ON  THE  USE  OF  SPIDER'S  WEB  AS  A  STYPTIC. 
67 
In  the  case  of  dilute  sulphuric  acid,  however,  this  can  be 
effected  by  shaking  it  up  with  a  little  freshly-burned  charcoal  in 
a  state  of  powder  for  a  few  minutes,  and  afterwards  filtering. 
Sulphuric  acid  which  has  passed  through  this  operation  does 
not  give  any  reaction  of  nitric  acid  when  left  in  contact  with 
crystallized  sulphate  of  iron,  although  before  the  action  may 
have  been  very  decided. 
But  if  concentrated  sulphuric  acid,  which  is  only  very  slightly 
admixed  with  nitric  acid,  be  taken  and  agitated  with  charcoal  as 
before,  it  will  be  found,  even  after  a  very  long  contact,  that  a 
crystal  of  sulphate  of  iron  immersed  in  it  is  turned  of  a  pink 
color  just  as  quickly  as  if  charcoal  had  not  been  used. 
This  refusal  of  charcoal  to  absorb  nitric  acid  from  its  solution 
in  concentrated  sulphuric  acid  would  seem  to  indicate  that  this 
acid  is  retained  by  the  charcoal,  in  the  first  instance,  in  the  form 
of  a  hydrate,  the  dilute  condition  of  the  sulphuric  acid  employed 
preventing  its  decomposition. — Lond.  Chem.  News,  November 
9,  18G6. 
ON  THE  USE  OF  SPIDER'S  WEB  AS  A  STYPTIC. 
By  Abr.  Robertson,  Wheeling,  Ya. 
On  one  or  two  former  occasions  I  have  written  something  on 
the  use  of  the  spider's  web  as  a  styptic  in  cases  of  excessive 
hemorrhage  after  extracting  a  tooth.  I  now  wish  to  add  the 
result  of  my  experience  in  another  case.  I  do  it  with  the  hope 
and  belief  that  it  may  be  an  essential  service  to  some  of  my  pro- 
fessional brethren,  and  perhaps  to  some  of  their  patients.  It 
may  be  thus  serviceable  on  two  accounts.  First,  it  can  always 
be  obtained,  and  everywhere,  and  sometimes  when  other  more 
popular  remedies  cannot  so  readily  be  obtained  ;  and  second, 
because  in  my  hands  it  has  proved  efficient  where  everything 
else  has  failed. 
About  a  year  ago  a  young  man,  about  eighteen  years  of  age, 
came  to  my  office  to  have  a  lower  molar  tooth  extracted.  I  ex- 
amined the  tooth,  took  my  forceps  and  extracted.  The  operation 
required  rather  less  force  than  usual.  The  tooth  came  out  entire, 
and  clean,  and  with  no  laceration  of  surrounding  parts,  except 
