THE TRIPP ANTI-FRICTION ROLLER-BEARING. THIS bearing is adapted for use on car axles, dynamo-shafts, and similar places where there is high speed or heavy pressure, or both. It consists of a double set of rollers held in place by a sort of skeleton frame, and enclosed in a box of suitable construction. The rollers are of steel, of the same degree of hardness as when cut from the bar. They fit snugly around the shaft or axle, and bear against the inside of the box, revolving on their axes, and travelling around with the shaft, thus reducing the friction to almost zero, or, in other words, to rolling friction. Mr. J. A. Dyblie of the Chicago Arc Light and Power Company turned a six-inch shaft with his thumb and finger to and fro with the greatest ease.

The construction of the device may easily be understood by an inspection of the accompanying illustrations. Fig. I is a perspective view, with part of the outer shell or box broken away to show the interior, and one of the rollers removed to show the pin upon which it revolves. This pin, it must be remembered, performs no duty

SINGLE COPIES, TEN CENTS. $3.50 PER YEAR, IN ADVANCE.

the bearing is made dust-proof by a cap at one end and an expansive packing at the other, which, it is claimed, keep the lubricating material absolutely free from dust and water, so that it does not require renewal during the life of an ordinary chilled car-wheel.

Another advantage claimed is, that, when the brake is strongly applied, the strain comes on the rolls opposite the brake-shoe, causing no cramping, the axles turning as freely in the boxes as ever. In ordinary bearings the tendency is to crowd the journal out of the brasses, thereby reducing the bearing surface, inducing a tendency to heat when the journal returns to the centre of the box upon the release of the brake.

In a test of a two-inch journal in one of these bearings, under a pressure of four hundred pounds, without lubrication, it made a record of six thousand revolutions a minute for two hours without heating. Under a five-thousand-pound street-car, holding the regular number of passengers, a set of these bearings has been in use over two years with only one lubrication; and, though the car has been off the track the usual number of times, the bearings show no detrimental wear. They are now doing good service on about

except to keep the roller in place when the shaft is removed, and to keep the roller in line with the shaft when in use. It bears no part of the weight of the shaft or axle, that all being transferred to the box by the rollers. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the bearing, showing a very important feature; namely, the thrust-plate and collars, which take the end-thrust of the axle caused by the side-motion of the cars, as in going around a curve. This feature is shown at the left of the sectional view. The thrust-plate is bolted firmly to the box, and has two leatheroid collars - one on each side-between it and the thrust-collars, which latter are keyed to the end of the axle. This thrust-bearing has an area of sixty-three square inches, in contact at both ends of the car-axle, while that of the master car-builders' standard axle has an area of only seventeen square inches, in contact at only one end of the axle at a time.

It is stated, that, in a set of these bearings on a train running between Boston and Philadelphia, the rollers show a reduction in diameter of less than five one-thousandths of an inch, after a total service of forty-five thousand miles. They also remain uniform in size from end to end. This shows a very small amount of friction. Much of the long life of these rolls is doubtless due to the fact that

twenty street-cars, and are being applied to electric car-motors, stationary motors, shafting, and in various other places where a minimum of friction is desired.

FUNGOUS DISEASES OF PLANTS.

VARIOUS rusts, smuts, mildews, blights, and similar diseases of cultivated plants, have been generally known and dreaded since plants began to be cultivated. Any understanding of the cause of these troubles, of the conditions of their occurrence, and of their relations to each other and to the plants they infest, is a matter of comparatively recent acquisition even among botanists. Among American farmers and gardeners it is only recently that intelligent inquiry and thought regarding these important sources of loss have been awakened, and they are but just beginning to be popularly spoken of as fungous diseases. With this increased popular interest has naturally arisen an increased interest in their scientific investigation, which is as yet but fairly begun, and in the practical application of our technical knowledge in devising ways and means for checking the spread and preventing the ravages of the pests.

