New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-05-11
:; MEDTCAL AND SANITARY NOTES.

INDICATIONS IN CHLOROFORMING. - DR..
White, of London. who has personally recorded 4"o
eases Of chloroform administration, divides the IN
haaton period into four stages. namely. the stage
of continued consciousness. that Of semi-conscious-
ness. that of sleep. and that of coma and threat
ened death He points that most OF the early
cases of death from chioroform occur IN the hrs'
stage often within minute of the beginning OF In
haation. and he considers that fear Is very i'm
portant factor although personally he has never
met with fatality in the first stage. but has seen
many cases OF fainting produced by fear 1t ap-
pears that he was the first observer 10 draw AT,
by watching the pupils; in the early stage the pupil
is dilated somewhat and IN passing to sem-c con
fraction, finally becoming decreased almost to PIN
point when fhe palpebral and ocular re1exes as
appear II Is, he says, most important 10 watcn the
breathing the pupils and the pulse, and that DEAN
Is not the result Of the amount Of choroferm IN me
circulation, but of the sudden action OF lethal
dose.
REMARKABLE EXPERIENCE WITH BORAA.
The extensive use of compounds containing oorax'
which under various names are used for pre~Ss>lng
foods lends special interest TO some observations
by DR.. Fere. of Paris. who has used borax IN the
treatment of intracable cases Of epilepsy ana with
success in certain cases-it being found necessary.
for this purpose give large doses for long periods
but in the course of such treatment he met with a
considerable number OF persons who were peculiarly
susceptible borax. In them. loss OF appetite was
succeeded by burning pain in the pit OF the stomach
dryness of the mouth. and eventually by nausea ana
vomiting. The article also produces a remarkable
dryness Of the skin which is found to favor. If not
to cause various skin diseases, especially eczema
the hair. too. becomes dry and may ran ou. caus
suit of the of borex named by TINS authority Is
10 s srh disorder Of that kind into fatal
malady.
GERMS OF DISEASE IN CELLARS. ETC.-In a
paper by Dr. sternberg published by the American
Health Association the attention OF the pubic IS
directed TO a well-attesed fact in sanitary invest-
cations namely, that cellars. as well as sewers ana
all poorly ventilated spaces under floors. where
refuse collects and the sun does not penetrate are
favorable to the multiplication OF diphtherfa germs
This disease. while prevalent in cities and
considered as one largely disseminated by sewers
on the mountain Sides in these cases. the germs.
when not due to recent contagion; may nave re-
manned hidden for long periods In cellars or In damp
buildings of unwhoesome construction with what
result Is obvious without explanation.
IMPORTANT HYGIENIC FACTOR.-M. Marsil-
lon contributes TO Cosmos the results of his
studies on the climatic influence of forests Briefly
1t appears that the mean temperature OF wooded
regions slightly less than that of open country,
the difference being about one degree F., near the
ground and little less al the tops OF the trees; in
general, it Is cooler by day and warmer by night
in the woods than in the open country. and thus
forests are regulators Of temperature, with an I'M
portant influence in climate and special hygienic
effect 1t is found that in warm countries. when
forest is cleared away. fever always makes its
pearance while IT, In districts that are insalubrous,
trees planted in quantity, sickness dsappears-
the Roman campagna and the Tuscan marshes, for
instance. where luxuriant forests are now growing,
have almost lost their traditional unhealthfulness
remarked by Marson is the fact that ozone exists
fact said to have been lately established by Fer
now's investigations and held by him to show that
against the approach of epidenics and infectious
diseases.
RESEARCHES IN GENERAL PARALYSIs.-The
researches in this line by Boedeker and Falksn-
burg relating particularly to the unar system. have
been communicated to the Berlin Psychiatric So
ciety. There were examined by them 100 male and
Is female paralytcs also 800 non-paralytic insane
persons in SO per cent Of the paralytics the ulnar
w s in IS csnt s
OF the paralytics 80 per cent showed ulnar an
Referring the fallacies likely to arise in the con-
sderation OF this ailment, they remark that anal
gesia of the ulnar trunk is of very little value in
\ the diagnosis Of general paralysis.
INsANITARY AND DANGEROUS DEFECTS IN
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. the various dangers to
health be found-one or more of them-in the
present construction of dwelling houses Mcguire
calls attention to the following: Common brick
stonebut drains under bas ement; large built drains
under near buildings; pipe drains of larger diam
eter than actually necessary; pipe drains broken
age; pipe drains with built imperfect functions;
pipe drains under dwelling without sufficient fall
with fall in the wrong direction; drains of any
kind without proper inercepting traps. and without
constant free current of air throughout also with
out easy means Of Inspection rat burrows from
built drains, undermining floors: also burrows from
public sewers worked along outside pipe drains into
houses: defective connection between soil pipes and
drains; soil pipes inside or outside without ample
ventilation or through pantres and larders; defect
i've. badly placed RECONSTRUCTED water-coset APP
paratus and housemads slopsinks; also water-clos-
ct cisterns with overfows Joined to soil pipes or
drains two water-closets sinks on one
soil pipe. untrapping each other when used; over
flow pipes connected to soil pipes liable to become
untrapped. all very dangerous house cisterns with
overftows Joined TO soil pipes or drains traps of
every kind. without ample ventilation to guard
them: ventilating foul-ar shafts. dscharging near
chimneys windows or ventilating openings.
TECHNICAL USE OF MICROBIA.-The mann.
facture OF anskhak is thought to be the only in.
stance Of the technical Of microbia This Chi.
nese coloring matter or fungoid pigment Is for Civ
ing a fine purple color to foods and beverages and
is the product of special fungus propagated In the
province of Quant-Tung. Rice. thoroughly boiled
is spread, out upon plates 10 COOL and when quite
cold is sprnkled with angkhak of q former
preparation. the plates with their contents, being
then kept for six days In dark and cold place. bs.
coming by this means OF a rec color, and subse-
quently darker The coloring matter dssolves read
fly, in alcohol with fine garnet-red color The
vegetables upon any kind OF carbohydrate in the
presence OF oxygen. The chief difficulty in its
preparation Is to keep away other fungi and bn C
ter,a ana especially species not yet examined,