The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-03-30
sCINTILLATIoNs OF SCIENCE.

| Aaofihk thO JCllOW3 DiOWAs VI 1NA aabQtn-
nal colors, can be made green again by
stepping them in water with little zinc
powder.
The shell-mounds of Amori, Japan,
contain bones of monkeys, deer, boars,
wolves and dogs, with not few remains
that plainly point to the former prevail
ence eff cannibalism.
Dilute acetic acid has been success
fully used by DR.. Ambuehl in extracting
lead from alloys of tin and lead. He
found Banca tin to be quite free from
lead, and English bar tin to contain only
a slight trace.
The earth of graveyard in which
there had been no interments for at least
thirty years has been examined by DR..
E. Reichardt. 1t gave off animal oil,
notwithstanding its long disuse for burial
purposes. when submitted to destructive
distillation.
| DIR. Yandell, of Louisville, is the au-
thority for the statement that a mule,
now in the Jardin Acclimataton in
Paris, has brought forth no fewer than
six foals-some by zebras, some by an
ass, and some by stallion. This fertil,
ity in hybrid is remarkable.
DR.. Phipson, by inclosing phosphor-
escent substance, such as the sulphide of
barium, in Geissler tube traversed by a
constant but weak electric current, SO in
creases the phosphorescence that pretty
uniform and agreeable light is said to be
obtained.
The endeavor to explain why the Semi
tic nations wrote from right to left, has
led to many curious speculations. Erlen-
mayer, for instance, accounts for their
mode of writing by assuming that they
were left-handed. But this is hypoth-
esis contrary to known fact. One Of the
most ancient of the books of the Bible
mentions left-handedness as physical pc
culiarity.
Parents and Others will be interested
in the result of certain recent expert
ments of DIR. Bollinger with cows milk.
The Doctor has observed that the milk
of COWS suffering from tubercular d.
sease will communicate that affection to
human beings Boiling will not destroy
the propagating power. He also makes
the alarming statement that five per
cent. of old cows have tubercular disease.
Herr Zeiss, of Jena, is reported to have
made new low-power objective which,
by altering the distance of its combina-
tions by means of a rotating collar, gives
a range of .magnifying power varying
from that of glass of four inches to one
of two inches. This means of varying at
pleasure the poweris valuable in dissec-
ton, especially when used with an erect
lunocular microscope.
In the Chemiker Zeitung the Austrian
Society for the Promotion of Chemical
Industry offers prize of two hundred
forins in gold for the best treatise on the
action of light with destructive effect on
the coloring-matters of indigo, alizarine,
and rosaniline, and upon the products
generated. A prize of one hundred for
ins is also offered for the best research
upon the coloring-matter of jute and the
discovery of process which will destroy
the color and leave the fibre uninjured.
DR.. G. De Gorrequer maintains that
the same poison gives rise to the several
diseases known as scarletina, puerperal
fever, typhoid, diphtheria and erysipelas.
The difference of results he attributes to
the special circumstances of the case and
to the constitutional peculiarities of the
patient. If, on the other hand, it is in
sisted that each of the above diseases is
due to special poison, then those who
hold such an opinion commit themselves
to the hypothesis of abioyenesis.
Binz and Schulz have advanced an .hy-
pothesis of rather questionable nature
as to the chemical cause of the poisonous
character of arsenic. They think that
the poisonous action of arsenic depends
on its easy conversion and reconversion
within the organism from the higher to
the lower stage of oxidation, whereby
the tissues are destroyed, owing to the
violent vibration of the atoms of oxygen,
and that other members of the nitrogen
group are poisonous for the same reason.
The Journal of Science wisely OBJ
S0TNco llldt SClOICc 10 sOHiOGlllltS utT 0WU
prosecutor. Men who have gained a
high position in universities and acade-
mics, whether legitimately or otherwise,
are often actuated by jealousy very
similar to that among ecclesiastics.
They establish certain scientific ortho-
doxy, based often on mere conjecture
and assertion, and seek to frown down
and to silence the man who calls in ques-
ton one of their dogmas, or who discov-
ers truth they have overlooked. The
dread of truth, the jealousy of discovery,
is not confined to the Holy Inquisition,
and no disestablishment of churches, no
secularization of schools and colleges,
not even the suppression of every re-
ligion, were such step possible, would
put an end to its action.
The success of the st. Gothard Tunne
has led to another tunnel project to con-
meet the Swiss railway system to that Of
Austria, SO as to render the traffic of
these countries independent Of the South
German roads. The new tunnel will be