The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-04-19
MORNING STAR AND CATHOLIC xEssINaER.
NEW ORLEANS, SUNDAY, APRIL 10, 1858.
SCIENTIFIC, RHETORICAL. ETC. Vs.

ELEcrR1clrY.-The quantity Of atmos-
pheric electricity at noon is much greater
in winter than in summer, the relation
being about ten to one. This augmenta-
ton of electric force proceeds In manner
almost parallel with the number OF days OF
frost and fog, and inversely as the number
of days of thunder, elevation OF temperature,
and actinic power.
SALT Your CH1MNEYs.-In building u
chimney, put a quantity OF salt into the
mortar with which the intercourses OF brick
are to be laid. The effect will be that there
will never be any accumulation OF SCOT In
that chimney. The philosophy is thus
stated: The salt in the portion OF mortar
which is exposed absOrbs moisture from the
atmosphere every damp day. The SCOT
thus becomes damp, falls down in the fire.
place. This appears to be an English dis
covery.
A MEDICAL FAcT.-An Irish surgeon
who had cOuched a cataract and restored
the sight of apOOr woman in Dublin, OBJ
served in her case what he deemed aphe-
nomenOn in optics, on which he called to-
cether his professional brethren, declaring
himself unequal to the solution. He stated
to them that the sight of his patient was so
perfectly restored that she could see to
thread the smallest needle, or to perform
any operation which required particular &C
curacy of vision. But when lie presented
her with book, she was not capable of dis
tinguishing one letter from another. This
= very singular case excited the ingenuity OF
all the gentlemen present, and various So
buttons were offered, but none could COM
mand the general assent. Doubt crowded
ON doubt, and the problem grew darker
from every explanation. When ut length,
by question put by the servant who at
tended, it was discovered that-thc woman
had never learned to read.
THE HUMAN BoDy.-While the gastric
juice has IL mild, bland, sweetish taste, it
possesses the power OF digesting the hardest
food that can he swallowed 1t has no in
tiuence whatever Oh the tibres of the living
animal; but in the moment of death it be-
gins to eat them away with the power of
the strongest acid. There is dust on the
sea and land--in the valley and on the
mountain tOp-thcre is dust always and
everywhere. The atmosphere is full of it.
1t penetrates the noisome dungeon, and
visits the deepest and darkest caves of the
earth. No palace door can shut 1T out; no
drawer is so secret as to escape its presence.
Every breath of wind dashes it upon the
open eye, which yet is not blinded, because
there is fountain of the blandest fluid in
nature necessarily employing itself under
the eyelid, which spreads itself over the
surface of the eyeball, at every winking, and
washes every atom of dust away. This
liquid, so well adapted to the eye itself, has
some acidity, which, under certain circum- |
stances, becomes SO decided as to be scalding |
to the skin, and would rot away the eyelids
were it not that along the edges Of them are
little oil manufactures, which spread over |
the surface a coating as impervious to the |
liquids necessary for keeping the eyeballs |
clean, as the best varnish is impervious to |
water.
D1PTHEHIA. For the information of
parents we publish the following receipt for
the cure of this disease: "Diptheria, in it's
earliest stage, may be recognized by any
person of ordinary capacity, by the two
marked symptoms: the sensation nt IL bone
or q hard substance i'll the thrOat, rendering
swallowing difficult or painful, fetor, OF
unpleasant smell of the breath, the result
of its putrefactive tendency. On the ap-
pearance of these symptoms. if the patient
is old enough to do so, give II piece of gum
CamphOr of the size OF Il marrowfat pea,
and let it be retained in the mouth, swal-
lowing slowly the saliva charged with it
until it is gone, i'll an hour or So. & i've an
other, and ut the end of another hour a
third fourth will not usually berequired;
but if the pain and unpleasant breath are
not relieved, it may be used two or three
times more at IL little longer interval, say
two or three hours. If the child is young,
powder the camphor, which can be easily
done by adding Il drop or two of spirits of
alcohol to it, and mix 1T with an equal
quantity of powdered loaf sugar, or better,
powdered rock candy, and blow it through
II quill or tube into the throat, depressing
the tongue with the handle of the spoon"
INSECT ORGANIzATIoN.-Wepe perceive that
among insects some lead an idle life, while
Others are condemned to Il life of labor and
combat. These last are supplied with arms
and tools according to the wants of their
particular mode of life; hence, even the
partial examination of u single organ per-
mits us to classify the individual and to
guess the instincts he obeys. Many articu-
lated insects carry at the extremity of the
abdomen pincers, nippers, a saw, an augur,
or even poisoned sword. If we consider
in particular the arachnide, what diver
sity in the conformation of the appendages!
what an arsenal of instruments of labor and
war! the mandibles represent in turn