Amjuiyr,'S9oarm-}   Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  337 
into  pieces  four  inches  square.  These  are  applied  over  the  splenic 
region  for  eight  days  at  a  time,  allowing  intervals  of  eight  days 
between  the  applications.  The  plasters  should  be  renewed  every 
four  days.  The  author  says :  "  With  a  plaster  of  this  size  there  is 
usually  no  salivation ;  with  one  of  double  the  size  we  get  a 
slight  salivation  with  a  benign  stomatitis."  It  is  stated  that  the 
author  administers  mercury  for  syphilis  in  no  other  form. — Soc. 
Franc,  de  Derm,  et  de  Syph ,  Apr.  12. 
The  Toxalbumins. — According  to  Professor  Cornil  the  toxic 
action  of  pathogenetic  microbes,  is  not  wholly  due  either  to  the 
microbes  themselves  or  the  alkaloids  they  secrete.  Christmas  has 
found  that  cultures  of  staphylococcus  pyogenes  aureus  contain  a 
pyogenic  albuminous  substance  which  may  be  precipitated  by 
alcohol.  Hankin  precipitated  this  toxic  albumin  from  cultures  of 
charbon  bacilli  by  the  use  of  ammonia  sulphate  and  alcohol,  and 
found  them  to  possess  innoculatory  power.  Brieger  and  Fraenkel 
and  Roux  and  Yersin  obtained  the  substance  from  cultures  of  the 
diphtheritic  bacillus.  It  is  soluble  in  water  and  may  be  precipitated 
by  carbonic,  acetic  and  some  of  the  concentrated  mineral  acids,  by 
phenol,  sulphate  of  copper,  nitrate  of  silver,  chloride  of  mercury, 
the  usual  reagents  for  albumin,  and  the  xanthoproteic  reagent,  while 
polarization  also  shows  that  it  is  a  derivative  of  albumin.  The 
substance  is  said  to  resemble  sero-albumin.  It  is  very  toxic  and 
conserves  its  properties  alter  being  subjected  to  a  heat  of  15  8°  F. 
Brieger  and  Fraenkel  think  that  the  toxalbumins  "  arise  in  the 
organism  and  develop  there  at  the  expense  of  the  albumin  of  the 
tissues. — Jour,  de  conn.  m'ed.y  May  I. 
Dentifrices. — The  formulae  of  M.  P.  Vigier's  antiseptic  dentifrices 
are  given  in  the  Gazette  hehdomadaire  as  follows  :  Powder — 
Resorcin,  2  gm.;  salol,  4  gm. ;  iris  (pulv.),  40  gm. ;  carbonate  of 
lime,  8  gm. ;  carmine  No.  40,  30  cmg.  Ten  drops  of  ol.  menth.  pip. 
may  be  added  if  thought  necessary,  but  the  author  considers  the 
odor  of  the  salol  as  quite  sufficient.  Elixir — Any  elixir  dentifrice, 
100  gm. ;  resorcin,  2  gm. ;  salol,  2  gm. 
Milk  of  Lime  as  a  Disinfectant  for  Walls  Exposed  to  the 
Germs  of  Disease. — Experiments  made  by  Dr.  Giaxa,  of  the 
University  of  Pisa,  seem  to  show  that  the  bacilli  of  typhoid  fever 
and  of  cholera  are  destroyed  by  this  application,  which,  for  the 
former  should  contain  50,  and  for  the  latter,  20  per  cent,  of  lime. 
