"^'"jiUy'iSr"''}        Active  Principle  in  Vesicating  Insects.  351 
In  the  female,  all  the  parts  of  the  genital  apparatus  and  the  eggs  are 
epipastic.  The  eggs,  after  being  de})Ositecl,  were  found  to  have  a  very 
energetic  vesicant  action,  and  this  induced  the  author  to  see  if  this 
property  disappeared  at  any  period  during  the  evolution  of  the  insect 
to  reappear  subsequently.  He  found  the  larva  as  it  first  issues  from 
egg  is  equally  active,  five  and  twenty  of  them  reduced  to  a  pulp  and 
applied  to  the  forearm  producing  a  small  blister.  Lastly,  the  very 
young  cantharides,  measuring  8  to  10  millimetres  long,  which  had  not 
yet  coupled,  were  found  to  be  equally  vesicant.  These  various  results 
invalidate  the  conclusions  of  Nentwich  (^'Pharm.  Journ."  [3],  i,  158  ; 
'"'Am.  Jour.  Phar.,"  1870,  p.  528),  who  asserted  that  the  epispastic 
power  is  not  developed  until  after  the  coupling  of  the  insects,  and  that 
young  or  medium-sized  insects  do  not  determine  the  formation  of 
blisters  on  the  skin. 
Experimenting  as  to  the  genera  in  which  the  vesicating  property 
occurs,  the  author  found  it  in  species  of  Meloe,  Ceroconia,  Mykibris, 
Coryna,  (JEnas,  Lydus,  Alosymus,  Cabalia,  Lagorina,  Cantharis,  Lytta, 
JEpicauta,  and  Sitaris,  many  of  whicli  are  already  recognized  as  vesi- 
cants, but  some  have  not  yet  been  studied.  He  also  found  it  present 
in  Henous  confertus,  belonging  to  a  genus  that,  to  his  knowledge,  had 
not  been  properly  tested.  The  genus  Zonitis  has  been  ranged  by 
Leclerc  among  non-vesicant  insects,  but  Beguin,  on  the  contrary,  has 
stated  that  he  has  found  two  species  (Z.  prceusta  and  Z.  fulvipennis) 
active.  The  author  confirms  the  latter  observer,  since  he  obtained  a 
large  blister,  after  eight  hours'  application  of  Z.  mutica  and  Z.  bilineata. 
The  genus  Nemognatha,  which  has  also  been  reported  to  be  inactive  by 
Leclerc,  was  found  to  have  active  representatives  in  N,  chrysomeUna 
and  N.  lutea.  The  author  concludes  from  his  experiments  that,  omit- 
ting the  group  of  Horiides,  all  the  insects  belonging  to  the  tribe  Can- 
tharides are  vesicants. — Fhar.  Jour,  and  Trans.,  April  25,  1835,  p.  873. 
Antiseptic  Silk. — Freeman  uses  Chinese  twist  which  has  been 
rendered  aseptic  by  boiling  for  ten  minutes  in  a  two  per  cent,  solution 
of  chromic  acid,  and  then  soaking  for  twelve  hours  in  a  one  per  cent, 
solution  of  the  same.  He  states  that  the  sutures  may  be  left  m  situ 
for  three  weeks  without  the  occurrence  of  either  suppuration  or  soften- 
ing of  the  silk.  Silk  thus  prepared  is  especially  useful  in  operations 
about  the  genital  organs  in  women  as  well  as  in  laparotomy. — N.  Y. 
Medical  Journal. 
