Year: 1874

THE VAPoR BATH IN HYDRoPHOBIA.-According TO
Dr. Buisson of Lyons almost certain cure for the
bite of mad dog consists in subjccting the patient
to the influence Of vapor bath, heated to l3i to
1441 Fair. for seven successive days, for the pur-
pose of throwing him into profuse perspiration
and thus eliminating the poison through the skin.
When the disease has actually declared itself ii will
be sufficient to take one vapor bath in which the
temperature is made to rise rapidly TO 9S Fair.
and then slowly to 1872, the patient keeping his
room until the case is complete. a few hot bricks
placed III pail of water over which the patient sits
on a cane bottomed chair, large blanket covering
him ill., from his shoulders down TO the iloOT can be
easily mprOvised and Is said TO answer the purpose
of a vapOr bath admirably This remedy is the re-
suit OF the personal experience of Dr. BuissoD. he
having been subjected To the attack OF rabld dog
and affected with all the symptoms OF hydTophObia.
Having theory in regard to the efficiency OF yapor
baths IN such cases, he tried the experiment, and
found that when the temperature reached l2j Fahr
the symptoms disappeared as if by mage Since then
he has treated more than eighty persons bitten by
mad animals, and, according to his account, has not
lost single case.


New GUANo DEPOSITS OF PERU.-It will be of
interest 10 our agricuturists, well as to manufac
turers of artificial fertilizers to learn that the new
guauo deposits of Peru said to be very decidedly
superior in commercial value to that of the Chincha
Islands Prof Raimondi of Lima has lately made a
report to the Government in which he makes the
following remarks:


The guaDo of the province of Tarapaca is DRY and
powdery some specimens of it did not contain Is
per cent of water, among which 80 seemed about
equal in that respect to the Chincha guano The
guano of the south of Perm has in this an
over that of Guanape, which is paSty, and not SO
easily spread the soil. The guano of Tarapaca
from its dryness, makes the uric acid and other
DitrOgenous principles less apt TO be decomposed In
guano more abounding in humidity those elements
become transformed into carbonate of ammonia
which being volatile. escapes during transporta-
ton. This guano, although Astounding in ammo
MIA, has little smell. and from this fact might be
judged Of less value, but the want Of strong am,
moniaca odor is not owing to the lack of ammonia
but from two different causes. l. Being very dry
as before observed, the formation of carbonate of
ammonia does not 80 readily takseplaee. The pres
ence of "a strong ammoniacal smell indicates that
the ammonia is being given of, and this condition.
instead of beng favorable, is prejudcial. 2. The
ammonia ia this guano is combined in great part
with phosphoric acid. under the form of phosphate
of ammonia. which is fixed salt and emts no
smell The association of ammonia with phosphouc
acid gives greater importance TO this article be-
those two most valuable elements of all kinds
of manure existing in soluble state easily
taken up by plants, "a circumstance which makes
the guano OF Iarapaca preferable aud superior to all
Others yet known. In these guanOs phosphoric
acid in soluble condition prevails to the extent in
many samples Of 10 per cent, and to II and rs
per cent while ia that of the Chinchas il does not
go beyond per cent.


From the preceding results il is evident that IL.
in the province of Tarapaca, some OF its guano il
poor in ammonia, there Others equal TO the best
guanO Of the Chinchas. and even more valuable than
tue latter from the greater proportion of soluble
phosphOric acid they contain. The most abundant
deposits, such those of the Pabellon de Pco. Pa
tache Huanillos and Point Lobos are also those of
q superior kind of guano.


OF the specimens from Point Lobos one contained
only 0S1 per cent of ammonia another 3i5 per cent
another the extraordinary amount of 1867 per cent
The inference that these three specimens were
aken at different depths the deepest aboundin most
W slNAAtvllSsAl psalts. DoLLin received uoIu