The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1880-06-05
Scientific MISCELLANY.

OOAUllOIllC MlSCtIIdHy.
in a late medical work which has
excited much attention and criticism,
DIR. Declat of Paris argues all diseases
are due to the development of invisible
parasites either in or upon the body
"A horse dashes past a series Of cam
eras at full speed, and in the brief inter
val Of a single bound Mr.. T.. J. Muy-
bridge secures a dozen or more photo
graphs of the animal in successive stages
Of the leap, each picture recording n DIFF
ferent position Of the body. To repre-
sent the living animal upon u screen by
means Of these views, Mr.. Muybridge has
now perfected an instrument which he
calls the zoogyroseope. It is q circular
glass having upon it series of the in-
Simultaneous photographs, which, being
successfully illuminated by an exyhy-
drogen lantern as the glass is reyolve,l,
show single continuous but ever
changing picture. The effect is magical
The separate postures rapidly following
each other produce upon the screen the
perfect semblance of a fast-spceding
horse, every motion, even to the shake
of the head or wEisk Of the tail, being
faithful to Life. Moving men and various
animals besides the horse have becn
shown in like manner
| An interesting experiment in nerve
grating has been performed by a Bucha-
rest physician. He removed Il portion
of the sciatic nerve Of q fowl aud re-
placed it by similar portion of the Sci
attic nerve of rabbit. The ends soon
united, and the fowls leg completely re-
covered its power.
! The incubation of cattle as pre-
ventive Of plenro-pneumonia, which was
| first tried in Australia, has been intro
duced OH large scale into Edinburgh,
Scotland. During the past three years
about 5000 cattle have been inoculated
in the ncighborhood Of that city, reduc-
ing the mortality from seventy-iive to
about five per cent.
"A curious and interesting applica-
ton Of magnetism has just been OBJ
served. By writing upon u THU plate of
hardened steel with nlagnetized iron
steel, a tolerably permanent magnetism
is communicated to the parts of the
plate covered by the writing. # iron
filings are then brushed over the plate
they will adhere to the magnetized
portion, rendering writing visible.
Attempts at submarine photography
have been made with some degree OF
success. One negative, secured at Il
depth Of several fathoms beneath the
| water, showed several bou1dcrs covered
with sea weeds, an old anchor, and the
mooring cables of three yachts.
| When the rustic YOUTH, says DIR.
Andrew Wilson,-loitering along some
lane, comes to standstill to contem-
plate with awe and wonder the spec
tacle of q mass of the familiar !" hair
cells OF hair-worlns wriggling about
in a pool, he plods on his way fully con-
vincel that lie has just witnessed the re-
suits of the transformation of some
horses hairs into living creatures. And
the theory of such transformation is
often accepted by persons of consideaa-
BILE culture. The han-worms certainly
present the appearance of long, delicate
black hairs, which move about with
great rapitt1ty amid the mud of pools
and bitches. These worns, in the early
stages of their existence, inhabit the
bodies Of insects, and may be found
coiled up within the grasshorper, which
thus gives shelter to gueso exceeding
many times the length of the body Of it's
host. Sooner or later the hair-worm or
Gordius, leaves the body of the insect,
and lays its eggs i'll water. From each
| egg a little creature armed with minute
hooks is produced, and thus young hair
worm burrows into the body Of some in
seet-there to repeat the history of it's
| parent. Such is the authentic life of the
hair-worm.
The quantity of vapor present in
the air abont us during the hot days of
summer has very considerable influence
upon our physical comfort. In a dry
atmosphere evaporation from our bodies
takes place very rapidly, and, large
amount Of heat being conducted away
by the exhaled moisture, an agreeable
sensation of coolness is maintained at q
| temperature which would seem oppres-
sively hot in an atmosphere already sur
charged with moist vapor
"A rare fossil bird, the 14reheeoptergr,
of which but three specimens are known
to exist, has Just been secured for the
Berlin University at an expense of near
Il 100000.
Salmon in English waters are found
to be largely infected by a fungus which
has resulted fatally to many of tue fish
A recent investigation showed the chief
cause of the disease to be overcrowding,
and an extension Of the season for catch
ing was recommended.
Chemical science has recently sue
ceeded in extracting the eoloring matter
from human hair. Three coloring pig
ments are efound-Eellow, red and blacE--
the various shades being produced by
mixture. 1t appears that in pure gold
Ell hair there is only the yellow pigment:
IN red hair the red is mixed with more
Or less yellow; while in dark hair the