630  yariettes. 
At  that  time  I  had  under  my  treatment  Capt.  C,  who  was  suffering  from  the  mor- 
phia-habit, was  wounded  in  the  left  leg  at  the  battle  of  Nashville  during 
Hood's  raid  through  Tennessee,  and  had  it  amputated  at  the  middle  third  of  the 
thigh.  He  contracted  the  morphia-habit  to  alleviate  the  intense  pain,  and  con- 
tinued it  for  several  years.  Five  years  ago  he  quit  taking  the  drug,  and  abstained 
till  last  spring,  when  he  went  to  Louisiana  from  Middle  Tennessee,  where  his  phy- 
sician prescribed  morphia  in  conjunction  with  quinia  for  the  relief  of  malarial 
poisoning.  The  old  habit  soon  returned  with  all  its  pristine  force.  When  he  came 
back  I  tound  him  in  the  condition  described  above — gloomy,  despondent,  and 
threatening  to  commit  suicide. 
As  soon  as  I  read  Dr.  Palmer's  article  I  determined  to  give  the  coca  a  fair  test,, 
and  am  able  to  report  that  the  result  was  a  most  happy  one.  He  has  been  using  the 
coca  ad  libitum  for  more  than  a  week,  and  now,  instead  of  taking  three  grains  of 
morphia  several  times  a  day,  is  entirely  relieved  of  this  habit  with  all  its  distressing 
effects,  and  is  happy,  hopeful  and  cheerful. 
I  hope  all  other  physicians  will  try  this  new  remedy  in  cases  of  this  kind,  and. 
report  through  the  "News"  and  other  medical  journals,  as  I,  for  one,  am  deeply 
interested  in  the  result. — J.  G.  Core,  M.D.,  in  Louis'ville  Med.  Nenvs  —  Therapeutic 
Gazette,  July,  1880. 
To  Disguise  Cod  Liver  Oil. — Dr.  Peuteves,  in  the  "  France  Medicale,"  recom- 
mends, in  order  to  render  cod  liver  oil  tasteless,  to  mix  a  tablespoonful  of  it  inti- 
mately with  the  yolk  of  an  egg,  add  a  few  drops  of  essence  of  peppermint  and  half 
a  tumbler  of  sugared  water,  so  as  to  obtain  a  lait  du  poule  ("  Med.  Press  and  Cir- 
cular"). By  this  means  the  taste  and  characteristic  odor  of  the  oil  is  entirely  cov- 
ered, and  the  patients  take  it  without  the  slightest  repugnance.  Besides,  the  oil. 
being  thus  rendered  miscible  with  water  in  all  proportions,  is  in  as  complete 
state  of  emulsion  as  the  fats  at  the  moment  they  penetrate  the  chyle  vessels,  conse- 
quently absorption  is  better  assured. — Louisa.  Med.  Ne=zvs,  Oct.  9. 
Digestion  in  Plants. — Dr.  Lawson  Talt  has  recently  investigated  afresh  the  diges- 
tive principle  of  plants.  While  he  has  obtained  complete  proof  of  a  digestiv.-  pro- 
cess in  cephalotus,  nepenthes,  dionoea  and  the  droseraceae,  he  entirely  failed  with 
sarracenia  and  darllngtonia.  The  fluid  separated  from  the  drosera  binata  he  found 
to  contain  two  substances,  to  which  he  gives  the  names  "  droserin  "  and  "azerin."^ 
Dr.  Tait  confirms  Sir  J.  D.  Hooker's  statement  that  the  fluid  removed  from  the  liv- 
ing pitcher  of  nepenthes  into  a  glass  vessel  does  not  digest.  A  series  of  experiments 
led  him  to  the  conclusion  that  the  acid  must  resemble  lactic  acid,  at  least  in  Its  pro- 
perties. The  glands  In  the  pitchers  of  nepenthes  he  states  to  be  quite  analogous  to 
the  peptic  follicles  of  the  human  stomach  ;  and  when  the  process  of  digestion  Is 
conducted  with  albumen,  the  products  are  exactly  the  same  as  when  pepsin  Is 
engaged.  The  results  give  the  same  reactions  with  reagents,  especially  the  charac- 
teristic violet  with  oxide  of  copper  and  potash,  and  thsre  can  be  no  doubt  that  they 
are  peptones. — Med.  and  Surg.  Reporter,  Nov.  13. 
/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I       Dec  ,  1880. 
