Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-11-07
SCIENCE IN BRIEF.


the ilaria sanguinolenta from the
blood Of one person to that of another,
and thus diffusing disease.
Writing on yellow fever in La Ian
cette Beige, DR.. j. c. lie Hardy con
siders that the fact is established
beyond dispute that in the objections
of the patients, and in the atmosphere
of yellow fever region, there exist
minute fungold plants not previously |
described. He maintains that it is to
these plants, which require a tempera-
ture Of 2660 for their growth, that the !
propagation Of the disease is due.
The London Grocer argues that the
Sacramento valley of California is the
future tea-feld of the world. In
twenty years from now it will supply
the new continent, and in course of
time will send large consignments to
Europe. The valley is $50 miles long
by 80 broad, where no rain falls; it is
watered by heavy fogs, which roll in
from the Pacific ocean, and any climate
can be had 1t is along the base of
the Sierra Nevada range of mountains
that the Chinese and Japanese are now
busy cultivating the tea-plant with
marked success.
The mariner S compass was known
in primitive form in the twelfth and
thirteenth centuries. English sailors
who went on long voyages to the East
found their way back by watching the
polar star, but when the sky was OBJ
scured they took needle of iron and
put it through piece of cork, so that
one end remained out, which they
rubbed with the loadstone, and then
they placed it in vessel full of water
and whichever way the needle pointed
there, without any doubt, was the
polar star. This formed a primitive
but fairly perfect mariners compass.
Nectar is the sweet tasting fluid
which is secreted within the cups OF
flowers and the object gained to plants
by its presence is that insects, induced
to visit flowers for its sake, are usefuI
to the plants by efecting a cross fertil'
ization. Professor Alexander 5, Viii
J son, of Glasgow, has recently investi-
| gated the amounts of sugar contained
/. in the nectar of various flowers, and
+, laid the results of his labOrs before
e the British Association, by which il
t appears, among other things, that tn,
q ''little honey bee which improves eacl
s shining hour has to pay 100000 Wis
8 its to flower tubes for every pound 0
e honey gathered.
h The utility of the electric lights 70
8 ocean steamers was forcibly illustrate
d during the last voyage of the Farada
,s from New York. During the thic
u fog, near the banks of Newfoundland
y, at 10 o'clock at night, she suddenl
80 discovered a large emigrant sailin
ir ship Immediately under her bow
b. The brilliancy of the electric light n
Or vealed the danger just in time to er
able the Captain to reverse the CT
gines, and the two ships passed eac
other at a distance of few feet. III
l. lantern ordinarily used could not hay
c. penetrated the fog sufficiently to hay
IN avoided a collision, and more than
&c hundred lives would have been lost.
~ The Persians are known to
le greatly skilled in the art of dyeing ii
ly hair, They chiefly use the plal
Id called henna. The henna gives a
ny orange-red color, very beautiful on
he white beard, so that many old men IL
b. it; but recently, with great persol
,l- ages, it has become more common
It. keep the beard white. Henna is vel
Ii largely used, even by peasants. ]
ed change the reddish color to a fine lu
d, trous black the parts are coated wit
til paste formed Of another powder
.ly that from the leaves of kind of il
on digo tree cultivated in Persia. TIL
a is called reng; it remains apple
ok about two hours. The henna Civ
,le different colors, according as it acts {
white, fair or dark hair.
Snails boiled in milk are used
=, England as a popular remedy in di
d" eases of the chest, simply, perhaps, f
&C. the reason that their mucilaginol
Of properties are looked upon as likely
.Ut prove beneficial. NJ. Baron Ba
as thelemy maintains that snales a
at % capable of rendering valuable seryi
nd in most chest complaints, bronchiti
Of asthma, etc, because, in his wore
,es @ they contain "animalizcd sulphur,
mo- mo- little phosphate of lime, and especia
,r " carbonate, animalized, in sOlutio
mr. and i'll naScent state in their muC
oIv lage." The preparations he exhib
S ,nt at the Paris Exhibition, are "Sni
;tv Syrup" Snail Bonbons" and He
% ss cine, as mucilage and powder.
ost Professor A. II. Garod, in a rece
ter address, suggested some pertinent
quiries. 1t is, he says, the habit
physicians to note carefully the ply
nm cal signs of disease, while but lit
q attention is paid to idiosyncrai
the Rayaging epidemics, endemics a
tLe hereditary diseases affect some &C
,ad stitutions rather than others. The
i suit is the pecuiiarities in the nati'
ero the survivors-Of all countries, a
fl these peculiarities arc dependent, in
NO. large measure, on the natural select
sed thus insidiously and constantly
,est work. Visitors in Rome and Nap
big are but too likely to be attacked W
the fever of typhoid stamp in
same localities where the Italian
mia JOYS perfect health on account of
cad being the offspring of those who
nto times gone by have resisted, by con,
de tutional peculiarity, the malarial
D so mosphere. What qualities is
early death of tho drunkard weed
out? What phthisis? The true An
per can of the United States differs @
I It spiculously from tho Hpglishm
all. How is this so? These, adds
nan Garod are problems which desc