?Mjpss The

d tk

HlcMcal jktcnxcs.

of muscular tissue has been investigated Dr. Wilson Fox, of University College, London, who publishes the results of his inquiries in a paper in the Royal Society's proceedings. According to his observation, the earliest form in which muscular tissue appears in the tadpole, is an oval body, containing a few nuclei, and closely packed with pigmentary matter. From the well-defined outline of this body the writer is disposed to regard it as a cell, though he has been unable to isolate any limiting membrane or cell-wall. These bodies increase in length, with or without division of their nuclei; and, after a short period, a portion of their structure loses much of its pigment, and exhibits a striation, which is sometimes transverse, sometimes longitudinal, and occasionally both; but at this period there is no distinct line of demarcation between the striated and non-striated portion of the cell-contents. Dr. Fox's observations are of much interest; for, in reality, while appearing to support the cell-theory, they do much to explode it, since they show that the intercellular substance can develops tissue, while the nuclei remain passive. by

development

compound, which in a striking supports the modern doctrines of atomicity, -has been

An intermediate chemical manner

discovered by Herr Dr. Lossen, of Berlin. It was believed to exist before its demonstration, and is a compound which ranks between nitric acid and ammonia. It may be regarded as ammonia in which one atom of hydrogen has been displaced by what may be considered the basis of water.

A new form of splint for the treatment of fractures has been described by Dr. N. It. Smith, of the University of Maryland, U. S. It is of the length of the injured limb, and differs from other forms in having the limb beneath it and attached to it by suspensory bandages, instead of being placed upon it. It consists of two light parallel iron bars, with transverse pieces and two moveable winged bars, by which it is attached to hooks and suspended. By means of a strong pair of pincers the bars may be bent to assume the required shape to adapt them to the limb. The latter having been first bandaged, the frame is placed upon its anterior surface, and is attached to it by several broad bands of diachylon plaister, which completely encircle both splint and limb. The great advantage of the contrivance is the ease with which any portion of the limb may be submitted to examination, without disturbing the whole of the bandage. A convenient craniotomy instrument, the invention of Dr. Ilalahan, of Dublin, promises to supersede the instrument now employed. It consists of a kind of perforator, which is first used to pierce the skull. Perforation having been made, the operator, by touching a spring, causes two cross-pieces to move out to the distance of an inch on each side of the extremity of the instrument. Thus a very great power of traction is given to the accoucheur. In case the bones should come away, the transverse arms can be retracted, and the instrument again introduced, without injury to the soft parts of the mother. See the Dublin Quarterly Journal of Medical Science for November.

and curable.?A great series of memoirs Cholera, has been presented to the French Academy upon the medical aspects of cholera, and of these the most interesting by far, as well as the most voluminous, are those of M. Grimaud, who went to Marseilles to enquire into the cause of the outbreak in France. His observations have led him to the conclusion that cholera is in a high degree contagious; and that the first case which occurred in Marseilles was upon the 14th of June last, just two days after the arrival of a vessel from Alexandria, bearing infected pilgrims from Mecca, three of wliom had died on the voyage, and of whom two died after disembarking. This circumstance, coupled with the fact that Southampton, the port of all British ones most in communication with Marseilles, was the first English town attacked, proves the contagiousness, in a restricted sense, of cholera. A very valuable paper was also read before the Academy by M. Guerin, who sums up with the following conclusions :?(1) Cholera is always preceded and announced by a series of symptoms, "which I have termed cholerine." (2) Cholera is only the advanced stage of a disease which has hitherto been unknown in its first or premonitory period. (3) It is always possible to arrest the development of the mortal of cholera, by attacking the disease in its curable one.

contagious

stage

February 1,

PROGRESS OF THE MEDICAL SCIENCES.

1866.]

