Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1873-08-07
Medical and Surgical Notes.

L
MIND AND BRAINs.-The braips {
idiots have usually been found quit
small often less than half the ordinar
weight, and in some instances less tha
fourth. But in list of crania cor
tained in recent work by DIR. Flint
one idiot is'shown to have had brai
that weighed 54.33 ounces; two other
had brains weighing a'little more thai
4S ounces; the brain OF another, G
"the lowest degrees of intelligence,
1856, and that one one ''below the con
dition of BRUTE" 1873, or less thai
four ounces below the normal weigh
of the human brain, The cranial cav
ity was measured by Morton in 623 in
stances, the largest, ia cubic inches
was that of German; the smallest
that of an Australian, only 5S cubi
inches.
TINE AND MODES OF, SUICIDE.-A
writer in a French medical journal, ,wht
has examined about 900 judicial ac
counts of suicides in Paris, thinks him
self warranted in assuming the follow
ing conclusions: Philosophical, or pre-
meditated suicide, takes place usually
during the night and a little before
daybreak; occidental, or unpremedi
tated suicide, takes place during the
day, because it is then that the occas.
ional causes arise, such as quarrels, bad
news, losses, intemperance, etc. Al
every age, too, men choose particular
modes of committing suicide. Thus
in youth he has recourse to hanging,
which he soon abandons for fire arms;
in proportion as vigor declines, or old
age advances, hanging is generally the
mode. '''' g.. ~ ..-i-
l POISONOUS COLoRINGs.--It appears
that greens are not the only colors
which contain arsenic, nor wallpaper
the only fabric colored with arsenical
pigments. A correspondent of the
Chemical News, who is in position to
know, states that the French use the
pigments containing arsenic
in calico-printing, and that they are
equally suitable and doubtless used in
the coloring of paper-hangings. Light
scarlet pigment contained aluminia,
arsenious oxide, and aurine; scarlet
ponceau contained carbonate of lime,
in addition to the ingredientsju nam
ed; dark green, preparation of aniline
green and arseniOus oxide, steam chOc-
Olate and catechu pigment both con-
tanned the arsenious oxide. The pres
ence of arsenic in red as well as green
,olored wallpaper has been demon
strated by Hallwacks. -, - ....,....
THE RACE GROWING MORE LONG
of vital statistics re-
,ently published in Europe recited in
of the generally received
opinion that the duration of human
ite is at present greater than in past
Thus, it is stated that in the
City of Geneva, Switzerland, registers
have been kept of the yearly average
Of human longevity since 1890. In that
year it is given at % years and 6 mos.
At present it is over 40 years. The
ables compiled by life assurance COM
Danies in England, and adopted in this
country, are said to show q similar re-
'ult. In the fourteenth century, the
lverage annual mortality in the City
If Paris was in 16; it is now given as
bout in 80. In all England, in 1880,
he rate of mortality was 1 in SO; as
low given, it is about in 42.
HAIR OF DIFFERENT RACRS.-Some
,ody who has been studying the mat
er of the form and substance of the
luman hair in different races, finds
hat the hair of the North American
indian is cylindrical, that of the white
ace is oval, that of the negro lmay be
ermed elliptical. 1t is also found that
vhen the hair is cylindrical the stretch
ng and shrinking powers are equal on
II sides of the fllament, and this con-
itiOn gives it the lank, straight ap-
earance of the pure-blood INDIAN
he oval hair displays a greater num-
er of flores upon the tlatteRed side
hsu elsewhere, condition which
ives to such hair a tendency to curl or
urve in that direction. When eccen-
really elliptical it not only always
urls but often assumes spiral shape,
8 on the head of the negro. The hair
T the Chinese is almost cylinrical, and
ence it is that eurled hair is almost |
Unknown among that people. |
A seafaring man, who was recently
larried, gives the following descrip-
on of his bride and her apparel, which
'e think will put some of the society
apers to the blush ''My wife is just
, handsome a craft as ever left the
Millinery dry-locks; is clipper built,
nd with figure-head not often seen
n small craft. Her length of keel is
We feet eight inches, over all five feet
even inches; displaces twenty-seven
,bic feet ofair; of light draught, which
Ids to her speed in a ballroom; full
/ the waist, spars trim. At the time