exhibit hypertrophy of the periosteum, and commencing rarification of the osseous tissue; some months later, the hypertrophy of the periosteum appears much increased, and the proportion of the inorganic constituents of the osseous substance considerably diminished. The atrophy of the osseous tissue is ascribed by Schiff to the paralysis of the limb, and can therefore be prevented by regular galvanization; the hypertrophy of the periosteum is attributed to the paralysis of the nerves of the vessels. V. SENSES. 1. BUROW: The Macula Lutea visible in our own Eye. (Müll. Arch. pp. 166 ss., 1854; and Canstatt, 1. c. p. 177.) 2. H. MÜLLER: On the Retina. (Verhandl. d. Würzburg Gesellsch. pp. 411 ss., 1855. 3. DONDERS: On Albinos. (Nederl. Lancet, Maart. 1854, and Schmidt's Jahrb. vol. lxxxvi. p. 23. 4. ENSMANN: On the Duration of the Impression of Light. (Poggend. Ann. vol. xci. p. 611, and Canstatt, 1. c. p. 10.) 5. KÖLLIKER: Experimental Proof of a Dilatator Pupilla. (Zeitsch. für Zoologie, vol. vi. p. 143, and Canstatt, 1. c. p. 176.) Burow, in producing Purkinje's figure (Purkinje's Adernfigur), observed the macula lutea of his own eye as a round, well-defined spot, in the centre of the optic field. From the arrangement of the shadow, he concludes that it projects from the surface of the retina into the corpus vitreum. The present essay H. Müller has continued his experiments on the rețina. tends to the following inferences:-1. Purkinje's figure is the shadow thrown by the vessels of the retina on that layer which is endowed with the faculty of the perception of light. 2. The direction of the motion which this vascular figure seems to take when the source of light is moved, confirms this explanation. 3. The layer for the perception of objective light must lie behind the vessels, therefore, at least, behind the layer of fibres of the optic nerve and of the nervecells. By means of the parallax, Müller has calculated the distance between the vessels and the light-perceiving membrane to be 0.17-0.33 millimètre. 4. As this distance corresponds with that existing between the layer of fibres of the optic nerve and the bacillar layer, the latter may with probability be considered to possess the faculty for perceiving objective light. 5. There is an essential difference between the origin of Purkinje's figure-i.e., the shadow of the vessels -and a similar figure produced by pressure, a figure which, besides, is always less defined in its outlines and ramifications. Ensmann observes, that the duration of the impression of colours occupies a different space of time, according to the quality of the colour; that it continues longest from yellow, second longest from white, less from red, and least from blue. Donders attributes the colour of the pupil of albinos to the light entering through the sclerotica and iris, and not to that entering through the pupil. By placing before the eye an untransparent capsule, with an opening corresponding to the pupil, the latter appears as dark in the albinos as in the eye of any other person. The power of vision was likewise much improved by the application of this capsule. Donders considers, therefore, as the principal cause of disturbed vision, the light entering through the sclerotica and other membranes being constantly diffused over the retina. Kölliker proved the existence of a muscular dilatator pupillæ. After having removed the cornea and the sphincter of the iris in an albíno rabbit, he applied weak streams of galvanism to the remainder of the iris: dilatation of the pupil, accompanied by convexity of the anterior surface of the iris, was the effect of repeated experiments. 判 * Concerning the physiology of the ear, we ought to report on a paper by Dr. Rinne, containing a series of interesting experiments and deductions, which do not accord in all points with the views generally received; but as it is impossible to condense them sufficiently for the purposes of this Report, we must defer doing so for the present. VI. GENERATION: HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENT. 1. DUPLAY: On the Alterations in the Secreting and Excreting Apparatus of Sperma in Old Men. (Archiv. Génér., pp. 428 ss. Oct. 1855.) 2. BISCHOFF: Confirmation of the Discoveries of NEWPORT and BARRY. (Giessen, 1854.) 3. MEISSNER: On the Entrance of the Elements of the Sperma into the Ovum. (Zeitsch. für Zoologie, pp. 208 ss.; 272 ss., 1854; and Canst., loc cit. p. 195.) 4. LEUCKART: On the Micropyle of the Ova of Insects. 193 ss., 1855.) (Müll. Archiv, pp. (Giessen, 1854.) 