In the October bulletin of the Hatch Experiment Station of the Massachusetts Agricultural College, Professor James Ellis Humphrey, professor of vegetable physiology, summarizes the results of his investigations on the subject. It is doubtless true that to the average reader the term "fungus" carries with it no definite idea. This is due partly to the newness of the popular use of the term and the meagreness of generally accessible sources of information concerning the fungi, and partly to the inherent difficulty and technicality of the subject. To obtain a clear notion of organisms so small as to be barely recognizable by the naked eye, and requir ing high powers of the microscope for their study, yet with such apparently disproportionate capacities for mischief, is not easy. It is for this very reason all the more important, that, in a discussion of fungous diseases intended for popular information, an attempt should be made at the outset to remove, so far as may be, this fundamental difficulty.

In the first place, then, a fungus is a plant - as truly and essentially a plant as the corn-stalk or rose-bush on which it grows. Yet it is not only much smaller, but also much simpler, than these. While the plant-body of the corn or rose shows much specialization of structure, having the various vegetative functions of the plant performed by distinct organs (the root, stem, and leaves), very many plants show no such specialization, but have all their vegetative functions performed by the whole plant-body, which then needs no variety of organs. Of the latter class of plants are the rockweeds and sea-mosses, the fresh-water pond-scums and the fungi, which are obviously much simpler and more primitive plants than those with roots, stems, and leaves. In all true fungi the plant-body consists of numerous simple or branching white threads which spread over the surface or through the substance of the object on which the fungus grows. These threads constitute the so-called "mycelium" of the fungus, and are comparable with the more elaborate plant-body of other plants, since they perform all its vegetative functions.

Equally important with its own healthy growth is the provision by any plant or animal for the perpetuation of its kind, and to this end it develops organs of reproduction. In many of those plants provided with root, stem, and leaf, these reproductive organs are grouped into a structure called a flower; and such plants are known as "flowering plants." They all produce, by the further development of certain parts of their flowers, structures known as "seeds," which can, under favorable conditions, develop into new plants similar to that which produced them.

Fungi do not produce flowers, and they vary greatly in their reproduction; but they all agree in producing bodies called "spores," - much simpler than seeds, as would be expected, but analogous to seeds in their ability to develop, under favorable conditions, into plants similar to those which produced them. These spores are usually produced on special fruiting or reproductive threads, which grow from the vegetative threads of the mycelium of the fungus. The reproductive threads may remain separate, thus producing their spores free in the air; or they may become interlaced or consolidated into a complicated fruiting structure, on which the spores are produced either superficially or in cavities, from which they finally escape into the air. The spores of fungi, being so small and light, are readily taken up and widely spread by currents of air, and are easily carried by insects from plant to plant. In such ways a fungous disease may spread from a single insignificant case until it becomes epidemic over a large area.

In the course of its life-cycle, the ordinary flowering plant passes from the seed, through the seedling, to the adult plant, bearing flowers and then seeds like that from which it grew. Many of the fungi, however, pass through a much more complex life-cycle, during which a given fungus may produce several kinds of spores, and assume several forms so unlike each other that they can be recognized as different stages of the same plant only by careful, patient cultivation and study. It is convenient to select some one stage of such a variable fungus as its perfect or adult form, and it is natural and logical to regard as such that stage in which the fungus shows the greatest elaboration of structure, while the simpler stages through which it passes are commonly called "imperfect forms. This tendency of fungi to variety in form, or "pleomor phism," as it is called, greatly increases the difficulty of their study,

and complicates those problems which concern the successful combating of fungous diseases.

A question which very naturally suggests itself is, "Why do fungi attack and cause diseases of other plants, instead of living independently?" This question involves matters of the greatest interest and of fundamental importance and significance. It is well known that all "green" plants owe their characteristic color to the presence of a definite pigment known as "leaf-green," or "chlorcphyl," which is so generally present among the higher plants, that to most minds the very word "plant " carries with it the idea of greenness. Now, the possession of chlorophyl is the pre-eminent feature which gives to plants their all-important place in the economy of nature. No living thing can continue to live on inorganic substances, but all require as food some of those materials of comparatively complex chemical composition known as organic substances. The materials furnished by the earth, the air, and water are all of simple composition and unorganized; but in leaf-green we have the connecting link, the means of bridging the interval between the inorganic and the organic. Professor Humphrey does not discuss the process in detail. He thinks it sufficient for present purposes to say, that, in Nature's laboratory of the leaf, some of the simple constituents of air and water are combined, by the action of leaf-green in the sunlight, into the complex organic compounds which serve the plant as food. The chemistry of this remarkable process is not well understood, but the commonest permanent form in which these food-materials appear is that of starch.

