The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-02-06

Arts, gives a photograph of certain |
portion of the solar spectrum. In OBJ |
tanning the spectrum a finely ruled |
glass plate was used, containing nearly |
$500 lines to the inch. the photo
graphs are printed by the Alberttype
process, thereby avoiding all error IN
the intensity and position OF the dark
lines.
DIsrNFEcrANT.-T president of po-
lice in Berlin advises a house toulouse
disinfec-ion in that city, the plans
adopted to be carried out by associations
of the citizens, each under the direc
ton of district physician. The asso-
citation of Berlin pharmaceutists strong
" recommends as the dicinfectant to
be used mixture of chloride of mag
nesium, iron, oxide of manganese and
carbolic acid.
THE ToNeUE.-The question whether
q man can talk or not after his tongue
has been cut out has been recently de-
cided in the affirmative. The Lancet
describes a case to the point occurring
in the Roval Free hospital in London.
In order to remove an ulcer the patients
tongue was wholly cut out, leaving the
floor of the mouth entire. Within a
week he was heard to say distinctly
l should like some more beef tea"
EFFECT OF MERCURY ON THE SYSTEM.
In Vienna, recently, Prof. Hyatt de-
hvered lecture on mercury, when he
exhibited the leg bone of a man whose
death had undoubtedly been fastened
by that substance. On striking the
bone heavily upon the table out fell
fhAr7gav,Aa - I.AKIo or1i4Aapiy,Cr rrlnlNY,1ao
of mercury, which rolled upon the
black surface before him, collecting
here and there into drops.
DELETERIoUs PROPERTIES OF PAINT.
In an investigation in Paris into the
deleterious properties of fresh paint,
saucers full of water were placed In
boxes freshly painted. After the water
had evaporated from the plates there
were found some remarkable crystalli-
cations like needles, consisting of COM
binatiOns in which the oils employed,
formed the principal part. These crys-
taline combinations were obtained even
when linseed was used. Rabbits placed
in the boxes became sick, but none
died.
Pudding BY EIECTRICITY.-The ap-
plication of electricity for the reduc-
tion of metals from their ores has been
patented in England. By regulating
the electric current in proper manner
it is claimed that cast iron, wrought
iron or steel can be produced directly
from the furnace without any interme-
diate operations. This pudding by
means of an electric current will occu-
by from ten to fifteen minutes only,
instead of several hours, as in the or
nary pudding by hand labor or ma
chinery.
How To TEST THE PURITY OF WATER
The Pharmaceutical Journal" quotes
from Heisch a very simply and
important test for determining the
quality of drinking-water, and espe-
cially as TO its freedom from sewage
contamination. This consists in placing
a few grains of the best white lump
sugar in half pint of water in per
fectly clean, colorless, glass-stopped
bottle, freely exposed to daylight in
the window of a warm room. If the
water be perfectly free from sewage
contamination it should not become tur-
bid, even after an exposure of week
or ten days, in which case it is almost
certainly safe, otherwise not.
FLYING FRoG.-AIfred Wallace, in
his travels in the Malay Archipelago,
encountered in Born a tree frog to
which he considers the term " flying"
may fairly be applied. OF this animal
he gives the following account "One
of the most curious and interesting
creatures which 1 met with in Borneo
was a large tree frog which was brought
me by one of the Chinese workmen.
He assured me that he had seen it come
down, in a slRnting direction, from a
high tree as if it flew. On examining
it found the toes very long and fu "
webbed to their extremity, so that,
when expanded, they offered surface
much larger than the body. The fore
legs were also bordered by membrane,
and the body was capable of considera-
bic imitation"
THE MUsCLEs.-M Ranvier points
ont that the red and white muscles of a
body-verv clearly seen by removing
the skin of a rabbit-which. exist min
gled in the same region, are different
both in structure and properties. On
applying the electric current, the white
portions contract almost instantly, and
respond even to rapid and continuous
shocks. The red portions, on the con-
trarv, are much more sluggish it re-
quires a certain time for them, appa.
rently, to feel the excitement, while on
quick interrupted discharges of electri-
city being administered, they simply
assume permanent contraction. It is
believed by NJ Ranvier that the con-
fractions are involuntary and of the
same nature as those of the heart; the
former, however, he thinks are con-
trolled by the will
UTILIZING THE Magnetic ELECTRIC
LIGHT-A citizen of st. Petersburg,
Russia, is said to have overcome the
difficulties in the wav of applying the
maPncto-electric light to the purpose of
general illumination. He has con-
structed machine, which, he declares,
can keep several hundred lamps going,
the lamps being regulated bv simple
Continuance. Hitherto the want OF
steadiness has been Objectionable, and
was caused by its dependence on the
uniform proximity of two carbon points,
which, when heated by the current and
exposed to the air, we've rapidly burnt
away. In this invention only one piece
of charcoal is necessary. This is con-
nected with the ELECTROMAGNETIC ma
chine, and inclosed in a glass tube, from
which the air is extracted. The tube is
then filled with gas which will not COM
bine with the charcoal at a high tenn
perature. and Theoretically sealed. On
the machine being set in motion the
charcoal becomes gradually and equally
heated, and emits soft, steady light,
which will burn at the bottom of
river, as readily as in n street lamp, and
at about one-fifth of the cost of coal-gas.
A LONDON EXPERIMENT WITH SEWAGE.
The phosphate sewage company of Lon
don have patented a process which
promises to solve the very troublesome
question of the disposition of the IL
quid filth that flows through the sewers
of every city. The process combines
the saving of the manurial properties
of the sewage for fertilizing purposes,
with its disinfection, so that instead of
polluting some neighboriug brook or
rive. the liquid portion that escapes is
clarified into sparkling water, pure alike
to smell and taste. The company is at
roraSeut exDarimaDtiDrr with a DortiOy, IF