5. BISCHOFF: The History of the Development of the Roe. 6. KÜCHENMEISTER: Development of Cysticercus Cellulose respond. Blatt. der Ver. für Gemein. Arbeit., p. 158. Duplay draws, from numerous examinations of the secreting and excreting organs of sperma in old men, the inferences-1. That the changes in the secreting apparatus consist only in a very slight atrophy; that these are not sufficient to explain the want of procreative power, as the sperma continues to be secreted, although in diminished quantity, and to contain the elements that are considered necessary for fecundation. 2. That more frequently the cause of impotence is situated in the excreting apparatus, consisting sometimes in the obliteration of the canal of the epididymis, of the ductus deferens, or the vesicula seminalis. 3. That there is, in old age, no such specific and constant alteration for the testicle, as rarefaction is for the lungs, but that all the changes observed are occasionally met with also in the other periods of life. On the whole, Duplay is inclined to think that, in the majority of old men, the want of procreative power is not to be attributed to anatomic alterations in the secreting or excreting apparatus, but to some other cause or causes. Bischoff, in opposition to his former views, admits now the facts discovered by Newport and Barry, concerning the entrance of the spermatozoa into the interior of the ova of the frog and rabbit. Meissner found, likewise, several times, spermatozoa within the ovum of the rabbit. He further describes the ova of several insects (musca vomitoria, musca domestica, various species of tipula, calea, &c.), with their micropyles, and the entrance of the spermatozoa through the latter. The spermatozoa undergo, according to him, a kind of fatty metamorphosis within the ovum; a change that, however, may be observed also in those spermatozoa which are retained in the testicles or in the vesiculæ seminales. Another elaborate essay on the ova of insects has been furnished by R. Leuckart, of Giessen. He examined the ova of about 180 different kinds of insects. From a careful analysis of the results of these researches, Leuckart considers himself entitled to the following inferences:-1. That the ova of all insects are provided with a micropyle apparatus; 2. That this consists of a single canal, or of several canals passing through the membranes of the ovum; 3. That these channels serve as passages for the spermatozoa into the ovum. It is to be remarked, however, that the last circumstance has been witnessed by the author only in twelve distinct species. He con Bischoff supplies us with the history of the development of the roe. * Zur Physiol. der menschlichen Ohres: Prager Vierteljahrsschrift, xii. 1. 1855. firms the fact, that the fecundation takes place towards the end of July or beginning of August-that the ovum, after having previously undergone the process of furrowing, remains during the following four months and a half in an unaltered state in the uterus, retaining the diameter of th of a line. The uterus also participates in this state of rest until after the middle of December, from which period the process of development of ovum and uterus is similar to that of the ruminating animals. Küchenmeister gives the interesting experimental proof that cysticercus cellulosa becomes transformed into tania solium in the intestinal tube of man. A criminal received with his food a certain number of cysticerci 72, 60, 36, 24, and 12 hours before his death. At the examination (48 hours after death) ten young tænias were found in the duodenum, four of which were provided with two pairs of hooks; the length of all was three or four millimètres, except one, that measured about six millimètres. We shall probably have an opportunity of returning to this subject, as we are led to expect an elaborate work by the same author on the parasites of the living human body. HALF-YEARLY REPORT ON MATERIA MEDICA & THERAPEUTICS. Lecturer on Materia Medica and Therapeutics at the School of Medicine adjoining 1. Formula for the Internal Administration of Chloroform. (L'Union Méd., April, 1855.) By M. DANNECY. M. DANNECY employs oil to dissolve the chloroform. The formula he uses is as follows:-Take of pure chloroform, 2 grammes; oil of sweet almonds, 8 grammes; gum arabic, 4 grammes; syrup of orange flowers, 30 grammes; distilled water, 60 grammes. Mix the oil with the chloroform, and make with the mixture an oily draught, in the ordinary way. When gum alone is employed to suspend chloroform in a draught, separation of the latter sooner or later takes place; and where alcohol is used, as by many practitioners, in proportion of one part chloroform to four parts alcohol, an excitant is introduced which may not be desirable, and if the quantity of chloroform prescribed be considerable, this objection is a serious one. The