Now, as was noticed above, the threads of the fungi are white, uncolored; that is, they contain no leaf-green: consequently the fungi cannot elaborate their own food material, but must obtain it, ready elaborated, from some other source. Evidently the available sources of organic food-supply fall under two heads, living organisms; and dead organic matter, commonly decaying. On this basis, the fungi may be divided into two classes, those which derive their nourishment from other living things, and those which live on the remains of dead organisms. The latter, known as corpse plants" or saprophytes," include the moulds, toadstools, and many other fungi; but the first-named group is that which at present is of interest, since it contains the various groups mentioned at the beginning, which live on or in the bodies of other living plants at their expense, and cause extreme weakening or even the death of the affected plants. Such fungi are known as "parasites," and the plants they attack are called their "hosts." This distinction between saprophytic and parasitic fungi is a very useful one; but no sharp line can be drawn between the two groups, since some fungi seem to be able to live either as parasites or as saprophytes, while it is probable that very many pleomorphic fungi are parasites in some of their forms, and saprophytes in other stages of their life-cycle.

Finally, the interesting fact may be noted, that any given parasitic fungus is usually restricted in its capacity for harm to a single host-plant or to a few closely related ones; though, on the other hand, closely related fungi may attack plants of widely different relationships. Thus, the mildew of the lettuce and that of the onion are very closely related fungi; yet neither mildew can attack the host-plant of the other, since the structural resemblances are few and the relationship remote between the lettuce and the onion.

From the above facts may be derived a few important principles for guidance in attempts to avoid or check the ravages of fungi among plants cultivated for use or beauty. Since the mycelium of a parasitic fungus grows usually within the tissues of its host-plant, it is too late to try remedies after a plant is once infected. It is true that a few fungi are superficial in growth, and a treatment may perhaps be found which shall destroy such parasites without harm to the host; but in most cases the aim must be to fortify exposed plants against infection by the timely application of protective solutions or mixtures, which shall prevent the germination of the spores which fall upon the plant so treated. Some progress has been made in this direction, and some results have been reached which justify hopes of ultimate general success in largely avoiding the present enormous annual losses resulting from fungous dis

eases.

The treatment which now gives promise of most general applicability and efficiency is the spraying of the plants with a solution of sulphate of copper (blue-stone) or with one of the preparations in which it is the important ingredient, known as "eau celeste," "Bordeaux mixture," etc. It seems very possible, too, that plants may be fortified against the attacks of parasitic fungi, or their susceptibility to such attacks be largely diminished, by special fertilization, for the purpose of introducing into the plant substances which, while not interfering with its growth, shall make it a less congenial soil for the growth of fungi. The line of investigation here suggested has not yet been followed out, although it offers an opportunity for chemico-physiological work which may yield important results. It is obvious, also, that a vigorously healthy plant will resist the fatal influence of parasites far better than a poorly nourished one.

Much may be done, after a plant is too far gone to be saved, to prevent further spread of the disease, by removing and destroying the diseased parts. It is not sufficient, however, to throw the portions removed into the rubbish heap: the spores must be actually

A NEW RECORDING PRESSURE-GAUGE.1

IN designing the recording pressure-gauge herewith illustrated, the object was to produce an instrument which would be fundamentally simple, and consequently reliable, and which could be placed upon the market at a moderate cost.

Fig. I represents the instrument complete, and ready for application. Fig. 2 shows the pressure-tube with the inking-pointer attached; the front of the case, dial, and cover of clock, being removed. The pressure-tube A is of flattened cross-section, and bent into approximately a sinusoidal form. A flexible strip B, of the same metal as the tube, is secured at the ends and along the bends, as shown in Fig. 2. The bent tube may be considered as a series of Bourdon springs placed end to end.

