MEDICAL  PURVEYING  FOR  THE  U.  S.  ARMY,  ETC.  271 
the  most  intense  cold.  By  mixing  1386  grains  of  the  salt  with 
its  weight  of  water  at  17°  C,  a  cold  of  ( — 12°)  C,  was  obtained; 
the  temperature  of  the  atmosphere  at  the  time  of  the  experiment 
was  the  same  as  that  of  the  water  employed. 
This  method  of  producing  cold  could  hardly  be  advantageous 
in  a  practical  point  of  view,  on  account  of  the  somewhat  costly 
nature  of  the  sulphocyanide ;  but  it  may  be  interesting  to  the 
scientific  chemist  as  another  example  of  a  property  which  is  known 
to  be  possessed  by  several  other  saline  bodies. — Chem.  News, 
Feb.  16,  1866,  from  Museum  of  Irish  Industry,  January  26. 
MEDICAL    PURVEYING  FOR  THE  U.  S.  ARMY  DURING 
THE  LATE  WAR. 
We  have  taken  some  pains  to  gain  information  of  a  reliable 
character  in  relation  to  the  Pharmacy  of  the  late  war,  but  on 
several  occasions  have  been  met  by  objections  on  the  part  of 
those  in  authority.  As  it  is  facts,  and  not  mere  outlines  or 
opinions,  that  are  desirable,  we  propose  to  put  on  record  some  of 
the  official  statements  as  they  become  accessible,  hoping  that, 
before  long,  we  shall  be  able  to  give  some  account  of  the  army 
laboratories  and  their  working  during  the  period  when  they 
were  in  full  operation.  The  following  extract  from  a  "  State- 
ment "  issued  by  Surgeon  R.  S.  Satterlee,  Medical  Purveyor, 
U.  S.  A.,  at  New  York,  will  give  some  idea  of  the  amount 
of  drugs  and  medicines  supplied  from  a  single  depot  to  the 
army  during  four  years  and  three  quarters.  The  list  con- 
tains only  the  drugs  and  medicines,  dressings  and  hospital 
stores,  as  we  have  not  space  for  the  other  supplies  which  came 
under  the  head  "  Surgical  Instruments,"  medical  books,  record 
books,  stationery,  hospital  clothing,  bedding,  furniture  and 
appliances,  and  miscellaneous  articles.  The  moneys  expended 
by  Surgeon  Satterlee  in  purchasing  all  the  supplies,  and  for  ser- 
vices of  contract  surgeons,  nurses,  etc.,  during  the  period  men- 
tioned, amount  to  the  large  sum  of  $18,086,569.31,  of  which 
$753,184.91  were  in  1861,  $2,779,635.21  in  1862,  $3,420,334.33 
in  1863,  $6,472,498.41  in  1864,  and  $4,660,916.45  in  1865. 
We  hope  to  be  able  to  get  a  report  of  the  medical  purveying  at 
Philadelphia  during  the  same  period. — Ed.  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
