The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1881-08-03
SCRAPS OF SCIENCE.

The little city OF Brantford, Ontario,
claims the honor of having been the
birthplace of the telephone-Prof Bells
first experiments having been made at
that place.
NJ. RAoUL PICTET, of Geneva, whose
discoveries in the liquefaction of gases
have given him worldwide reputation.
announces the discovery Of a process OF
distilling alcohol by ice! He states that
the method is very cheap one.
A TRICYCLE. driven by electricity was
recent exhibition in the streets of Paris.
The experiment was made by M. Trouve.
who adapted two of his small electric
motors to the vehicle. The first trial
was so successful that the experimenter
proposes making larger moter, by
means OF which he expects to attain a
speed OF II to lS miles all hour.
DR. HAMMOND states that there are
very few. ii any, cosmetics which do not
contain lead. He also says that death
from lead poisoning by the use of
cosmetics is by no means an uncommon
ease The introduction OF the lead into
| the system produces various effects, collie,
paralysis, prostration OF the nervous
system and insanity being the most COM
mon results.
TnE nearest star is 1878, ,000, ,000, 900
miles from us; and Sir j. Herschel cal
cuut"S that if person stood upon that
stnrund looked towards our earth, not only
would our mighty sun be utterly invisi-
bic. but ii the sun were so enlarged as
to tit the earth's orbit-that is, instead
OF being 800 600 miles in diameter he
were more than 1870, 900, 600 miles Ill
diameter even then that stupendous
orbit would be covered with human
hair held - feet from the pupil of the
cyrl
VI. ALFRED DrNIENu claims to have
made an interesting and useful discovery
how to preserve plants in n perfectly
vigorous state without any earth. Dur
ing constant trial for several months he
has never found the least interruption or
disturbance Of the vegetative functions OF
the plants treated by him; but, on the
contrary, many OF the plants have bios
somrd with yigor which as an exper-
fenced horticultmrist, he has never seen
III his garden Further particulars con-
ceraing this alleged discovery will be
awaited with interest
TnERe is one thing III which our Brit
i,h scientific contemporaries find as
much unalloyed pleasure as the average
American editor does in pun on Edi-
sons pet light, and that is in "poking
fun at the discoveries and pseudo scien-
tiiic theories of Brother Jonathan. A
late London journal--an authority in its
special field -indulges in considerable
editorial ridicule OF certain partially
developed Yankee projects. On another
page of the same sheet local cores
pondent seriously declares it to be his
belief that the time will come when in
dividuals will be transmitted by tele-
graph! He argues that i'll certain elec.
t,ical and vital processes molecules are
hy gradual deposition made to build up
bodies Of considerable proportions-cer-
tain kinds Of molecules tending to pro-
duce certain invariable forms. He would
first get the elementary molecule" of
man. and then build him mp from it by
the addition Of other like molecules, as a
pyramid is produced by the piling up of
cannon balls. Success having been
achieved thus far the man might be dis.
solved by electrical means i'll London,
sent by cable to New York, and then
rebuilt from the solution by the success
i've deposition of his molecules at the New
York end OF the electric circuit. This
somewhat novel scheme-not a Yankee
notion but plan for which Johnny
Ball must be held fully responsible--is
noticed mainly to show the beam in the
eye OF orr contemporary across the water,
hut partly ior the benefit of the travel.
ing public, AS the suggestion OF this
means Of travelling with the velocity of
thonght must produce such panic
among railroad monopoles as shall re-
suit in material reduction OF their
farin