Pressure applied to the tube produces a tendency to straighten each bend, or collectively to elongate the whole. This tendency to lengthen the tube is resisted by the flexible strip B, and thereby converted into a multiplied lateral motion. The inking-pointer is attached directly to the end of the pressure-tube, as shown in Fig.

destroyed, and this can be effectually done only by burning. A considerable number of fungi produce, in the plants on which they live, resting-spores, which ordinarily remain on or near the ground in dead leaves or stubble, survive the winter, and, germinating in the spring, infect the new growth. In these cases the danger of a severe attack in the following year can be greatly lessened by clearing up and burning all such sources of infection.

Numerous instances can be cited of more or less common weeds or wild plants so closely related to certain cultivated plants that they are liable to the attacks of the same fungi, and so serve to perpetuate those fungi, and to infect the related cultivated plants when growing near. Evidently, then, such plants should be carefully and thoroughly exterminated wherever they may prove a source of danger.

Professor Humphrey then went on to speak of the application of the foregoing facts and principles in the consideration of a few particular fungous diseases.

BARTLETT & CONY

FIG. 2.

2, from which it will be seen that the usual mechanism and multiplying-devices are dispensed with, since the motion of the tube itself is positive and of sufficient range. The special advantage of this is evident, considering that in all other pressure-gauges the movement of the tube or diaphragm is small, and requires a system of mechanism to multiply the motion many times before it is available for indicating purposes. These multiplying-devices must be delicately constructed and properly cared for, and even under the most favorable conditions they are liable at any moment to be a source of error.

W. T. DENNIS, commissioner of fisheries for Indiana, has issued a call for a State convention of the disciples of the rod and reel, and dog and gun, to meet at Indianapolis, Ind., on Thursday, Dec. 19, at noon.

In the instrument illustrated the tube is designed for a range of one hundred and eighty pounds per square inch; for other ranges its sensitiveness may be varied at will by changing its proportions, as length, shape of cross-section, or thickness. The printed charts for receiving the record make one revolution in twenty-four hours, and are provided with radial arcs and concentric circles, the divisions on the radial arcs corresponding to differences in pressure; while those on the concentric circles correspond to the hours of the day and night.

During the past year and a half, several of the instruments have

1 Paper read by W. H. Bristol of Hoboken, N.J., before the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, at its meeting, Nov. 21, 1889.

been in operation upon the steam-boilers at Stevens Institute, and have given perfectly satisfactory results.

In regard to making the tubes alike, it will be well to state that there has been no difficulty in producing a number in which the deflections were equal for equal pressures, and which have been directly applied to a standard chart, without adjustment. It will be readily seen, that, in case there should be slight differences in the deflections, such differences may be allowed for by raising or lowering the tube with reference to the dial. This is equivalent to shortening or lengthening the deflections along the radial arcs. For an indicating instrument, it is only necessary to provide a graduated arc for the end of the tube to move over.

It is evident that the instrument is adapted for a vacuum as well as for a pressure-gauge, and it naturally follows, that, if sufficiently sensitive, it will serve as a barometer, and measure changes of atmospheric pressure.

The model herewith exhibited for this purpose was made by electro-deposition of nickel upon a piece of solder of the proper form, the solder being afterward melted out in oil. The walls of this tube are of an inch thick. When this tube is exhausted of air and sealed, as shown, it gives a deflection of about three inches and a half for an external change of pressure of one atmosphere.

Another application of the pressure tube is in the recording thermometer. The tube may be filled with a very expansible liquid, such as alcohol, and sealed. Variations in temperature produce expansion of the enclosed liquid, which, in turn, gives deflections of the tube to correspond. These deflections may be used to record directly, without multiplying-devices, as shown in one of the models.

The tubes of the pressure-gauges to be inspected have been made by the writer at Stevens Institute, for the purpose of thoroughly testing the novel form. The results have been perfectly satisfactory, and our recent experience in manufacturing has demonstrated the possibility of duplicating the tubes in quantities for a standard chart.

