Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-12-20
scientific Miscellany.
For the Chronicle.

After some $4,000 examinations,
DIR. Jeffries affirms that about one
male in twenty-five is cOlor-blind to
a greater or less degree. He finds
the defect to be largely hereditary,
although sometimes occasloned by
disease or injury. In the former
case it is incurable; in the latter it
may be only a temporary difficulty.
From a study of the action of tea,
Mr.. w. j. Morton has reached these
conclusions F: AS with any other
drug, there is proper and an i'm
proper use of it. In moderation it
is mild and harmless stimulant.
Its immoderate use leads to serious
symptoms, such as headache, YER
tigo, ringing in the ears, tremulous-
ness, nervousness, exhaustion, ir-
regular action of the heart, and dys-
pepsia. Many Of the symptoms of
excessive tea-drinking are such as
may occur without a suspicion of
the real cause.
Recent comparative measure
ments of the crania of eminent men
and of criminals show that, while
capacious intellect requires large
skull, large Uranium is not always
attended by high order of intelli-
gence. The crania of considera-
bic number of criminals were found
to have capacity much above the
average.
Berlin reioices in the POSSESSION
of scientific cooking association,
formed by housewives of the city.
1t has a school of instruction in
cookery, and a qualified chemist
gives members of the society lee
lures in practical chemistry. A lab
oratOry has been established, in
charge of the chemist, for the ex-
animation of articles of food, and,
also, of utensils employed in cook
ing.
A recently discovered fossil ami
NAL, AnaEhicdeLias frdgiIIissin1ats, is
described as a monster considerably
more than one hundred feet in
length, with spinal vertebr@ six
feet across, hind legs forty feet long,
and large and powerful tail. I'm
afiine the monster in life, standing
on its hind legs, and catching its
prey with its fore paws, and strik-
ing picture is brought to mind from
the ages long agone.
Although the near approach to
the earth of several comets has been
known, the least distances OF only
two have ever been determined
with any degree of accuracy. On
July l, 1870, comet was within
/, ,390,000 miles of the earth-the !
closest approach of one of these bod |
les of which astronomers have any |
certain knowledge. Its apparent
diameter was two and one-half de- |
grees, or nearly five times the APP
parent diameter of the moon. 1t Is |
not surprising that the apparitiOn
of such monster should cause a
panic of terror among unenlight-
ened and superstitious inhabitants
OF our globe.
The electric light has been found
a useful signal in surveying. In re-
cent works of triangulati0n in Alge-
ria it is stated that the light was
seen at a distance of one hundred
and sixty-four miles.
An interesting paragraph in the
early his ory of the electric tele-
graph in England is given in con-
nection with a sketch of its first en-
glneer. An experimental line was
run on the Great Western Railway |
from London to Slough, but was
little used. The full scope OF the |
telegraph's utility was then hardly |
dreamed of, its practical use being |
almost entirely to railway |
The signals to be trans
mitted were few in number, and
the old system of semaphores was
preferred to the electric Innovation.
The line proved Of SO little service
in fact that the company actually
ordered its removal as an incum.
brance. Just at this time a murde,
was committed at Slough. A police
agent, starting for London, sent a
message over the wire instructing
the authorities to take note of a
man in Quaker dress. The man
was seen, and watched until q war
rant could be procured. He was |