The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1872-10-08
PopULAR FALLAcTEs.


volumes with an account of what he conceived
to be 'sVulgar Errors "-Pseudodoxia Epi-
demica--and although modern science has
done much to diffuse sound knowledge in re-
gard to the phenomena around us, yet popular
fallacies have not as yet, quite disappeared.
Even our textbooks of popular science, and
many of our so-called scientific papers, con-
tinue to propagate and perpetuate mistakes
which may well be elassed with the ''vulgar
errors" of DIR. Browne. Thus, nothing is
more common than to hear of the tubular
character of hair indeed, almost every one
that we meet WILL if asked tell us that the
hairs of our heads are very fine tubes. And
yet every hair is a good solid cylinder--a fact
which has been published hundreds of times,
but which seems to have no effect upon the
popular belief 1t is true that hair, when
examined under the microscope, looks some
thing like a tube but then so does solid
metallic wire-a fine needle for example.
That which gives rise to the tubular appear
ance is simply the bright line which is always
seen on every cylinder stove-pipe for ex-
ample, or even a common black-lead pencil
When we take the hair, however, and having
cut slice off the end, examine this slice, we
find that it is not ring, as it would be if cut
from the end of tube, but solid disk
Another singular idea, which has gained
very general ground, is, that the moons of
Jupiter can be seen in a looking glass; and it,
some bright night, we try the experiment, we
shall actually see Jupiter in the looking glass,
accompanied by a very faint star, which con-
stantly maintains the same distance from the
planet. Further examination will show us
that every bright star presents the same ap-
pearance; and if we reflect little upon the
phenomenon, we shall see that the so-called
moon is only the faint image of the star or
planet reflected from the surface of the glass,
while the bright image reflected from the sur
face of the mercury is what we cali the star
itself. A lamp or candle held before thick
mirror will present precisely the same appear
ance. Simple though the explanation be,
however, there are few errors that have taken
deeper hold on the minds of the pseudo
scientific than this.
Amongst popular fallacies, prominent
place must be given to those which arise from
the actual deception of the senses for neither
our eyesight nor our sense of touch is to be
absolutely depended upon. Thus, the beauti-
full phenomenon known as t" the sun drawing
water " is caused simply by the rays of the sun
piercing rift in the Clouds and rendered
more intense by the prevailing gloom. Few
people would believe that actual measurement
of the sun and moon, when near the horizon
at rising or setting, would fail to show that
they are then much larger than at other times
and yet allowing for the difference caused by
refraction, and which is too slight to be meas
measurement does show that not only their
real, but their apparent, sizes are precisely the
same at all times.
Another fallacy which is very prevalent is
that every drop of water contains millions of
animalcules, and that every pebble, indeed,
every fragment of solid matter on the face of
the globe is peopled with myriads Of these
small creatures. For this belief there is,
however, no foundation whatever. So far as
animalcules are concerned, most pebbles and
fragments of rocks are barren deserts, espe-
cialy when dry and good spring-water is, 50
far as animal life is concerned, a liquid waste.
A few stray animalcules may occasionally be
found in the water that we drink but if it is
filled with animalcules, it is certainly not
fit for human use, either as drink or in the
preparation of food.
But while most of the fallacies which we
have mentioned are due to simple ignorance,
there is another class which is based upon a
sort of quasi-scientiic information, and which
are far more dangerous. A good example of
these is the opinion generally held by half
taught chemists, that it is to this silicious
coating of the grasses and cereals that these
plants owe their power of standing upright
in other words, that it is to this that they owe
their stiffness. This opinion has been SO
firmly held by many, that they have advised
the addition of silica to land for the purpose
of giving stiffness to the straw, and thus pre-
venting the lodging of the grain. Now, when
we learn that almost all soil consists of at
least one-half silica, we shall see the absurdity
of such advice. The truth is, that the stiffness
of straw is not due to silica at all for chemists
have dissolved the silica by means of hydro
fluoric acid, and removed it completely from
the vegetable stem, without impairing the
stiffness of the latter.