NOTES OF TOMATOES.

PERHAPS the most frequent and noteworthy observation made upon the culture of the tomato during several years of experimentation with the plant at the Cornell Agricultural Station has been the great increase in vigor and productiveness which comes from careful handling and good tillage. It often appears as if this vigor is not only characteristic of the immediate generation, but that it is hereditary for a time to a profitable degree. Handling" or transplanting of young plants, when frequently and properly done, is invaluable; and, so far as the plant is concerned, three or four transplantings are better than one. In the station work, in order to get the greatest results from tests, the plants are handled in pots, preferably rose-pots, and are transplanted several times. The handling is expeditious, and is not too expensive for the use of any one who grows tomatoes for home use. For market culture

they find that two transplantings are usually profitable. Stocky plants, vigorous, and growing rapidly, are better than simply early plants, however; and frequency of transplanting must not be confounded with early sowing and consequent necessity for several shiftings. Tomato plants or any plants, in fact should not be shifted for the simple purpose of preventing crowding or "drawing." Transplanting serves the purpose of maintaining a steady and symmetrical growth, and it should occur before the plant becomes checked from neglect. A good tomato-plant at the time of setting in the field, is one which is stocky enough to hold the weight of the earth and pot when a number of plants are grasped in the hand by their tops, and are carried along the rows. They require no staking when set. A tall and weak plant with a blossom on the top is not considered worth setting. It is a common mistake to set tomato-plants in the field too early. Cold nights, even though several degrees above frost, check the plants, sometimes seriously.

How early the plants should be started for profit is a question which demands attention. A few writers have maintained of late that nothing is gained in earliness and productiveness by early starting under glass. This is undoubtedly true if the early plants

are not well grown, but the Cornell experience is quite to the contrary with stocky and vigorous plants. Whether this increase is worth what it costs, is a question which must be answered by every grower for himself.

In every instance the early-sown plants gave earlier fruits than the others; and in every case but one, in which the yields were practically the same, the total yield is much greater. The gain in earliness sometimes amounts to three or even four weeks. The disadvantage of very late planting (middle of May) is particularly pronounced in the results at Cornell, especially in point of productiveThis productiveness, however, is really a measure of earliness, inasmuch as it simply records the weight of fruit which had ripened up to Oct. 10, when the tomato season was closed by frost. Could the season have been sufficiently extended, no doubt the ultimate productiveness of the varions plantings would have been the same.

ness.

It is a common notion that soils containing little or no manure are preferable to well-enriched soils for tomato-growing. It is supposed that rich soils tend to make vine at the expense of fruit, causing lateness of maturity and consequent lessening of yield; and the supposition is prevalent that rich soils tend to make fruits "rougher," or more irregular in shape. A careful test upon these points has been made during the past season at Cornell, with the result that heavy manuring for tomatoes may give decided benefits; yet it is possible that the character of the soil or season may have much to do with the behavior of the plants under these conditions.

The manuring of one plat was excessive, but the gain due to the very heavy dressing was not sufficient to pay for the extra cost. But if excessive manuring did not greatly increase yield, neither did it always tend to an unprofitable production of vine at the expense of yield and earliness, as is commonly supposed.

The tomato is one of the most variable and inconstant of kitchengarden plants. As a rule, varieties differ but slightly from their allies, and a considerable plantation and a critical eye are needed to determine many of even the common sorts. It is certainly true that at least half of the varieties which have been offered in the last few years are practically the same as other varieties.

Varieties of tomatoes are as a rule short-lived. Ten years may be considered the average profitable life of a variety, and many sorts break up and disappear in two or three years. This inconstancy of type is largely due, no doubt, to the haste with which new sorts are put upon the market.

The demand in tomatoes now calls for fruits which are regular in shape, solid, large, and plants which are productive. The old angular sorts are rapidly disappearing in commercial practice. There has been no gain in earliness for the species for many years, if at all, and little if any need be expected. The cherry and plum sorts, with a few of the angular-fruited and wrinkled-leaved varieties, are still the earliest sorts. Yet comparative earliness between commercial varieties is an important consideration. There is also no gain in capability to resist rot: the cherry, plum, and angular sorts are still most exempt, the cherry and plum varieties entirely so.

