348  Gleanings  from  the  Medical  Journals.  {AmjSjyig^.arm- 
that  the  coloring  matter  is  abundant  enough  to  stain  the  herbarium 
paper  in  the  following  species,  chiefly  in  the  roots  ;  Echium  vulgare, 
Eritrichium  glomeratum,  Krynitzkia  barbigera  (abundant  in  leaves), 
K.  Californica  (slight),  K.  maritima,  K.  micrantha,  K.  pterocarya, 
Lithospermum  multiflorum,  L.  strictum,  L.  spathulatum,  L.  hirtum, 
L.  canescens,  L.  augustifolium  (not  abundant),  Plagiobothrys  canes- 
cens  (in  leaves),  P.  nothofulvus  (in  leaves),  P.  tenellus,  P.  Arizonicus 
(abundant  in  stem  and  leaves  as  well  as  root),  P.  Torreyi  (very  abun- 
dant in  some  specimens,  others  with  hardly  a  trace). 
The  coloring  matter  in  the  American  plants  seems  to  be  the  same 
as  that  derived  from  Alkanna  tinctoria.  Though  I  know  of  no 
analysis  of  any  of  the  American  Borraginace?e,  Professor  Pammel 
and  myself  have  obtained  the  characteristic  reactions  from  the 
leaves  and  roots  of  Plagiobothrys  with  resin  and  oils.  The  color  is 
also  very  persistent  on  the  hands,  after  handling  the  plants.  Per- 
haps some  economical  use  may  be  made  of  our  American  plants. 
GLEANINGS  FROM  THE  MEDICAL  JOURNALS. 
By  Clement  b.  Lowe,  M.D. 
YELLOW  SNOW  AND  WIND  CARRYING  POWER. 
There  was  a  fall  of  dirty-colored  snow  at  Engaddi,  in  Switzerland, 
not  long  ago,  and  instead  of  taking  it  as  an  evil  omen,  as  of  yore, 
the  inhabitants  proceeded  to  investigate  it.  Boiling  the  snow  gave 
a  dirty  yellowish  water,  from  which  a  thick  layer  of  mud-like  con- 
sistency and  appearance  was  deposited.  Testing  of  this  with  va- 
rious chemical  re-agents  showed  that  it  contained  iron  in  combina- 
tion with  minute  quantities  of  other  metals  and  chemicals,  such  as 
are  found  only  in  certain  minerals  rich  in  iron  ore  in  Hungary.  The 
dust  had  evidently  been  lifted  by  an  eddy  of  wind  from  the  bare 
plains  hundreds  of  miles  away,  and  carried  until  it  met  the  falling 
snowstorm,  on  which  it  was  deposited  to  fall  with  it.  The  incident 
is  a  striking  illustration  of  the  possible  carrying  power  of  the  wind 
in  times  of  epidemics,  the  well-known  tendency  of  bacteria  to  cling 
to  dust  particles  favoring  their  transportation  in  this  way.  An  ex- 
planation of  the  almost  simultaneous  breaking  out  of  epidemics  at 
points  distantly  separated  may  thus  be  afforded — a  much  more 
definite  explanation  than  the  usual  appeal  to  indefinite  meteoro- 
logical conditions.— Pliila.  Med.  J  our.,  April  16,  1898. 
