The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-07-05
FOREIGN SCIENTIFIC Items.

A curious and at the same time interesting fact
has recently been made known by the scientific Jour
mails. Cyanide Of potassium, much used by photo
graphers, is an exceedingly dangerous poison; and
they will be glad to hear that the painful ulcers nd
efrectuay prevented by rubbing the hands when
soiled with with mixture Of prot0suphate of iron
Mr. B ns has called the attention
astronomers to spot now visible on the
surface of the moon, and presenting the same
phenomena as those atterly observed In the crater
Linnaus. and the true nature Of which might be in
vestgated by means Of photography. The spot in
and Eve degrees south latitude and presents var
atiOns Of appearance which can hardly be explained
otherwise than by volcanic action exactly as in the
case Of LinnGus. Now. In Mr.. Birt's opinion, these
apparent changes OF shape can only be explained by
supp0sng that these two craters are provided with
sort Of lid, which, from time to time conceals the
0rifces.
The Journal des Connaissances Medtcales informs
rs that the best way to Kill flies is to coat a
piece Of board with treacle and, when full of vic
tins, to scrape them or and renew the operation
This s infinitely preferable to all the arsenca pre-
paratiOns often recommended since flies will get
away from them and die on some almentary SUBJ
stance prepared for man. and thus introduce into 1t
the poison wnich Is tne cause OF dneir death;
Bader gives the following curious experiment made
by DR.. Claude Bernardo OxygeniZed blood be in
decaptation warmth and sensibiity return; the eye
gets animated and displays such strong perception
that hammer shaken before 1t will cause IL to wink
and look sideways.
1t is a known fact that in a compound an equiv
alent OF some organic radical may be substituted
cal properties of-the substance; but will the
physiological properties remain unchanged as
well2 This question NM. Jolyet and Cahours
have endeavored to solve In paper addressed to
the Academy OF Sciences.
Aniline introduced into the animal economy will
overexcite the cerebro-rachdan centre and cause
violent commissions. Now, II methyle, ethyle or
amyle be substituted for the hydrogen OF anillne,
thus forming corresponding compounds known as
methylaniline, &C. the ngeston OF these will pro-
duce exactly the contrary effect by inducing supor
Hence, though the chemical properties may be iden
tica the physiological ones are Numerically oppo-
site in this case, and probably in most others.
M. +. Carre has made pencils OF artificial coal, the
Illuminating power OF which by the aid Of electricity
has been found much superior to that obtained from
the coal supplied by the gasworks To make this
substitute he takes various kinds of seacoal and
charcoal reduced TO impalpabe powder and then
oils mixed with resins; and lastly subjected to
powerful pressure, strongly agglomeratng them
Into prisms or cylinders, which subsequently
calcined in close vessels at white heat. BY addf
tiop Of iron or anthony the electric may be
siderabv enlarged.
At recent sitting Of the French Academy OF
Sciences M. Wurtz read paper on two. isomeric
from xyene heated with concentrated sulphuric acid
one Of these new compounds Is solid and the other
liquid. The former soluble In ether crystallizes In bril-
liant and cooress laminp, which melt at IS degrees
centigrade the other pale, impd fuid possessing
great retroactive power.
A paper was received from NJ. A. W. Hof-
mann on the persulphuret OF hydrogen, which,
he maintains, does not consist OF one equiva-
lent OF hydrogen and two OF sulphur but OF two OF
the former and three Of the latter This he proves
by analysis the only interesting feature 81 which
is that he obtains crystallized body completely In
soluble In water, ether, alcohol or any other
known solvent capable Of redepositing 1t In
CRYSTALS TINS singular ne cs
nine with another Of hydrosulphate Of ammonia
containing an excess OF sulphur.