An experiment was undertaken to determine if keeping qualities are correlated with solidity. Representative samples of many varieties, taken so far as possible in the same stage of maturity, were placed together upon a forcing-house table, and the fruits were removed as soon as they began to decay. It was found that some of the frailest varieties kept the longest. It appears, therefore, that solidity must be measured by a general judgment rather than by any definite expression. This conclusion is quite at variance with common opinion.

Much has been said concerning the superiority of certain varieties for cooking purposes, aside from quality of fruit. There is said to be characteristic differences between varieties in time of cooking and amount of shrinkage. A painstaking cooking test was made with a few varieties, but the results are so variable as to appear to be merely accidental or characteristic of individual fruits. The fruits were cut into thin slices and placed in boiling water. The shrinkages in weight and bulk do not appear to be correlated. In some instances shrinkage was slight, while in other varieties, equally as solid and good, it was great.

Four-fifths of the varieties of tomatoes now offered by dealers possess no points of superiority for general culture. It should be borne in mind that a variety which is simply good is not worth introducing. It must present some point of decided superiority over the best kinds at present known, in order to possess merit. This fact appears to be commonly overlooked in all classes of vegetables, and every year the grower is bewildered with the display of novelties.

HEALTH MATTERS.

IS MAN LEFT-LEGGED? — Dr. W. K. Sibley read a paper before the British Association in which he argued that man was naturally left-legged. Standing working with the right hand, there was a tendency to balance on the left leg. Race-paths were nearly always made for running in circles to the right, and the majority of movements (such as dancing, running, etc.) were more readily performed to the right. In walking it was natural to bear to the right: -crowds as well as individuals did so. Troops started off with the left foot; the left foot was placed in the stirrup or step of the bicycle in mounting; the left foot was the one from which a man took off in jumping. The Medical Record, to which we are indebted for the above information, goes on to say, that, from measurements made by Dr. Garson of the skeletons of the two legs, in 54.3 per cent the left leg was the longer, and in 35.8 the right. From measurements of 200 pairs of feet, it was found that in 44 per cent the left, and in 21.5 the right, was longer, while in 34.5 they were equal.

THE STOMACH-BRUSH.

- A dental journal publishes the following, translated from the German: In 1713 there was published a pamphlet entitled "A Complete Account of the most Useful Stomach Brush which is now to be had at the Brushmakers at the Old Court Sadler's Shop in Broad Street in Colln-on-the-Spree." Many a one may have wished to be able once in a while to have his stomach thoroughly cleaned out, and this speculative brushmaker gave a practicable means to give effect to this wish. In the pamphlet there is a drawing of the stomach-brush: it resembles a pipe-cleaner, but of course is larger. The stalk is made of four wires twisted together, covered with thread, silk, or small ribbons: it is twenty-six inches long. The brush at the under end is two inches long and one and a half broad, and is made of goat's-beard hair; but, when one has been accustomed to use it for three or four weeks, a horse-hair brush is substituted, this hair being somewhat stronger, and so the effect is better. The application of this most excellent brush is very simple. It is pressed through the throat down into the stomach, which, by drawing up and down of the brush, is cleaned. Thereafter cold water or brandy is to be drunk, and the operation is repeated till the cleaning is perfect. The cure is to be repeated every morning. The author says, according to the British Medical Journal, “At first you will find it rather troublesome to get the brush down, but when you put it in your mouth and on your palate, draw in breath and wind, and press it gently and gradually down, and, without any particular trouble, it will reach the stomach. After eight to fourteen days' practice, it will come as easily to you as eating or drinking." Of course, the daily application of the stomach-brush is the infallible remedy or preventive of all diseases that can be imagined. "Whoever uses this cure requires no other medicine, for it is good against all-cold, hot, and poisonous fevers, it gives a good appetite for eating, it is good against asthma, hemorrhage, headache, chest complaints, coughs, consumptions, apoplexy, toothache, sore eyes, dysentery, quinsy on the tongue, quinsy in the throat, ulcers, abscesses, cardialgy; it favors digestion, strengthens the heart, drives away pimples on the skin, is against choking in the stomach, etc., makes too fat and asthmatical and swollen-up people thin, and, on the other hand, makes meagre and thin people fat. The great effect, however, is produced only when the use of the brush is combined with that of an elixir. This is compounded of aloes, saffron, rhubarbona, lark-mushroom, wormseed, eugian, myrrh, theriac. After the stomach-washing, forty to fifty drops of the elixir is to be taken in wine, and this preserves for twenty-four hours against all poison and pestilence."

