Am.  Jour.  Pnarm. 
June,  1879. 
V arieties. 
323 
The  Mboundou  Poison. — The  following  are  the  principal  points  of  a  recent 
memoir  by  M.  Testut  on  the  mboundou  poison  of  Gaboon,  Africa,  as  given  in  a 
notice  in  La  France  Medic  ale  : 
In  the  first  place,  the  author  found  the  action  of  the  poison  varies  according  to  the 
way  it  was  administered,  and  the  dose.  With  small  doses  there  were  invariably 
observed  convulsive  symptoms,  indicating  increased  reflex  excitability.  If  given  in 
large  doses,  the  animal  appeared  as  if  struck  down,  respiration  was  arrested  in  a  few 
seconds,  and  the  frog  became  a  passive  mass,  not  even  responding,  in  any  way  what- 
ever, to  excitations  ;  nevertheless,  he  is  not  dead  ;  the  heart  continues  to  beat  with 
.normal  regularity. 
M.  Testut  therefore  suspects  that  there  may  be  two  principles  in  this  famous 
ordeal  poison — one  exciting  the  reflex  activities  and  the  other  stupefying  and  paraly- 
zing them,  this  last  acting  only  when  large  doses  are  given,  and  killing  the  animal 
before  the  convulsive  phenomena  have  had  time  to  appear.  Whatever  they  or  it 
may  be,  eliminaiion  takes  place  through  the  regular  channels,  and,  in  case  of  the 
frog,  largely  through  the  skin. 
The  abdominal  lesions  found  after  death  from  this  poison  are  of  a  congestive 
'nature,  and  similar  to  those  found  after  poisoning  from  strychnia  and  agaricus. 
These  lesions,  not  being  due  to  a  direct  or  topical  action,  must  be  attributed  to  the 
vaso-motor  centres  in  the  spinal  cord,  disordered  in  their  functions  by  the  absorption 
of  the  poison.  The  mechanism  of  death  from  this  poison  in  the  higher  animals  is, 
probably,  asphyxia  by  respiratory  arrest,  a  pulmonary  anhsematosis. — Journal  of 
Nervous  and  Mental  Disease,  April. 
•Spiritus  Nucis  Juglandis. — Dr.  Edward  Mackey,  of  Brighton,  England  (Prac- 
titioner, Dec.),  gives  the  results  of  his  experience  in  the  treatment  of  obstinate  vom- 
iting, with  spirit  of  walnut,  a  remedy  almost  obsolete,  but  for  which  he  claims  con- 
siderable efficacy  as  an  anti  emetic,  useful  in  many  cases  of  obstinate  emesis.  The 
preparation  he  uses  he  obtained  from  Messrs.  Soiithall,  of  Birmingham,  and  is  as 
follows:  Fresh  walnuts,  30  oz. ;  spirit  of  wine  (rect.),  12  oz. ;  water  q.  s.  Distil 
16  oz.  He  has  had  good  results  from  its  use,  in  drachm  doses,  every  one  to  four 
hours,  in  a  1  ttle  water,  in  cases  of  hysterical  vomiting,  the  vomiting  of  obstinate 
dyspepsia,  that  of  pregnancy,  that  due  to  anomalous  causes,  and  even  in  cerebral 
vomiting.  He  has  tried  it  also  in  septicaemia  without  effect  $  but  this  result  is  not 
surprising.  He  recommends  its  more  extensive  trial  by  the  medical  profession. — 
Jour.  Ner-v.  and  Ment.  Disease,  April. 
Suberin  for  Chapped  Nipples. — (L"  Union  Medicale  du  Canada,  January,  1879) 
The  treatment  recommended  by  M.  Brochard  for  fissured  nipples  is  so  simple  that 
it  deserves  to  be  popularized.  When  chaps  exist  on  the  nipples,  whatever  their 
extent,  the  nipple  should  be  washed  with  pure  water,  and  then  dried  and  dusted  with 
suberin,  which,  as  is  known,  is  impalpable  cork  powder.  The  author  has  used 
it  for  several  years,  and  prefers  it  to  lycopodium  for  infants,  because  it  contains 
