652  Specimens  for  a  Herbarium.  j AmseJp0tur\92iarm' 
respect.  Goldberger  produced  the  disease  experimentally  in  a  squad 
of  volunteers  by  a  diet  consisting  of  vegetable  protein,  mainly 
wheat,  maize  and  rice.  On  a  vegetable  diet  principally  of  maize, 
Chick  and  Hume  produced  symptoms  in  monkeys  very  like  the 
symptoms  of  pellagra  in  man,  and  a  cure  was  effected  in  one  case 
by  a  diet  containing  better  proteins. 
Wilson,  of  Cairo,  who  investigated  the  outbreaks  of  pellagra  in 
Armenian  refugee  camps  at  Port  Said,  found  the  diet  was  inade- 
quate in  energy  supply  and  protein  supply  (vegetable).  Thomas 
( 1909)  tested  the  comparitive  values  of  proteins  for  man,  and  found 
that  meat  was  three  times  as  good  as  maize.  Wilson,  calculating 
from  Thomas'  figures,  determined  that  the  refugees  had  a  casein 
equivalent  of  22  gm.  per  day.  On  improving  to  a  casein  equivalent 
of  41  gm.  per  day  no  more  cases  of  pellagra  occurred.  Shortage  of 
protein  and  quality  of  protein  are  thus  at  the  root  of  the  trouble. 
AN  IMPROVED  METHOD  OF  PRESERVING  SPECIMENS 
FOR  A  HERBARIUM.* 
By  E.  A.  Price  and  Noel  L.  Allport. 
The  procedure  generally  adopted  for  the  preservation  of  bo- 
tanical specimens  leaves  much  to  be  desired.  The  flowers  are  sim- 
ply introduced  between  sheets  of  absorbent  material,  such  as  blot- 
ting-paper, and  subjected  to  pressure,  either  in  books  or  the  botan- 
ical press.  The  process  is  long  and  tedious,  requiring  not  less  than 
three  weeks  to  complete ;  it  necessitates  repeated  changing  of  the 
absorbent  sheets,  and  since  the  tissues  become  flimsy  the  risk  of  dis- 
tortion is  very  great;  in  wet  weather  the  plants  must  be  first  freed 
from  external  moisture;  finally  there  is  the  liability  to  infection  by 
mould.  Even  when  these  difficulties  are  overcome  the  resulting1 
specimens  lack  permanence,  both  of  shape  and  color.  Particularly 
is  this  the  case  with  members  of  the  Orchidacece,  which  become 
wrinkled  and  assume  a  dirty  brown  tint ;  again,  aquatic  plants,  such 
as  Hottonia  palustris,  cannot  be  induced  to  retain  the  delicate  color- 
ing of  the  leaves  and  flowers. 
*From  Pharm.  Jour,  and  Pharm.,  July  2,  1921. 
