispensable  in  affections  of  the  stomach,  and 
especially  simple  ulcer,  speedily  becomes  so  disgusting  to  these  patients 
that  it  has  to  be  left  off.  This  serious  inconvenience,  however,  may  be 
remedied  by  the  employment  of  the  oesophageal  tube  now  used  for  feeding 
phthisical  patients.  But  by  this  only  a  liter  of  milk  can  be  introduced  at  a 
time,  so  that  it  would  require  to  be  employed  six  times  in  order  to  intro- 
duce the  six  liters,  which  is  the  mean  quantity  required  for  the  subjects  of 
ulcus  rotundum.  To  avoid  this  frequent  introduction  of  the  tube  Dr 
Debove  has  had  skimmed  milk  evaporated  (cream  being  but  slightly  digest- 
ible), and  the  residue  reduced  to  a  fine  powder.  If  this  be  dissolved  in  warm 
hot  water,  two  or  three  liters  of  milk  may  be  injected  in  the  same  volume 
as  a  single  liter.  It  is  possible  that  this  milk-powder,  which  furnishes 
excellent  results  in  gastric  affections,  may  also  prove  very  useful  in  Bright's 
disease,  cardiac  affections,  and  all  cases  in  which  a  milk  regimen  is 
employed.  About  a  liter  of  pure  milk  is  represented  by  4  ounces  of  the 
powder.  Dr.  Dujardin-Beaumetz  observed  that  in  feeding  the  subjects  of 
phthisis  with  the  tube  he  has  obtained  excellent  results  from  a  mixture  of 
powder  of  meat,  powder  of  blood,  and  powder  of  milk.  As  powder  of  blood 
is  not  very  digestible,  he  only  adds  a  small  proportion  of  that  as  a  ferrugin- 
ous principle. — Med.  and  Surg.  Reporter^  Nov.  4. 
