Richland beacon., 1877-03-24
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLiNY.

The paleOcrys:ic sea il the name given
by arctic explorer Mares to the vast &C
emulation Of ice which kept him from
discovering any thing during his last
expedition. Captain Mares, believing
that this "sea'' has been forming for
years, dignifies it with q name derived
from two Greek words signifying ancient
and ice. Unfortunate for the learned
explorers bantling, the dictionary had
all gone to press before he returned. and
the word must take its chances.
There is only the one way into the
world, but avenues leading out of it are
innumerable. According to the report
of the register-general Of England for
1874 as to the cause of mortality in that
country, bronchitis heads the list with
$4,000 person, next come phthisic which
answers for $1,000; atrophy and debili-
ty carried off 40, 900, most Young children.
Hear: disease, apOplexy and paralysis
are increasing; cancer, tao, is CROWN
more fatal, but consumption appears to
be on the decrease. There were twenty
five boys and men, nearly all following
outdoor occupations, killed by light
ming There was death from the bite
of q fox, from the bite of rat, from the
scratch of cat, from the bite of a leech,
from the sting of hornet, and two from
the sting of a wasp. There were more
persons killed by horse conyeyances than
by railways, the former being 1873 and
the latter 1,249; eighteen persons were
executed and IL ,j92 committed suicide.
An English mechanic has contrived
to make a steam engine to do its own
stocking. A large sheet.iron hopper is
set above the mouth Of the furnace and
in front of the boiler. This is the recep-
tacle for Goals. Below the hopper a
steel crusher is made to run some
what rapidly, and, as the Goals
fall by reason of their own gravity upon
this grinding apparatus, they are reduced
to the uniform size of cob-nuts by the
action of the crusher. Thence the
equalizsd fuel drops upon pair of iron
disks, or fans inclosed in box, and run
ming in opposite directions at high We.
locity. The fans are, in fact, the furnace
feeders, for az the box has but one open
ing. and that leads to the fire, they lit
orally blow the Goals into the latter and
distribute them equally over the whole
surface of the fire.bars. The feed is
regulated in quantities according 70 the
heavy or ligat work the engine may be
doing, by means of single adjusting set
screw. This is the automaton stoker.
The furnace fires are fed and steam is
kept up in the boiler without the turn
ing of shovel, and all that the fireman
has to do is to smoke his pipe and
whistle, "Down in Coal-mine."
In regard to the use of chloroform in
dentistry there is but one opinion,
namely, that it is always dangerous. As
general rule, it should never be admin
istered at all for the purposes of tooth
extraction. In the present state of pro-
fessional opinion upon the subject, the
dentist who chooses to administer 1t,
even in a special case. assumes response
bility of which he should not be ignorant.
So great is the prejudice against this
ansesthetic among leading dentists that
many will not allow it to be admins.
tered in their offices, even when the di-
rect professional responsibility is assumed
by an experienced physician. Although
the fact can not be very we'll explained,
chlorOform has taken more victims from
the dentists chair than from any other
place. Indeed, it has gained its reputa-
ton as dangerous article more in con-
nection with simple tOOth-drawing than
with any other operation, however grave
or formidable. A very good reason for
the liability to accidents is the erect po-
sition of the body of the patient while
in the operating chair. Taking this into
account, authorities are unanimous in
advising that chloroform should never be
given except the patient is recumbent.
A German chemist has made
long series of careful experim ents to as
certain the quantity of carbonic acid
given off in respiration and perspiration
by different animals. From among his
most important conclusions printed in