New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-08-30
MEDICAL AND SURGICAL NOTES.

NopTArITY OF CRY AND COUNTRY.-Dr. James
y,arhs Investigations and statistics OF tne reH'.e
,.,ortalIty OF town and rural districts IN eeou@nu
ouhlished I'm The Edinburgh Medical Journal vi .no
,,tno facts brought TO light by DR. Stark, the following
a,rear 10 be among the most important: Ihat were "
% town children of Scotland reared in the country az
Heat 900 lives would be annually saved 10 ne popua
tim second could the mortality OF the towns pe
dawn to that of mainland districts, upward Oh ioOo
hives would be thus saved 70 the populauon anu o'''
individual living in the large towns would on an az c
i've l0io wears longer than he has any chance OF
at present Still further, If from the rura t three
fSSassDd 70 ten thousand habants the mean age a.
death would have been about 40 years VI 70 that
ould tNe mortality OF the towns be brOught d9" ~ the
81 .he pureiy rural districts OF the man'o' nn
average life Of the town population ~'"iN w
o. s,rrp DrvrroPmENr.-The habit OF
using the right hand in preference to- tne ei'
.hoae peoples whose monuments date rO'n '1o .t.l. 80
antioujty appears TO be a universal fact' wv, ,
ooutted for by the anatomical mechanism OF ,
to0v II ia known that the right lung hyt"1ooe anu
l,,ubs exceed in size those of the left sde
ourae greater amount Of tissue structure and @See
sppply of nerves and blood vessels for their nutrtC
person walking in dense fog figures WIN MS ieet
segment of a circle, and IL he Is rghthanded ne tAes~
direction the left because the right leg naturally
longer stride The left side OF the brain is larger I
Inc right and, appears that the power OF
1icaiaton in the righbanded Is conhhea 70 ad AZ
eOnyOuton the left side, The conclusion Is % r.
that in speaking and thinking the lett side OF IG e
nsed thi. being the result OF ueNtral euuCattpn
oninon has also been expressed by some medca
that amnesia and aphasa in right handed men S
sease of the left BRAIN and that halnInerpaS any
writer's cramp show the results Of excessive WORKING VI
the left brain.
EXPERIMENTS WITH LUNATIcs.-Dr. Ponza'
irector of the unac asylum Aessandria, PIEDMONT
os made some interesting experiments to ascertain tne
efect Of solar light on lunatics Several rooms were
snecialy prepared for this purpose, the walls oeng
nained of the same color as the glass panes OF tne VIII
Sovs these latter being quite in order to
favor the action of the light One of the patients thus
treated affected with morbid taeiturnity became gay anu
aHable after three hours stay in red chambers anotne
a maniac who had refused all food, asked TOT some
hraktast after having stayed twentyfour hours In the
same red chamber In blue ahghy -exctedmadman,
Win straight vastCoat on, was kept all day an hour
after he appeared much calmer. patient was made 10
mass the night In violet chamber on the toloWng 9a
be begged Dr. Ponza to send him home because nc Ie
himseif cured and he has been well ever since. IT
Pouzas conclusions from his experiments are tao .1e
violet rays OF all Others possess the most intense elec
chemical mower the red light is also very rleh IN caoI
ac rays blue light the contrary is quite deTolu
abeu 3s well as OF chemical and electric ones us De
nedeent influence is hard TO explain but as IL Is te az
solnte negaon of all excitement, 1t succeeds auIaoy
in calming the excitement of furious maniaes'