The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-07-19
good fer putting food into its mouth, or
picking its teeth, as any elephants"

good fer putting food into its mouth, or |
picking its teeth, as any elephants"
Nature says, "The discovery of new
medicinal products appears to be on the
increase Just now. Within the space of q
few months we have heard of the extraor-
binary tonic effects OF Boldo (Boldoa fra
qrans), which, however, seems destined to
pass into oblivion. This was succeeded
by Jaborandi, which is still occupying the
attention of the medical profession, and
which, unlike Boldo, Is reported upon
very favorably. Two bales OF another
new product, under the name OF CarnauDa
Root, are said to have recently arrived at
Liverpool. This is the root of the Brazil
ian Wax Palm (coypernicia ce,terd), and
is described as an excellent medicine for
purifying blood; equal, indeed, to sarsa-
rlla. The Carnauba Root, as imported,
is in pieces of several feet in length, of an
average thickness of three-eighths OF an
inch, of mixed grayish and reddish
brown color, and giving off here and there
small rootlets. The cost is said to be not
more than half that of sarsaparilla."
Sleep protracted beyond the need of re-
pair and encroaching habitually upon the
hours of waking action, impalrs more or
less the function of the brain, and with
them all the vital powers. This observa-
ton is as old as the days of Hippocrates
and Arel9us, who severally and strongly
comment upon it. The slice ot infancy,
however, and that of old age do not come
under the category of excess. These are
| natural conditions, appertaining to the re-
spective periods of life, and to be dealt
with as such. In illness, moreover, all
ordinary rule and measure of sleep must
be put aside. Distinguishing it from coma,
there are very few cases in which it is not
an uneuuivocal food and even in a coma
tosc state of brain, we believe, gains more
from repose than from anv artificial at
tempts to rouse it into action.
In view of the fact that water reservoirs
are frequently made of zinc, or have zinc
linings, a German chemist has made some
experiments to ascertain, definitely, the
influence of water on that metal. The dis
covery has been made by this means, that
water, kept in zinc vessels, dissolves zinc
in proportion to the time it remains in con-
tact with the metallic surface, and to the
amount of chlorides-common salt, etc -
contained in the water. These researches
ais o show that boiling not only does not
precipitate the zinc from such solution,
but that it even augments the solvent pow
er of the latter. Thus, water containing
zinc and boiled in zinc vessel to precipi-
tate it, would actually absorb more zinc
and pIecipitate none. In one instance in
these investigations. the amount of metal
the water having been kept for cousid-
cradle time in zinc reservoir-was found
to be as high as !, 1004 grains to the liter,
| ri Eftaan proipa tn tho piIart and
as even smaller quantity than this would
have decidedly injurious effect, if the wa.
ter were used for drinking or in the prepar-
alton of food, exemption from such dele
FERROUS influence is to be insured only by
coating such reservoirs with good oil paint,
containing neither litharge, white lead MOI
zinc white, but iron ochre or asphaltum.
NJ Knapp has prescribed the following
treatment for discovering the different in
gradients in fabrics of silk and wool mixed
with vegetable fibres: "All vegetable Fl.
bres resist caustic alkaline solutions, even
when boiling, and are dissolved by sulphu.
rio, nitric, hydrochlOr:c acids, even wher
diluted with heat Vegetable fibres wher
burnt do not give forth any characteristic
odor. Wool, insoluble in the above acids,
is readily attacked by caustie alkalies, es-
pecially when hot; the sulphur which il
contains combines with the alkali, and Che
solution becomes black when acetate Of
lead is added to it. In burning, wool pro-
duces the same smell as horn. Silk is dis
solved both in the acids and the caustic al
kalies, and produces an odor similar tt
that of wool; but it contains no sulphur
and, consequently, its solution in alkalie'
is not blackened by acetate of lead. II
, order to distinguish these materials in
tissue, it is treated first with concentrated
hydrochloric acid, cold; the residue il
washed in filter, and, if necessary, bleach
ed by means of water containing chlorine
and then washed again in pure water ant
boiled with caustic soda, which dissolve
the wool, leaving the vegetable fibre intact
The wool is distinguished from silk by ad
ding acetate of lead to the liquid, as al
ready mentioned"