How is effected??This question has recently been answered by three different anatomists?Ilerr Dr. Krishaber, M. Guinier, and Dr. G. 0. Gibb. Herr Ivrishaber asserts that, in the act of deglutition, the alimentary mass passes through one of the pharyngeal arches over one of the sides of the epiglottis, by which means it reaches the oesophagus at the very moment the muscles of the pharynx have contracted. lie considers that the swallowing of liquids is somewhat similar, except that they pass just over the epiglottis?a portion, indeed, according to his observations, passing upon the mucous membrane of the larynx and the vocal cords. He states that one may easily bear a piece of food in the larynx and even in the windpipe, provided its temperature be the same as that of the surrounding tissues. The opinion of Dr. Gibb and M. Guinier are in opposition. The former alleges that the act of swallowing food cannot be demonstrated by means of a mirror placed at the back of the mouth. He contends that the epiglottis does not remain erect during deglutition, and refers to cases of loss of the epiglottis in which the food does not certainly pass over the vocal cords. The continental papers are published in the Comptes Rendus; Dr. Gibb's paper was read before the British Association, and has not yet appeared in print.

deglutition

Carbonic acid not a poison.?The inquiries recently publishby M. Demarquay go far to prove that carbonic acid, like nitrogen, is only negatively poisonous; that is to say, that it only poisons by preventing the action of oxygen. He conducted several experiments upon himself and his pupils, and arrived at the subjoined conclusions :?(1) Carbonic acid has an excitant action on ihe skin. (2) Insensibility of the skin is only produced when a constant stream of the gas plays upon a limited surface. (3) The general influence of the gas extends to the organs of sense. (4) It exercises a slightly excitant action on the digestive system. (5) When injected into the veins, it acts fataliy, by distending the chambers of the heart. (6) Most of the accidents which have been attributed to carbonic acid, have been really caused by carbonic oxide, sulphuretted hydrogen, alcoholic vapours, &c., &c.

cd

Nitrate of amyl, notwithstanding the ideas of some physiologists, is not an ant-esthetic. Dr. B. W. Richardson, in an able monograph, has shown this, and has proved that while this compound wildly excites and then subdues muscular force, it never produces loss of consciousness. The first effect cf its action is

produce violent contraction of the heart and dilatation of the capillaries, followed by diminution of pulsation and contraction

to

of the extreme vessels.

New Anaesthetics.?Mr. Nunneley speaks in glowing terms of

the action of bromide of

ethyl

and

chloride of olefiant gas,

as

ausesthetics. They can now be had at a cost not exceeding that of chloroform, and, while no danger or unpleasantness attends their employment, the patient may be for any length of time.

kept

under their influence

grand discovery of Bunsen and The K'erchoff that chemical substances may be detected by the absorption bands they produce in the spectrum, (i. e., the artificial rainbow), has just been applied to the microscope by Mr. Sorby. The addition of a prism-bearing eyepiece is all that is required to' convert the compound microscope into an instrument for chemical analysis. By means of this combination, the presence of the coloring matter of blood, of infinitely small truces of poison, &c., may be readily detected. Mr. Sorby found that a single blood-globule gives a distinct band in the spectrum, which shows that the coloring matter of blood is present.

Micro-spectroscope.?The

_

the a constituent of the animal statements of Herr Dr. Ulex, in the Allgemeim Zeitsclirift, we learn that a number of analyses carried on in Hamburg have demonstrated the existence of this metal in all organic tissues,from those of Mammalia down to those of plants.

body.?From

Copper

.Antagonistic

action of

Morphia

and

Atropia-?Just as

and nicotine appear to be antagonistic in their effects, the recent researches of Keen, Moorhouse, and Mitchell have proved that, although morphia and atropia do not counteract each other as to their effects upon the blood, they show a marked antagonism in regard to the effects they have upon the eye. t'he action of atropia upon the pupil is, however, the more perof the two. The cerebral symptoms produced by either drug is capable, in a great measure, of being counteracted by the other, but it is no easy matter to establish equilibrium between the two. Bjth drugs produce the same effect upon the bladder. Atropia does not remove the nausea which morphia brings on.

