Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1875-03-24
SCIENTIFIC.

PROFESSOR GUTHRIE has recently made
researches into the freezing of various
saline solutions, and has published the
result in the Philosophical Magazine.
He finds that when ordinary brine is
sufficiently reduced in temperature, ice
il separated, while the brine becomes
richer in salt. But If the solution be
saturated, crystals of q bihydrate of
chloride of sodium are formed. and
their separation necessarily impover
ishes the brine. When this impoverished
brine is further cooled, by contact with
solid carbonic acid and ether, the whole
solidifes, the water and salt forming q
homogeneous crystalline mass of def
mite composition, which is probably a
hydrate, containing ten molecules of
water. The term Cryohydrates is pro-
visionally proposed for the newly dis
covered class of bodies, of which this
compound is type; class of bodies,
in fact, which contain water combined
with various salts, and which solidify
below the freezing point of water. In
the freezing of sea-water, ice is first
formed but it is probable that the re-
naming brine may be SO enriched as to
throw out, on continued cooling, some
of these cryohydrates. Prof. Guthrie
concludes that the degree of saltness of
an ice-foe will depend, not only on its
age, as DR.. Rae had already observed,
but also on the rapidity with which it
is first formed, and on the lowest TEN
persture to which it has afterward been
submitted.
An AMATEUR naturalist, writing of the
fondness of cruelty, for its own sake,
observable in the human species, says
'To refer to the striking similarity of
this passion in man to that which is
manifested by monkeys, is not of course
to explain its origin; but I am quite sure
that it is in the monkey that this ex-
PLANTATION is to be sought. Every one
knows that these animals show the
keenest delight in wantonly torturing
others, but everyone does not know
how much trouble an average monkey
will put himself to in order that he may
crafty this taste. One example will
suffice. A friend who has lived long
time in India tells me that he has not
unfrequently seen monkeys feigning
uC8kA lOI al AOuk VI bWO az q blAO, lOI
the express purpose of inducing crows,
and other carnivorous birds, to ap
proach within grasping distance and
when one of the latter was caught, the
delighted monkey would put it to all
kinds of agonies, of which plucking
alive seemed to be the fsvorite. As l
am not aware that any other animal ex-
hibits this instinct of inficting pain for
its own sake (the case of the cat with a
mouse belonging, think, to another
category believe, if its origin is ever
to receive a scientific explanation, it
will be found in some way connected
with monkey life"
AMOUNTING WITH Cocoa BUTTER FOR
SCARLET FEvER.-Upon the recommen-
dation of Schneeman, the amounting of
the body with fat has been extensively
practiced in Germany during the past
ten years, with the view of lowering the
temperature and Fastening the desqua-
nation. Dr.. Bsyles suggests, In this
connection, the employment of cocoa
butter, as producing q more cooling
and refreshing effect upon the patient,
and emitting q more agreeable odor in
LILO blCA CuuIuDCI. 4uib dRCut, vi dC-
count of its solid consistence, is more
readily applied than either fat or oil,
and is more easily absorbed by the
skin. Furthermore, it is thought to
afford the system q certain amount of
nourishment.
In severe fevers, the entire surface of
the body should be rubbed with this
substance every hour, or at least once
every four hours. Its application is
also recommended in typhoid fever, in
cases where the patients manifest
dread of water, or where the application
of water is impossible likewise in
other inhammatory diseases, especially
the severer forms of inhammatory rheu-
matism and tuberculosis OF
Health.
EXPERIMENTS recently made in one of
the most important mining districts in
England are reported as affording
very satisfactory illustration of the e1-
plosive force of dynamite. The powder
was first tested in a shaft. Charges of
sixteen ounces were inserted in five
holes, varying in depth from two to
three feet, the total amount of dyna-
mite thus brought into requisition
representing the explosive power of six
pounds of No. blasting powder. The
result is said to have far exceeded that
which could have been produced by a
proportionate amount of the material
ordinarily used, and the miners seemed
to be highly pleased with the expert
ment, especially in view of the almost
entire absence of smoke after the ex-
plosion. Indeed, the rapidity with
which the gases evolved from this SUBJ
stance evaporate constitutes one of its
primary advantages, the man being
thus enabled to resume work imme-
diately. Its advantages, too, on the
score of economy and of convenient
handling. are universally admitted.
ACCIDENTAL DISCOVERIES IN SCIENCE.
Accident has had much to do with
chemical discoveries, more, perhaps in
former times than now, when researches
are undertaken with some definite end
in view but how many of the discov-
les which have led to the most brilliant
and important results may not be called
accidental We may question if Davy
expected to find potassium when acting
on potassa with q voltaic battery, al
though, having already observed the
decomposition of other oxides, he may
have had an inkling of the fact. Bun
sen did not expect to find two new
metals when examining the residue
from the Durckheim waters. Crooks,
when looking for selenium. accidentally
found thallium. Perkins, when he
found that annilin when acted on bv
chronic acid, gave q fine color, could
scarcely have expected the enormous
manufacture of those analogous dyes
which is carried on at the present day.
The process of skin-grafting promises
to receive q fresh impetus from the
labors of Mr.. Anger, q French surgeon.
The main feature of these discoveries
is that pieces of skin taken from ampu-
tated limbs may be used to obtain
A