Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1875-04-14
SCIENTIFIC.

VoLCANoEs.-The various relations AND
points of connection between volcanic
phenomena, earthquakes, and lines oi
mountain elevation imply that they are
the results of the play of one set oi
cosmical forces which have been brought
into operation by the gradual cooling
of the earth from an incandescent sun.
like state to its present condition. The
argument is as follows: As the cooling
of the earth proceeded, the crust gradu.
ally thickened and contracted less and
less as the temperature became lowered.
The hotter nucleus, on the other hand.
contracted more, being at a higher
temperature than the crust and having
a higher co-eficient of contraction for
equal loss of heat. By this process,
which is still going on, the crust of the
earth would shrink at one rate, and the
vastly hotter central portion at another
and greater rate and cavities would be
formed between the crust and the
nucleus, cavities which would be inc
vitably filed by the crushing down OF
the solid crust on the more swiftly con-
tracing nucleus, by the force of gravi-
tation, which is sufficient to crush the
hardest rocks and as the solid crust
follows the shrinking nucleus, ''the
force expended in mutual crushing and
dislocation of its parts is transformed
into heat" by which, at the points of
crushing, the rocks are heated even TO
fusion. The access of water to such
points determines volcanic eruption.
These points of crushing may occur at
various depths in the solid crust. He
then proceeds to measure the amount
of actual contraction by the annual
amount of heat lost by radiation into
space, which is sufficient to Gquefy III
cubic miles of ice into water at 32o, and
comes to the conclusion that less than
one fourth of total annual loss of beat
would suffice to produce the contrac-
tion necessary for his hypothesis. The
actual amount of annual contraction is
estimated at reduction of three fifths
of an inch, an amount too small to be
measured by any astronomical method,
and yet more than enough to produce
all the volcanic phenomena now to be
observed on the surface of the earth.
A CURE FOR LoCK-JAw.-Int the course
of the Cantor lectures, recently deliv-
cred before the British Society of Arts
| by Dr. BENJAMIN Richardson, the fol-
lowing deeply important remarks were
made upon nitrite of amyl: One of
these specimens, l mean the nitrite of
amyl, has within the last few years OBJ
tanned remarkable Importance, owing
to its extraordinary action upon the
body. A distinguished chemist, Prof.
Guthrie, while distilling over nitrite of
amyl from smylic alcohol. observed
that the vapor, when inhaled, quick
ened his circulation, and made him feel
as if he had been running. There was
flushing of his face, rapid action of his
heart, and breathlessness. In IS61-62,
made careful and prolonged study
of the action of this singular body, and
discovered that it produced its effect
by causing an extreme relaxation, first
of the blood vessels, and afterward of
the muscular fbers of the body. To
such an extent did this agent thus re-
lax, l found it would even overcome
the tetanic spasm produced by strych-
MIA and having thus discovered its
action, ventured to propose its use
sor removing the spasm in some of the
EXTREMIST spasmodic diseases. The
results have more than realized my ex-
pectations. Under the influence of this
agent, one of the most agonizing of
known human maladies, called angina
pectoris, has been brought under such
control that the paroxysms have been
regularly prevented, and in one in
stance, at least, altogether removed.
Even tetanus, or lock-iaw, has been
subdued by it, and in two instances, of
an extreme kind, so effectively as to
warrant the credit of what may be
truly called cure.
SURPRISING ExCRETIoEs OF THE
SKTN.-Experiments have been tried by
SocoIeff as to the effect of suppressing
the excretions of the skin, by shaving
rabbits and painting the skin over with
some material impervious to the pas
sage of vapor. 1t was found that this
always, sooner or later, produced fatal
results, the animals few hours before
death exhibiting intermittent cramps