strychnine

manent

51

How to detect the adulteration of essential oils?An method for this purpose has been given hy Mr. Sugden Evans. It is simply an application of the polariscope. Most essential oils cause the polarized ray to rotate either to the right or to the left. The polarizer must be turned round till the ray of' greatest intensity is found ; and the extent of the revolution is marked by an index needle, which moves over a scale. A pure oil having been examined, and the number of the scale, which corresponds to its most interior ray, being known, when an impure specimen is examined, the intense ray will have a different position, which, as the polarizer is moved round to produce it, will be indicated by a number different from that of the pure unadulterated oil.

ingenious

The of the heart is, if we are to rely on M. Colin's essay, four times greater in the left than in the right ventricle. The ratio of the force of the two chambers is as 255 : 65.

impulse

The termination of the nerves in the muscles is a subject which has excited a good deal of controversy within the last three or four years. The principal opponents are Dr. Lionel ISeale and Ilerr Kuhne. The former, who delivered the last Croonian lecture before the Eoyal Society, demonstrated, in the most satisfactory manner, that the nerves do not terminate in ends, but in exquisite networks of the most delicate fibres. This Herr Kuhne now denies very stoutly. He still contends that the nerves end in peculiar cones and plates, which lie in the substance of the muscle. It having been shown by chemists that osmic acid gives a bluish-black tint to the medulla of nerve, without staining other tissues, Herr Ivuhne employed this substance in his investigation. He isolated a section of muscle, showing the minute ramifications of the nerves, and having added to it an aqueous solution of osmic acid, he found that the nerves became tinted down to their junction with what he calls the cones, but that their bodies were not colored. Ilenco he concludes that they must be the extremities of the nerves. Can the ciliary processes act in producing accommodation ?

?This is a question ofmuch importance, as it bears very materially upon the theory of Bonders and other continental opthalmologists. It has been answered in the negative by Herr Becker, who has found?1 st. That the ciliary processes, when passive, lie at some distance from the border of the crystalline lens ; and 2ndly, that even when they approach the axis of the eye, they never touch either the border or the anterior surface of the lens. He has also pointed out a very curious fact, viz., that as the pupil contracts, the ciliary processes recede, and when the pupil dilates, they approach towards the centre of the eye. As touching upon this subject, we may mention that one of the late numbers of the Annales d' Oculistiques contains an article by Dr. Henry Lawson, of St. Mary's Hospital, upon a new theory of accommodation. Dr. Lawson believes that the cornea is the active agent; and he shows that as the fibres of the ciliary muscle pass into the border of this muscle, they must cause an increase in its curve. He admits the accuracy of Donders' and Langenbecks's observations, but shows that their theory confounds an inference with a fact, an alteration of the images reflected from the crystalline lens and cornea ungues, both in size and distance from each other, unquestionably takes place; but as these phenomena may be produced either by increased curvature of the lens, or by the increased curve of the cornea, altering the refraction of rays proceeding to the lens, it is unsound logic to say that one cause operates rather than the other, unless we have other evidence. This other evidence the writer sees in the attachment of the ciliary muscle, which must act on the cornea and not on the lens.

Eigor mortis not muscular contraction-?Dr. Richard Norris,

of Queen's College, Birmingham, has written a very able paper, in which he offers many arguments against the current theory of rigor mortis. He gives the following reasons for supposing that the phenomenon is not one of muscular contraction(1) The rigor of opposing sets of muscles does not cause the re-disposition of limbs, in obedience to the superior powers of the stronger sets of cpponents. (2) It does not cause the rupture of the weaker sets. (3) Contractility and irritability being constantly associated conditions, we cannot believe in the existence of one during the absence of the other. (4) The microscopical appearances of muscular tissue in rigor mortis is quite different from that of the tissue when in a state of normal contraction. Dr. Ncrris's paper, being illustrated by photographs, is of great

importance. Eelation between weight of brain and intelligence?Dr. Crisp's remarks on thi3 subject are to the effect that the external

1

52

THE INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.

form of the brain in most animals is, to a certain extent, an indication of the comparative amount of intelligence of the animal, the exceptions being?the elephant, dog, seal, and certain birds. lie also believes that a similar inference may be drawn from the covered or uncovered state of the cerebellum. The number and form of the convolutions are also, in a certain degree, indicative of the animal's intelligence. The weight of the body in 226 cases, which he examined, compared with that of the brain, proved that the most intelligent animals (mammals and bird) have the largest brains, and that there is no example of an animal with a relatively small brain that possesses a great amount of intelligence.

