50 
Varieties. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharni 
Jan.,  1890. 
and  color  of  protoplasm  itself  (chromatophores),.the  products  of  whose  divi- 
sion are  three-fold,  some  of  the  resulting  granules  being  colorless,  others 
become  true  chlorophyll  granules,  while  others  still,  in  those  leaves  which 
become  the  leaves  of  the  flower  and  the  fruit,  assume  colors  other  than  green. 
Such,  then,  are  some  of  the  more  important  changes  which  have  taken  place 
with  regard  to  our  knowledge  of  the  living  contents  of  vegetable  cells. 
VARIETIES. 
Sysygium  Jambolanum,  Be  Candolle. — Dr.  C.  Graeser  has  experimented 
upon  dogs  rendered  diabetic  by  the  administration  of  phloridzin,  and  ascer- 
tained that  the  excretion  of  sugar  was  promptly  reduced  from  80  to  86  per 
cent,  by  the  administration  of  extract  of  jambul,  concentrated  so  that  100  gm. 
of  fruit  were  represented  by  16|  gm.  of  the  kernel  and  llf  gm.  of  the  rind 
extract.   The  dose  was  6  to  18  gm.  daily. —  The  Lancet,  Nov.  2, 1889. 
Antidote  for  Morphine. — Professor  Arpad  Bokai  {Inter.  Klin.  Rundschau) 
recommends  picrotoxin  as  an  antidote  for  morphine,  on  the  ground  that  it 
exerts  an  antagonistic  action  to  morphine  on  the  respiratory  centres  ;  also  that 
it  is  a  powerful  stimulant  to  the  vaso-motor  centre,  and  in  this  respect  likewise 
an  antagonistic  to  morphine  ;  further,  that  the  action  of  morphine  on  the  cere- 
brum is  directly  opposed  to  that  exerted  by  picrotoxin,  and,  finally,  Professor 
Bokai  suggests  that  the  previous  administration  of  a  small  dose  of  picrotoxin 
might  reduce  the  danger  of  asphyxia  in  chloroform  and  narcossis. 
Action  of  Hydrastis  canadensis. — From  his  physiological  experiments  upon 
rabbits,  Heinricus  (Fortschr.  d.  Med.,  June  15, 1889)  concludes  that  small  doses 
strengthen  the  respiration  for  a  short  time  ;  large  doses  stop  it  for  a  time,  and 
then  render  the  movement  superficial.  He  could  not  find  it  exercise  any  influ- 
ence on  the  contractile  power  of  the  uterus  or  vagina. 
The  astringent  and  at  the  same  time  weak  local  anaesthetic  action  of  hydrastine 
has  led  Felsenberg  ( Wiener  med.  Blatter)  to  employ  the  fluid  extract  of  hydrastis 
in  cases  of  chronic  pharyngitis  accompanied  with  tonsillar  hypertrophy.  On 
painting  the  affected  mucous  membrane  several  times  daily,  a  distinct  decrease 
of  the  redness  and  swelling  hecame  evident.  The  subjective  symptoms  quickly 
abated ;  the  patient  became  readily  habituated  to  the  bitter  taste. 
Poisoning  by  Salt  of  Sorrel. — A  man  accidently  swallowed  about  half  an 
ounce  of  salt  of  sorrel  dissolved  in  water.  Within  three  minutes  he  experi- 
enced a  severe  burning  pain  in  the  gullet  and  stomach.  Shortly  after  a 
brownish  foam  flowed  from  his  mouth  and  he  became  partially  unconscious. 
An  emetic  was  administered,  after  which  he  vomited  and  was  purged.  He 
slept  for  two  hours  and  on  awaking  had  severe  pain  in  the  back.  Three  days 
after  he  was  pale  and  haggard,  tongue  coated,  intense  thirst,  temperature 
102°  F.,  perspired  freely,  great  pain  in  lumbar  region,  tenesmns  with  blood- 
stained stools,  urine  high-colored.  The  patient  recovered,  but  suffered  from 
pain  after  taking  food,  constipation,  and  great  debility  for  some  time. — R.  Park 
in  Glasgow  Medical  Journal,  September,  1889. 
Pereirine  and  Quinine  in  Malarial  Fever. — Dr.  Tibirica,  physician  to  the  Hos- 
pital Santa  Veridiana  in  S.  Paulo,  Brazil,  publishes  in  the  Revista  Medica  de  S. 
Paulo  a  paper  on  the  "  Advantages  of  employing  Pereirine  as  an  Adjuvant  and 
