The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-07-22
SCIENCE.

SCIENCE.
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Physiological Effects Of ArSenic.--The
physiological effects of arsenic have
lately been studied anew by Giles, who
administered minute doses of the poi
son daily for four months to pigs, rab-
bits, and fowls. The daily dose for a
rabbit was 0'0005 to 0'0007 of q gramme,
for q pig 0005 to 0'05, and for fowl
0'00l to 0'00S. In all these animals
the weight of the body increased, and
the subcutaneous fat was augmented.
In young growing animals the bones
developed considerably, both in length
and in girth, and they presented the:pe-
culiarity that, wherever In the norman
state spongy tissue exists, 1t was super
scded by compact bone. Moreover,
just rs Mcigner found to be the case
in animals supplied with small doses of
phOSphOrOus In their food, a compact
layer of bone was found Immediately
beneath the epiphyscal cartilagcs Of the
long bones. This effect was apparent
after the arsenic had been given for
nineteen days, and whore only 0'O2 to
O'035 grammc had been taken. 1t was
observed that animal fed In the same
stable presented the same appearance
in the bones, which Giles refers to-, the
air being laden with the arsenic elm
mated by the lungs and skin of the
animals under experiment, for he
found that the same changes were OBJ
servable in animals kept in Il cage, the
bottom of which was strewed with ar
senic. Besides the changes In the
bones, the heart, liver, kidneys, and
even the spleen, underwent fatty dc
generation. The young Of animals fec
with arsenic were invariably born
dead, though they attained large size,
and presented remarkable hypcrtrophy
of tho spleen, and incipicnt changes in
the bones.
Mr.. j. Il. Palmer has n paper on poi.
soning by mushrooms in the Moniteur
!ScienN.f2acts. lie states that there are
three different ways in which mush-
rooms may act as a poison. First, they
may produce the effects Of indigestible
matter, as when the hard cOriaceOus
species Is eaten; and even the edible
mushroom may cause similar result,
for when 1t Is decomposlng 1t gives off
sulphurcttcd hydrogen gas in quantity
sufficient to induce vomiting. Second,
Il subtle alkaloid, without smell or
taste, Is contained in some mushrooms,
as, for instance, in the group Of the
Amdnt|, and is called amanitin. No
antidote has yet been discovered for
this poison, and to it most OF the cases
of death following the eating of mush-
rooms Is due. 1t is ut first slow in It's
action. But after the lapse OF eight to
fifteen hours, the patient experiences
stupctac:lon, nausea, and uiarrhea.
Dclirium follows, and then death.
Mushrooms containing amanitin will
tmpnrt poisonous properties to whole
some varieties, If both happen to be
placed In the same vessel. The poison
can be absorbed by the pores Of the
skin. Mr.. Palmer carried in his hand
some amunit,r wrapped up in paper,
and, Notwithstanding the protection
which the wrapper should have
afforded he was SclZed with alarming
symptoms.
Iron IN the AtmoSphcre.- e.-Observatlons
on snow collected on mountain tops
and within the Arctic circle far beyond
the influence of factories and smoke,
confirm the suppostion that minute
particles of iron float in the atmos-
phcrc, and in time fall to the earth.
Some physicists believe that these
floating PARTICLES Of iron are concerned
in the striking phenomena OF the auro-
IA. Groncmann, Of Gottingcn, holds
that streams Of the particles reVolve
round tho sun, and that when passing
the earth they are attracted to the
poles, and thence stretch forth as long
iilnments into space. But as they
travel with planetary velocity, they
become ignited in ouI atmosphere, and
thus produce tho luminous appearances
or aurora. In his recent voyages,
Professor Nordcnskiold examined
snow far beyond Spitzbcrgcn, and
found therein exceedingly small par
ticlcs of metallic iron, PHOSPHORUS,
cobalt, and fragments of Diatomacem.
Among the possessions of the Theatre
Franchise, in Paris, Is the very bell
which on that terrible night in August,
lo72, sounded, from the beifry Of Saint
German PAuXerrois, the signal for
the massacre of ST. Bartholomew.
When the great Revolution came it
was ordered that church bells be melt
ed up and recast into cannon, but by
strange coincidence tho company at
this theatre was then playing Charles
IN, and being IN want Of Il bell to toll
the signal for the Hugucnots' massacre,
the convention was asked to grant this
historic bell for the purpose. The re-
quest succeeded, so that three centuries
after the tragedy the very bell which
had announced Its coming spoke to the
actor who played King Charles, stand.
ing In the window of the Old Louvre,
looking out upon the night.
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Ammonia in tho Air.