The use of tobacco in tetanus has been satisfactorily illustrated in the treatment of a case recorded in a late number of the Journal de Medicine de Braxelles. The skin in the neighbourhood of the wound was partially removed by the action of boiling water and vesicant collodion, thus rendering the absorption more easy. The patient recovered, though he suffered a good deal from delirium.

The temperature of the blood in the left ventricle

is

as-

serted by M. Colin to be seme degrees warmer than that of the right chamber ; a fact which he attributes to the great chemical change which the blood undergoes in the lungs during it3 absorption of oxygen. His experiments were conducted with delicate thermometers, inserted in canula>, and driven into the respective cavities of the heart.

The effect of congelation.? M. Pouchet, the great advocate theory of spontaneous generation, has just been reading a long memoir before the French Academy upon the above subject. His conclusions differ somewhat from those of other observers. He states that:?( 1) The first effect produced by the application is contraction of the capillary blood-vessels, which become so reduced in calibre that the blood globules cannot pass through them. (2) The second effect is the alteration in form and structure of the blood-globules themselves. These changes are of three kinds :?(?) the nucleus bursts from the surrounding envelope; (5) it undergoes alteration of form; and (c) the borders of the globule become crenated and of a deeper color than usual. (3) When an animal has been completely frozen, and when, consequently, its blood-globules have become disorganised, it is dead?nothing can re-animate it. (4) When the congelation is partial, those organs which have been completely frozen become gangrenous. (5) If the partial congelation takes place to a very slight extent, there are not many altered globules sent into the circulation, and hence life is not compromised. (6) If, on the contrary, it is extensive, the quantity of altered globules is so great that the animal perishes. (7) On ttiis account an animal, which is partially frozen, if the congelation is maintained, the may live a long while altered globules not entering into the circulation. (8) In all cases of fatal congelation, the animal dies from decomposition or alteration of the blood-globules, and not from stupefaction of of the

the nervous system.

Beef and pork as sources of entozoa?There is a general impression that the common pig is the principal source of tapeworm. The recent inquiries ol Dr. Cobbold prove that this is a

mistake. Birds and all animals with warm blood arc liable to breed the Trichina disease ; and the human system is the proper home of at least two forms of entozoa. Dr. Cobbold has shown that animals containing parasites do not always show unhealthy'symptoms, and hence that there is much difficulty in detecting the disease. He asserts that persons who eat even moderately of infected meat are liable to be affected with tapeworm. Young animals are less liable to the disease ; and persons eating their food well cooked, are most likely to escape. In fact, eating well cooked meat is the only sure preventive of tapeworm.

of ozone have been carefully investigated Dr. B. W. liichardson, whose conclusions may be thus summed up:?(1) Ozone, in a natural state, is always present in the air in the proportion of one to ten thousand of air. (2) It is rapidly destroyed in large towns. (3) Ozone, like heat, gives certain properties to air, which are likewise destroyed by intense heat. (4) Ozone in large quantities in the air gives rise to acute catarrh and sore throat. (5) Animals submitted to the actions of ozone in large quantities become affected Avith inflammation of the throat, bronchial apparatus, &c. (6) Ozone is useful as a deodorizer of putrefying substances. (7) During the very hot weather it loses its activity. The

by

properties

[February 1,

1866.

