Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-02-09
SCIENCE.

A paper by DIR. Manning. medical
Superintendent Of the hospital OF the
insane mt Gainesville, New South
Wales, is distracted by Nature. Inc
paper treats Of the causes Of insanity
in 3,077 patients admitted to the tnsti-
tuition In ten years, from 1869. About
SO per cent of the cases are attributed
TO isolation and homesickness. Those
suffering most from the latter cause
were persons who spoke English i'm
perfectly. The cases OF isolation IN
cluded shepherds, whose occupation,
some years ago, and still is in some
places. most lonely, although that state
Of things Is improving. The isolation,
which Is sometimes terrible TO a new
emigrant, and which often lasts for
years, is kept up by the disparity OF
the sexes, which at the close Of 1879
stood at 409.665 males and 324, 6lj fe-
males. and II Is fostered by the pecul-
far, shifting, restless life Of the miners
and bushmen. The amount of insani-
ty caused by intemperance has been
exaggerated. Five per cent Of the
cases arise from sunstroke; about o3
from drinking bad liquor TO excess
sometimes and then abstaining for a
long time. Badly-cOoked food is cred
tied with large number Of cases, and
80 Is prolonged lactation. At Glades-
vile only 40 per cent OF the patients
had their diseases transmitted from
their ancestors.
Regarding the value Of gelatin rs an
article Of diet, NJ. n. Il. Oerum and
DIR. Ditzel made the following test: A
dog. weighing IL kilos, was kept for
three days fasting. and received then
daily for nine days 20 Rrammes of gel
attn and 200 c. c. Of water. The ex.
erection Of nitrogen during the fast was
2.s55 grammes day. and during the
gelatin diet Il05 grammes. This lat
ter quantity exceeded that present in
the daily ration by 0.7S5 grammes.
Hence. during the gelatin diet, LOGO
grammes Of the nitrogen Of the sys-
tenn was economical, and accordingly
the animal lost weight I'm smaller
proportion than when fasting. The
experiment was repeated with an in
crease Of the daily ration Of gelatin to
80 grammos, but the results were still
In accordance with those of Volt, that
gelatin indeed economies the albumin
ODDS, but can never entirely cover their
waste in the system.
Sea-bathing. says DIR. Amat, has
proved Of great benefit in many cases
Of disease Of the eye. The improve
ment appears 10 be due 10 two causes:
/. The influence which such course
has upon the general health by curing
anRmia and elevating the tone of the
system, since sea-bathing is i'm the
highest degree a restorative. 2. Sea-
water, and occasionally the atmOs-
phere of the sea, has a local irritant
action which should be watched. since
II Is most serviceable when there is a
chronic. torpid, and indolent iuflam-
nation, while II Is exceedingly danger
Gus when the Inflammation Is of an
acute kind.
The persistent sea-fOam, which some
times rolls in large masses to n con-
siderable distance inland when the
wind blows toward the shore, is not
thought by Mr.. j. ii. Gladstone to be
due to the destruction of seaweed.
What laboratory experiments he made
have seemed TO show that the weed
which Is tossed about 10y every tide
plays but a small If any part in the
formation Of such foam. lie ascribes
II rather 10 the presence of the lumi.
maria, which Is uproOted and torn by
the waves only when the violent agi-
tation Of the sea reaches a sufficient
depth.
At the geological congress held in
Bologna the precise meaning to be Civ
en- to words used in descriptive geol-
ogy was determined, and n common
scale OF colOrs for geological maps was
adopted. IL was also resolved to pre-
pare and issue geological map of
Europe on large scale, at cost of
tl2,5OO, TO meet which the govern
ments Of Europe are expected to con-
tribute. The next congress will meet
In Berlin In 1884, when DIR. f. Beyrich
will be president.
A number of researches on the ripen-
ing of cheese have been made by Drs.
Musso and Menozzi and Signor Big
naminL They find that the quantity
OF true albumen suffers little change
during the process, but the double
compounds, Of albumen with calcium
phosphate are decomposed, yielding
Peptones and amides. LactOse under.
goes both the mucous and alcoholic
fermentation.
IL seems that there Is a poison in
lupins which produces in sheep a dis.
ease closely resembling jaundice. This
virus can be neutralized. on the author.
ny OF Dr. Liebacher and Prof. Kuhn.
by resorting 10 steaming.