advantages which M. Dannecy sees in his formula are- -1. That a perfectly homogeneous and stable mixture is produced, whatever be the proportion of chloroform prescribed; 2. That no excitant like alcohol is introduced into potions which are most frequently intended to be calmative; 3. That it dispenses with every kind of precaution on the part of the patient, or those who have the care of him in administering the remedy. He thinks, further, that the mixture of the chloroform with the oil, without any detraction from the limpidity of the latter, is a test of the purity of the chloroform. The Commission of the Société de Pharmacie,* while admitting M. Dannecy's formula as rational, proposes the following:-Chloroform, 2 or 4 grammes; sugar, 12 grammes; gum arabic, 5 or 10 grammes; water, 100 grammes. The chloroform is added to the sugar in a mortar, then the gum is added, and lastly, by degrees, the water. M. Deschamps, in commenting on the several formula which have been suggested, considers that of the Commission as preferable both to that of M. Dannecy and of M. Wahu, who dissolved chloroform in three or four parts of alcohol, and then mixed it with a solution of gum, on the ground that submitting all patients to the action of much alcohol or oil is not a matter of indifference. It is true that, after a time, a whitish flocculent deposit takes place, but a little shaking restores the appearance of the mixture. M. Deschamps proposes another formula-viz: Chloroform, 2, 4, 6, &c. grammes; syrup, 30 grammes; yolk of one egg; water, 150 grammes. Dilute the yolk of egg with the water, and strain; weigh the syrup, then the chloroform; add the strained liquor, and shake the whole together. * Bull. Gén. de Thérap. p. 73. July, 1855. II. Preparation of Soluble Citrate of Magnesia. By M. ROBIQUET. (Journ. de Pharm. d'Anvers, Aug. 1855, and Pharmaceutical Journal, Oct. 1855.) Take of citric acid, 1 kilogramme; carbonate of magnesia, 630 grammes; boiling water, 350 grammes. Reduce the citric acid to coarse powder, and dissolve it in boiling water. When the solution shall have cooled, and before it crystallizes, pour it into a large stoneware pan, and by means of a sieve allow the magnesia to fall rapidly over its surface, taking care not to stir it. The reaction takes place gradually; when it appears to have ceased, which is easily observed, mix thoroughly and as rapidly as possible while the paste remains soft and ductile. The utmost care must be taken that the mass do not heat, for if the temperature suddenly rises, it is a certain sign that the citrate of magnesia is undergoing that molecular change which causes it to pass into the insoluble variety, and the product is lost. Thus, for better ensuring success, it is not useless to set the tub in a pan of cold water, and constantly to bring the citrate in thin layers into contact with the sides of the vessel. When this manipulation is over, the whole product should be left at rest for twenty-four hours; the swelled-up mass of citrate should then be divided into fragments, and dried in a stove at a heat not over 60° or 68° Fahr. The secret of the process is to use the smallest quantity of water, and to avoid an elevation of temperature at the moment of combination. III. Mode of Administering Phosphate of Lime. (Bull. Gén. de Thérap., p. 542. June, 1855.) The insolubility of phosphate of lime has led to its disuse by many practitioners. According to M. Küchenmeister, of Zittau, this objection is removed by uniting the phosphate with carbonate of lime, and then adding an acid, when a soluble combination and an useful medicine results. The proportions recommended arecarbonate of lime, 8 grammes; phosphate of lime, 4 grammes; sugar of milk, 12 grammes. M. Küchenmeister sometimes adds from 1 to 2 grammes of lactate of iron, and directs three pinches of this powder to be taken at the commencement of a meal. The object of the addition of carbonate of lime is to favour the solution of the phosphate. Under the influence of the lactic acid or of the hydrochloric acid present in the alimentary canal, carbonic acid is disengaged, and renders part of the carbonate soluble. The sugar of milk is intended to furnish lactic acid. Finally, the author remarks that the presence of albuminates is necessary to determine the solution of the phosphate of lime, a condition which is present when administered with the food. IV. Notes on Native Remedies. The Chaulmoogra. By F. J. Mouat, M.D. (Indian Annals of Medical Science, p. 646. April, 1854.) This drug is furnished by the Chaulmoogra (Roxburgh) or Gynocardia (Lindley) odorata, of the nat. ord. Pangiaceæ. Another name for the tree is the Petarkura. According to Roxburgh, it