(8) It is quite possible that the presence of ozone in large quantities may produce diseases of the respiratory organs. The anatomy of the lachrymal passages.?According to the enquiries of Henle, none of the mucous folds, which have hitherto been described as glands, deserve that name. He gives an account of a network of veins in the nasal duct, forming a species of cavernous tissue, by means of which the passage of air or liquids from the nose into the lachrymal sue is prevented. Variations of muscles,?In a late number of the Proceedings of the Royal Society, Mr. John Wool, of King's College, showed several interesting varieties of human muscles, which were observed during the dissection of thirty-six subjects. The memoir establishes two important facts :?1st, that variations from the normal type do not unfrequently occur ; 2nd, that they sometimes exhibit characteristics found in sloths, monkeys, bats, moles, and birds.

which is of interest from the age case of which it presented itself, is recorded by M.Ramon dela Sagra. It occurred in a Negress. Before she was three years old, she exhibited the development customary in girls of her race at thirteen; and her head, which was well formed, and the expression of her countenance would have looked appropriate if placed on the shoulders of a girl of sixteen. At seven years old her figure was fully developed, and her vivacity, intelligence, and manners corresponded with her appearance. The subsequent history of this curious case has not been recorded.

A

at

early puberty,

Calabar Bean and Physostigmin Dr. Fronmiiller has employed a preparation which has the appearance of a brown, apparently amorphous, powder, and possesses a peculiar smell

somewhat like that of ether. Water at once turns it red. It is soluble in a large quantity of water, and in a small proportion of muriatic acid. From Dr. Fronmiillcr's experiments, it appears that physostigmin is three times stronger than Calabar extract, and thirty times weaker than atropine. Compared with the extract, it acts more powerfully in the accommodative power of the eye; its action continues 1'or a longer time, and is more certain.

The functions of the cerebellum-?If we are to believe Dr. Dickinson, the posterior portion of the brain has a different office from that generally assigned to it; he considers its use to be as follows :?(1) The addition of the cerebellum to the mcdulla-oblongnta gives an increase of voluntary power in the four limbs. (2) The removal of the cerebellum, not only diminishes the faculty of adjustment, but it decreases the voluntary power. (3) The removal of the cerebellum has no effect on superficial,or any special sense, on the action of the involuntary muscles, or on reflex movements. (4) The only effect of loss or alteration of the cerebellum in the human subject, is failure of voluntary muscular power. The origin of pus-cells?Dr. Hughe^ Bennet, of Edinburgh, differs from Drs. lieale and Virchow in his opinion as to the origin of the cells found in pus. He is no believer in the celltheory, but regards cells as being simply accumulations of granular molecules. A number of preparations of inflamed lung tissue, which he recently exhibited, tend to support his view. In the fibrous tissue of the organ surrounding the air-cells they may be seen to be quite healthy. In the coaguiatcd exudation, on the other hand, the molecules may be observed, at first filling up uniformly the cavity of the air-vcsicle, then formed into masses, varying in

size from the tSSo to the rloo of one inch in diameter. Ttie latter are rounded and are identical with pus-corpuscles. He believes that these bodies, therefore, were formed by an aggregation of smaller particles or molecules composed originally of the coagu* lated exudation. Certainly, in the situations referred to, they could not have originated in pre-existing cells, as no such cells can be seen. If, as might be supposed, they sprang from the epithelial cells lining the walls of the air-vesicles, such cells would be seen enlarged and containing the pus-bodies.

Extract of Cod-liver Oil?Dr. Attfield, of the Pharmaceutisociety, has just published a report of an analysis made of a patent medicine sold in England and France under the title of saccharide of cod-liver oil. It appears that this preparation is a quack imposture of the grossest type, containing not a single trace of cod-livcr extract, and consisting simply of sugar of milk prepared in a palatable form. This must not be confounded with M. Guffroy's diagres of cod-liver extract, which are genuine sugar-coated pills of the watery extract of cod-liver. These latter have been examined by the editor of the Chemical News, and pronounced to be composed of the pure watery extract, cal

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