326 
Varieties. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
t     July  1, 1872. 
Cure  of  Hydrophobia. — Dr.  Alford,  at  Flint,  Mich.,  has  cured  a  case  of 
hydrophobia.  The  disease  did  not  make  its  appearance  until  eight  months  after 
the  patient  was  bitten.  The  treatment  was  this  :  Sulphate  of  morphia,  one 
grain,  was  injected  subcutaneously  every  four  hours,  and  half  a  drachm  of  pow- 
dered castor  given  internally,  in  syrup,  at  the  same  time.  Chloroform  was  also 
inhaled  in  small  quantities.  In  about  half  an  hour,  sleep  occurred,  and  con- 
tinued over  an  hour.  Convulsions  then  recurred,  and  continued,  with  intervals 
of  variation,  for  about  twelve  hours,  when  they  entirely  ceased.  Vomiting  and 
great  prostration  followed,  but  the  patient  ultimately  recovered.  The  exces- 
sive prostration  was  counteracted  by  wrapping  the  patient  in  a  woollen  blanket 
moistened  with  a  warm  solution  of  muriate  of  ammonia,  twenty  grains  to  the 
ounce. 
Dr.  Alford  states  that  he  had  another  successful  case  of  cure  of  hydrophobia 
eight  years  ago. — Scientific  American,  May  25, 1872. 
Coffee  Roasting. — There  is  a  considerable  difference  in  the  method  of  roast- 
ing the  coffee  berry  in  this  country  and  on  the  Continent.  In  France,  for  in- 
stance, not  only  is  the  machinery  used  constructed  with  some  amount  of  care 
for  the  purpose  of  securing  the  object  desired — namely,  the  equal  torrifying  of 
the  berries,  but  the  persons  employed  in  the  operation  have  to  possess  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  technical  skill,  and  a  knowledge  of  the  chemistry  of  the  work 
they  do.  In  France  a  roaster  has  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  the  various  coffee 
berries,  for  each  different  sort  requires  to  be  roasted  a  longer  or  shorter  period 
than  the  other;  and  when  it  is  remembered  that,  on  the  authority  of  those  who 
have  studied  the  subject,  a  few  seconds  only  will  make  all  the  difference  in  the 
quality  of  the  coffee,  it  will  seem  that  this  knowledge  is  important.  Roasters 
have  to  serve  some  years  before  they  are  declared  thoroughly  competent,  and 
the  operation  of  roasting  is  always  under  the  superintendence,  if  not  of  the  ac- 
tual care,  of  a  tried  and  experienced  man.  The  machinery  in  use  is  generally 
as  follows  :  A  hollow  iron  ball,  turning  on  its  axis,  receives  the  unroasted  ber- 
ries. In  it  is  a  valve  by  which  the  escape  of  the  gas,  arising  during  the  pro- 
cess, is  regulated.  This  ball  is  turned  over  a  fire  and  made  to  revolve  some- 
what rapidly.  Its  shape  secures  the  equal  contact  of  every  berry  with  the  hot 
metal.  As  soon  as  the  berries  are  sufficiently  roasted,  the  gas  is  let  off,  for  if 
it  were  allowed  to  remain,  the  berries  would  absorb  it,  and  the  flavor  be  viti- 
ated. The  revolving  motion  is  then  continued  until  they  are  turned  into  the 
receptacle  prepared  to  receive  them.  They  are  then  kept  in  hermetically- 
closed  tins  until  they  are  ready  for  use.  In  this  country  the  process  is  much 
more  a  rule  of  thumb  affair,  and,  with  rare  exceptions,  all  coffees  are  roasted 
alike,  in  cylinders,  which  are  not  capable  ef  roasting  so  equally  as  a  ball,  and 
but  little  attention  is  paid  to  the  chemical  effects  of  the  roasting.  Another 
bad  feature  ^prevails  in  England,  and  that  is,  the  berries  are  ground  by  the 
wholesale  dealers,  and  by  the  time  the  decoction  reaches  the  breakfast  table 
the  best  flavor  of  the  coffee  has  been  floated  away  in  the  air.  In  order  to  facili- 
tate adulteration,  coffee  is  usually  ground  very  fine,  which  is  another  mistake* 
—  Good  Health,  March,  1872, from  English  Mechanic. 