VACCINATION ON THE LEG.

A French practitioner, in the course of a large number of revaccinations, was struck with the fact that the operation was far more successful when performed on the leg than when the arm was selected. He has since availed himself of an opportunity of verifying his first impression; and last year, having to revaccinate 177 school-children, he chose the left leg in 99, and the left arm in 78, and carefully compared the results obtained, dividing them into three groups according as the eruption was typical, doubtful, or absent. Of the 99 cases vaccinated on the leg, as we learn from the Medical Press and Circular, 23 were typical, 31 doubtful, and 45 unsuccessful, being equivalent to a percentage of 23.2 and 31.3 respectively. Of the 78 children vaccinated on the arm, the numbers were II typical, 25 doubtful, and 42 failures, equal to 14.1 and 32 per cent respectively. The percentage of failures was 45.45 on the leg, as compared with 53.84 on the arm.

AFRICAN JUMPERS. Dr. Bennett of Griqualand writes in the South African Journal an account of a peculiar nervous affection which is met with among the Griquas and other natives and individuals of mixed descent living in Griqualand. He suggests that perhaps the affection is similar to that prevalent among the French Canadians, and known there by the name of "jumpers." Dr. Bennett says, "The affection is entirely confined to the male sex, and I have never seen or heard of a case in the female. The victims of this strange form of neurosis go through the most extraordinary and grotesque antics on the slightest provocation. A whistle, a touch, a shout, — any thing, in fact, sudden and unexpected, - will set them going.' Some will stiffen their limbs, make hideous grimaces, and waltz about as if they had no joints in their body. Others will jump wildly about like dancing dervishes, imitating the particular sound that had acted as an exciting cause. Some, again, will make use of the most obscene expressions on a transient impulse, correcting themselves immediately afterward, and expressing their regret for having used such language; while others, on the spur of the moment, will do any thing they are told to do. If they should happen to have a piece of tobacco in their hand, and one should suddenly shout, 'Throw it away!' they will do so at once, running away for a short distance, and trembling all over their body. I remember one case in particular: it was that of a 'bastard' boy, a mason by trade. He had been handed a piece of tobacco, and the person who handed it to him shouted out suddenly, 'Throw it away it is a snake!' He first danced about wildly for a short time, and then ran away as fast as he was able ; but he had not gone far, when he fell down in a fit,' and it was some time before he recovered."

SMALL-POX. - Dr. Lewentaner of Constantinople, writing in the Bulletin Général de Thérapeutique, No. 32, 1889, speaks very encouragingly of the success attending an antiseptic method of treating this disease, which he tried in several cases. The advantages of this method of treatment are summed up by The Medical Record as follows: 1. All the children treated in this way recovered, although the ordinary mortality of the disease is forty per cent. 2. The duration of the disease was decidedly shortened, the period elapsing from the commencement of the eruption to the falling-off of the crusts being twelve or thirteen days. 3. The disease ran its entire course almost without fever. 4. The danger to those around the patient is greatly lessened. In Dr. Lewentaner's cases there were other children exposed, but, notwithstanding that they were not vaccinated, they did not contract the disease. 5. The simplicity of the method, as compared with the treatment by baths and cold applications, has much to recommend it. 6. Æsthetically, also, the antiseptic method of treatment offers great advantages, since it prevents absolutely all pitting.