is indigenous to the Sylhet district. The fruit, which is succulent and indehiscent, ripens towards the close of the year, and the seed it contains being taken out and dried, is sold to the drug dealers. The seeds yield by expression a bland, fixed oil, with a peculiar and slightly unpleasant smell and taste, with the faintest possible after-flavour of the bitter almond. The oil procured from the bazaars is invariably impure. It appears to have been long known to and prized by the natives in the treatment of leprosy; and few of the faquirs travelling about the country are unacquainted with its properties. The author relates three cases in which he has employed it: Case 1 is that of a creole who had been for eighteen months an inmate of a leper asylum, greatly emaciated, and whose body exhaled an extremely offensive odour. The body was covered with livid patches; the nails had fallen from the toes of the left foot, and upon both feet were large ragged excavated ulcers. These ulcers were dressed daily with the oil of chaulmoogra, and he took, three times a day, a pill consisting of six grains of the seed. At the expiration of a fortnight the patient began to amend rapidly, the ulcers granulated and healed, and the general health improved up to the time of his leaving the hospital. Case 2 is that of a young man, aged 26, of scrofulous habit, suffering from enormous enlargement and ulceration of the parotid and submaxillary glands, cleft palate, and ulceration of the roof of the mouth. As the usual treatment failed of success, the chaulmoogra was given in doses of twelve grains three times a day, and the external ulcers were dressed with the oil, and in less than ten days an evident beneficial change occurred, and in eighteen days the sores were nearly cicatrized, and he became an out-patient. In another fortnight, the ulcers being healed and the glands much diminished in size, he ceased attendance at the hospital, and the cure was permanent two months subsequently. Case 3 was a case of secondary syphilis, with destruction of the bones of the nose, ulceration of the pharynx, and chronic laryngitis. In six weeks from the commencement of the chaulmoogra, this man left the hospital, stout and well. Besides the above, the author states that he has used the chaulmoogra in a mild case of ichthyosis, in three cases of syphilitic rheumatism, in two of scrofulous enlargement of the cervical glands, in two cases of elephantiasis of the face, and in an example of leucopathia of ten years' standing, with apparent benefit. V. The Preparation of the Caustic of Landolfi. By M. QUEVENNE. The proportions recommended by M. Quevenne are-chloride of zinc (deliquesced); chloride of antimony (deliquesced), chloride of gold, and chloride of bromine, of each 5 grammes; flour, 20 grammes; water, 18 grammes. The chloride of gold is triturated in a porcelain mortar with the chlorides of zinc and antimony; the water and half the flour are added, so as to make a somewhat liquid paste; the chloride of bromine is then added, and the whole mixed as quickly as possible with the rest of the flour. The operation should be performed in the open air, to avoid the inconvenience arising out of the vapours of bromine abundantly disengaged. The chloride of gold may be omitted without injuring the efficacy of the preparation. The application of the caustic may be rendered less painful by the addition of powdered opium to the mass. VI. Action of Baths and Douches of Carbonic Acid Gas. By M. HERPIN. The first impression made by the bath is an agreeable sensation of warmth, which is succeeded by a prickling sensation, a peculiar formication, and, at a later period, a burning sensation similar to that produced by the commencing action of a sinapism; old pains, especially those of old wounds, revive; the skin becomes red, an abundant perspiration occurs from those parts exposed to the action of the gas, and the urine is considerably augmented. The sensation of heat and the perspiration continue for several hours after leaving the bath. At first the action of the heart is only slightly accelerated, but this symptom becomes more marked if the bath is prolonged. The pulse is full and quick, the heat becomes burning, with turgescence and reddening of the skin, headache, thoracic oppression, &c. Prolonged for too long a period (several hours), the bath produces stupor, and the venous blood assumes a black colour; but after a bath taken in a proper manner, a person feels lighter and more active for several hours. The carbonic acid gas acts energetically upon the vascular and nervous system, and by its antiseptic properties promotes the cure and amelioration of wounds and unhealthy suppuration. |