Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-10-04
MECHANICAL AND SCIENTIFIC.


for several years been known to be
resident in New York and vicinity
At late meeting of the Cambridge
chronological Club Mr.. Scudder re-
ferred to its presence in several parts
of the country He had not succeed.
ed in an attemp. to naturalize it in
Cambridge, the specimens which he
had, that had come to Boston, from
some undetermined source. in an East
India merchant vessel, having been de-
stroyed by accident.
DR.. j. Lawrence Smith has re-
Gently communicated to the american
Journal Of Science the result of pro-
tracted researches into carbon COM
pounds found in meteortes. He thinks
some of them resemble the graphite
or plumbago of Borrowdale,, and that
others are hydrated carbons. Only
four meteorites contain a notable per
centage of carbon, from 90 to per
cent, and, as the material is scarce, it
is difficult to waste much of it in
analysis. DR.. Smith does not think
this carbon had an organic origin.
1t is stated in the Bulletin Heb
domaddire of the Scientific Associa-
ton of France, that DR.. Grzygmala, of
Podolia, in East Russia. has cured
above hundred successive cases of
hydrophobia with the leaves of Kan
thilm Spi,los,t,,l, or Cockle-bur, com
mon plant Of the Composite Order.
The treatment consists of nine and one
quarter grains OF the powdered leaf of
the .Hdnthittna, given three times a
day for three weeks, beginning as soon
as possible after the patient has been
bitten. and before the symptoms of n.y.
drophoba have appeared.
The american Journal Of Science
and arts says: Besides the 'dronk'
grass, !. e., drunk grass of the Dutch
colonies in South Africa, of which we
mentioned DR.. Shaw's account year
or two ago, it now appears that there
is in Mongolia another grass with cor
responding native name and similar
properties. The account of it is given
by DR.. Hance, in the July number of
Trimen's Journal Of Botany, from
specimens and information supplied
| by Dr.. Bretschneider, Of the Russian
legation at Picking. 1t proves to be
new species OF Stipa, brought from the
Alachan Mountains by Roman Cath
olic missionary, whose horses We're dis
abled by its inebriating properties.
The wandering Mongols of the region
are familiar with the grass, ana use
/ vinegar as an antidote.
DR. Forfeit remarks that most
practitioners must have experienced
( the difficulty III mapping out organs
accurately by percussion in cases ac-
companied by pain, or where the neces-
! sary examination might imperil the
! patient. The idea occurred to him Of
substituting for the regular method of
| percussion the auscultation of musical
/ vibration, and for this purpose he en-
| ploys first an ordinary differential
stethescope, with one oblong chest
! piece to fit into the intercostal spaces,
| the whole made sufficiently stiff to be
held IN stu by the mere pressure of the
| head; and secondly, piece of flexible
/ steel bent as bow, and held tense by
| catgut. The mode of working is as
! follows: Place the stethoscope over
! the organ to be eXamined--Say the liv-
! er; then take the bow in the left hand,
and placing it with either of its ex-
! tremities firmly upon the skin over or
against the organ, begin to twang the
catgut with the right hand, moving
! the instrument toward the organ under
examination. The rationale is that
! solids give clear, musical note, and
! cavities and organs containing air give
a duh note. The instrument can be
| applied in the detection of indurations,
/ assesses and cavities, and it enables
various organs, as the kidney, spleen,
/ liver and heart, with its cavities, to be
accurately marked out.