182 
Poly  gala  Alba. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharrri. 
April,  1892. 
bark  being  likewise  of  uniform  width  or,  in  very  young  roots, 
absent,  because  not  yet  developed.  The  structure  of  the  root  of 
Pol.  Boykinii  agrees  with  this  description.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
transverse  section  of  the  root  of  P.  Senega  always  shows  a  more  or 
less  irregular  wood,  and  an  irregular  development  of  the  inner 
bark,  no  two  sections  of  the  same  root  being  exactly  alike  ;  even  in 
those  thick  roots  in  which  the  meditullium  shows  apparently  a  cir- 
cular growth,  it  is  easily  observed,  on  closer  examination,  to  be  of 
irregular  development,  most  strikingly  so  in  the  thinner  branches. 
In  other  words,  in  old  senega  roots  grown  in  rich  soil,  the  irregu- 
larity of  its  structure  may  become  obscured  to  some  extent,  but  it 
does  not  entirely  disappear,  v/hile  no  essential  change  is  observed 
in  the  uniform  structure  of  young  and  old  roots  of  P.  alba. 
The  conditions  pointed  out  were  again  observed  in  a  specimen  of 
"  northern  senega  "  described  by  Prof.  Sayre  in  Amer.  Jour.  Phar., 
March,  1892,  p.  113,  and  kindly  supplied  by  him.  Of  the  15  roots 
of  which  the  sample  consisted,  seven  roots  were  quite  small  and 
immature,  weighing  together  only  3  gm.  (46  grains) ;  they  are  pale 
colored  and  show  the  keel  very  plainly  in  all  parts.  In  the  remain- 
ing eight  dark-colored  roots  some  of  the  thinner  portions  and  of 
the  branches  were  missing.  Four  of  these  roots,  weighing  10-4  gm. 
(160  grains),  likewise  showed  the  keel,  though  less  prominently  in 
their  upper  parts.  In  two  roots,  weighing  8-7  gm.  (134  grains), 
mere  indications  of  the  keel  could  be  observed  in  the  root  body,  but 
the  branches  showed  it  distinctly.  The  remaining  two  roots,  or 
rather  parts  of  roots,  weighed  13-94  gm.  (215  grains) ;  the  external 
indications  of  the  keel  were  quite  doubtful,  and  could  not  be  dis- 
tinguished from  the  longitudinal  wrinkles  of  the  root  due  to  the 
shrinkage  of  the  tissues  by  drying.  The  internal  structure,  how- 
ever, gave  abundant  evidence  of  identity  with  that  of  the  smaller 
roots.  These  roots  having  been  collected  in  the  same  locality  fur- 
nish proof  that  the  external  restriction  and  apparent  disappearance 
of  the  keel  can  occur  only  in  old  senega  roots  of  robust  growth. 
Analogous  conditions  have  never  been  recorded  in  the  case  of  the 
keelless  white  senega  which  consists  of  the  naturally  thinner  roots 
of  Polygala  alba. 
Nitroglycerin. — Ten  drops  of  a  solution  have  been  administered  hypo- 
dermically  in  the  complete  asphyxia  of  drowning,  with  marvellous  results. — 
Quar.  Ther.  Rev.,  Jan.,  1892. 
