12. Electro-Galvanic phenomena of Acupuncturation.—M. Pouillet, after making a complete circuit, through a needle introduced in acupuncture, through wires, and through the patient's mouth, found, by means of a multiplier of Schweigher with a magnetic needle, that the electro-magnetic rotation could be readily produced; at least so far as to effect small vibrations backwards and forwards. On repeating it with two needles, one of them run into an artery and another into a vein, or one into the medulla spinalis, at the neck, and another into an extremity, in a rabbit, no effect whatever took place.—Magendie's Journ. de Physiologie.
13. Variations in Milk.—Milk, says M. Vallot, in his memoir read to the Academy of Dijon, may be red. The cause of this is unknown, though it has given rise to superstitious fears. Some have observed that the cow's teats are then tender. Whether this be cause or effect has not been ascertained.
Yellow milk is said to have been produced by the cow's eating the caltha palustris, (marygold.) Blue milk, from a cause still unknown, in the departments of Seine-inférieure and Calvados. Some have ascribed it to the hyacinthus comosus; others to butomus umbellatus.
The green milk of some writers is supposed to be only blue. Milk not coagulable is produced by feeding on husks of green peas, and on mint. Bitter milk, from wormwood, sonchus alpinus, and the leaves of the artichoke; and in goats, from eating freely of elder, (sambucus nigra,) and potato-tops; a disagreeable taste, from turnips, in Upper Canada. Garlicky milk, from causes well known. Insipid milk, and lead-coloured butter, from equisetum fluviatile. Milk unnaturally sweet and luscious, (sucré,) from alpine clover, (trifolium alpinum;) and red butter, from the ripe berries of asparagus.—Bulletin.
14. Hyoscyamus dilates the pupils of the eyes, the same manner as stramonium, several Eastern species of datura, and belladonna, which the Europeans use. The strongest species was datura fastuosa.—Oriental Magazine, apud Du Fermon.
15. Worms in the Eye.—Several cases of worms in the eye are mentioned in the Bulletin des Sciences Medicales, for Feb. 1826. Deguilleme saw several in the eye of a cow; and the case was published by Gorier, a veterinary teacher, in his memoirs. In the report of the proceedings of the veterinary school at Lyons, in 1822-3, there is the case of a mule, in which a knot of worms (crinons) was seen in one eye. Two were extracted; (why no more is not said;) and another subsequently. No inflammation was produced; but a violent nervous agitation of the head, and a turning of it to the left side took place. Next follows an account of a memoir read before the Medical Society of Calcutta, but of which the name of the author is not given. He is represented as stating, that the strongylus armatus minor of Rudolphi, and the filiaris (filaria) papillosa, are frequently found in the eyes of the horses in India, but much more so in the cellular membrane, particularly about the loins. He believes that they make their way into the blood-vessels, and, through them, into the eye. Their most ordinary seat is the cellular membrane of the loins; where they exist for years, producing emaciation, and, at length, paralysis of the hind legs. This last the Calcutta author is represented as ascribing to the penetration of the spinal marrow; but he does not appear to have verified it by dissection. Treuttler says, he has seen the strongylus armatus in aneurisms of the mesenteric artery of the horse; but the writer in the Bulletin doubts whether any have ever been found in sound arteries.
Dr. Kennedy, in the Edinburgh Philosophical Transactions, describes a worm, which he calls ascaris pellucidus, (pellucida,) as being common in the eyes of horses in India. A review of Bremser's work on worms is expected in our next, and inferences will then be drawn from these singular facts.
16. Digestion.—MM. Leuret and Lassaigne, in their very interesting and valuable experimental essay on this subject, have met with many curious results.
They found no remarkable difference in the saliva of carnivorous and herbivorous animals. The purest saliva was obtained for their experiments directly from the parotid duct, in man, the horse, and dog. The composition was as follows:
Water, 99 parts; mucus, traces; albumen, soda, chloride of sodium, chloride of potassium, carbonate of lime, and phosphate of lime, 1 part. Total, 100.