made a puncture in the cornea, introduced a probe, and found the

crystalline lens pressing, as I expected, on the cornea. The in-

cision wasthen enlarged with scissors, and the crys'allinc lens
extracted. This operation was followed by some days of ease;
but then the pains returned, with as much severity as ever. Af-
ter this, finding she was not permanently relieved by bleeding,
blistering, nor a slight salivation, and that the vitreous humour
was projecting through the wound in the cornea, I removed the

protruded part of this substance, still however the pains con-

tinued excessive. On which I passed a cataract knife into the
cornea made a large crucial incision, gave vent to a considerable
part of the discoloured vitreous homour and thus relieved her.
Since then she has been recovering.
The cause of spontaneous dislocation of the crystalline lens is
not known. This accident must arise from a change in the lens
itself, or in its capsule. In some of the cases, I believe the lens
has been evidently disordered, before the symptoms of disloca-
tion took place, which would make it probable that the cause of
the disorder resides in the lens ; and I recollect to have dissected
a decayed eye, in a subject examined for another purpose, in the

cavity of which was found nothing but a little watery fluid and a
stony crystalline ¡ens. In this case there cannot be much doubt,
that the petrified lens had caused absorption of its capsule, and
thence escaping had pressed on other parts and brought on inflam-
mation and ulcération of the eye. followed by a discharge of the
contents of the globe, and a condensation of its coats into a single
membrane.

POTASSIUM.
[To the Editors of the New-England Journal.]
GENTLEMEN,

I observe in the second part of the Philosophical Transac-

tions for 1814, a paper " On an easier mode of procuring Potas-
sium by Smithson Tennant, Esq. ;" The improvement in the
process consists in distilling iron turnings and potash together,

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 and consequently a more simple apparatus may be employed.—
That potassium might probably be procured by distilling iron
'
turnings and potash was suggested to me in June 1813, by Pro-
fessor Gorham, and I immediately made the experiment.* The
apparatus employed was similar to that described by Mr. Ten-
nant, and consisted of a gun barrel about 20 inches long closed at
one end.—Iron turnings and fused potash were mixed and intro-
duced ; a stop cock was luted into the open end of the barrel,
connected with a glasss tube opening under Spirits of Turpentine.
On exposing the potash and iron filings to a white heat, potas-
sium quite pure was obtained, it sublimed and concreted around
the stop cock, from which it was detached_The merit therefore
of the improvement belongs equally to Mr. Tennant and Dr.
Gorham.
I am fxc.
J. F. DANA.
Cambridge January, 1816.

ON THE CLAVUS OR ERGOT OF RYE AND

OTHER PLANTS,
BY JACOB BIGELOW, M. D.

Many of the grasses and gramineous plants are subject to a.

disease, which vegetable pathologists have given the name of
to
Clavus. In this disease one or more seeds arc usually enlarged
or elongated, and project from the spike or panicle to which they
belong ¡ they of an irregular form, a light and brittle texture,
are

a dark colour andunpleasant taste ; and, as far as experiments have

been tried, they arc incapable of germination.
Of the different kinds of grain, rye appears to be most subject
to this disease ; wheat is often affected with it; barley and oats are
said to be also liable to it. It likewise appears in the smaller

*
Or. Gorham was present at the commencement of theexperiment,
hut was obliged to leave the Laboratory before it was completed.

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For personal use only. No other uses without permission. From the NEJM Archive. Copyright © 2010 Massachusetts Medical Society.