The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1882-01-04
sCIENTIFIC MIsCkLLANY.

RIA -H- - r..
Compiled for the Leader.
Considerable interest is now felt in
ballooning, and the lovers of aeronautics
are evidently determined that some
thing shall be done to increase the use
fulness of this department of science.
The balloon society formed in England
some months ago is now followed by a
similar association in Berlin which in
tends TO hold an aeronautical exhibition
at some time during 1882. Among the
plans proposed to the British balloon
society, is that to a balloon to be kept
under control by means of compressed
gas. The gas would be stored in a suit
able tank under under pressure. and
the balloon would be reduced in size or
enlarged at pleasure by admitting or
Withdrawing gas-which might be eff
fected by simply turning a.erank. The
balloon would of course fall when re-
duced in size and rise as il became ex-
banded, so that ballast and waste of
gas would be rendered unnecessary.
Improvement in another direction is
still sought by aeronauts who are striy-
ing to travel considerable distances in
predetermined courses. Little success
has attended these efforts. The most
important %ballooning scheme now be-
fore the public is Commaner C~heyene's
tP=ojec. fer reaching the North Pele.
He proposes to travel by sea as far as
practicable, and to complete the dis
lance to the pole in immense balloons.
He is very sanguine of success. 1t is
TO be sincerely hoped that the thought
and money now being devoted to air
navigation may lead to useful results.
Progress thus far has been very slow,
and it must be confessed that little ma.
terial advance has been made since the
time OF MontgolGer.
DIR, Barn, of Breslau, has found that
when young tadpoles are fed exclusive
ly upon certain arcticles of diet an as
tonishing preponderance of females is
developed. The proportion in the case
of 1440 tadpoles thus reared reached
ninety-five per cent. The experiments
of NJ. Yung also show that special food
has n remarkable effect upon the de-
velopment of sex in ~tadpoles.
Howgreatly would human knowl-
edge be narrowed had the microscope
never existed This wonderful instru-
ment has not only revealed the magni-
tude and Importance Of the unseen
world about us, and shown us many
hidden marvels, but it has furnished a
means of studying disease which will
never cease to be an inestimable boon.
1t has shown that the animal body is
preyed upon by a variety of organisms,
producing diseases whose cause would
have never been suspected without its
aid. The knowledge thus gained has
in several instances led to the discovery
of methods of rendering the attacks Of
the minute parasites comparatively
harmless. thus c%onquering certain
dreaded maladies. Observations OF
this kind are only of very recent date,
but the progress made has been very re.
markable. All epidemic or contagious
diseases are now believed to be due to
microscopic organisms in the blood
and it appears quite probable that NJ.
Pasteur's plan Of vaccination may ere
long be successfully applied to all all
ments of1his kind with the result OF
greatly reducing their ravages. 1t is
hoped hat these new ideas concernine
disease may soon lead to a materia.
lesseniug of the death.rate from sucl
widespread disorders as scarlet ant
typhus fevers and diphtheria. Truly
great is the work of the miscoscope.
Deaf and dumb people may be taught
to speak with greater or less facility
and NJ. Felix Hement has lately motto
ed the fact hat the individuals thu,
taught acquire the particular dialect OF
their native provinces. Beng dea'
this accent cannot have been acquired
by imitation, and IL is therefor inferred
that. such peculiarities of speech are
due to an arrangement of the voca.
organs varying with each race.
According to Prof. Young, the totaI
quantity of light emitted by the sun i.
is equal to 6,3O0, 900 ,0o0, 0O0, 900, 900,
00J, 900, 600 candles. Such an array q
figures, however seems meaningless,
so faint is our conception of the mum.
liar