St. Landry democrat., 1882-07-01
THE ST. LANDRY DEMOCRAT
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

NJ. Grehaut has made a series OF ex.
Deriments which convince him thai
death is caused by alcohol when the
n,oportion OF absolute alcohol IN the
blood is equal to the hundredth part OF
the latter; that the condition known as
@'dead drunk exists when the alcohol
imbibed ceases to be absorbed and the
blood presents the proportion of one
mart of alcohol to 1875 of blood-more
than one-half the fatal quantity. This
observer thinks that it fewer deaths
occur from drunkenness than might be
expected it is because drunkards stop
drinking before the fatal proportion OF
alcohol in the blood has been reached
The fat of the body is found by NJ
Lanquer to vary greatly with age. In
infants it forms a firm tallow- like
mass, melting at 113 degrees Fahlen-
leit. The fat of adults, however, sepa-
rates into a fluid and solid layer
at the ordinary temperature of a room,
the solid portion melting at 81 degrees
being completely fluid at blood heat.
The variation in the composition OF the
fat is very considerable, the Oleic acid
increasing and the palmitic and stearic
acids decreasing with age.
A newly-proposed plan for the venti-
lation of tunnels is the use OF chemicals
for absorbing the impurities OF the air.
A "chemical lung" based upon this
principal, has been put to a satisfactory
test in London by number OF scien-
fists.
When ocean cables are raised so man
nv of the crabs, corals, snakes and 9TH
er inhabitants of the ocean bottom are
drawn up with them that cable-repair-
ing has been suggested as novel
method OF dredging, Of which it is
hoped some competent naturalist may
take advantage.
After recent violent storm on the
English coast quantity of saline mat
ter was observed on windows at dis
lance inland. The deposit is believed
to have been made by ocean spray,
which in this case must have been
blown by the wind at least sixty miles.
According to statistics recently work
ed out, one railway traveller is killed
in France for each 1.600,000000 kilo-
metres (about 994, 250,000 miles, run,
which is distance equal to 10000 times
the length OF voyage around the
world. This excursion the computer
adds, would last during 5,044 years
travelling day and night at the rate Of
60 kilometres (27.28 mlles) per hour
Allowing sixty years to be the average
lifetime in store for healthy man, it
follows that before he could be killed
by a railway accident according to the
law of probabilities he would have died
a natural death fifty times.
An important fact noticed by DR..
Koch in the tubercle Bacillae, which he
has found to exist in all tissues affected
by tuberculosis or consumption, is that
they are unaffected by neutral suhstan-
ces or strong mineral acids. This pc
culiarity teaches that alkaline solutions,
which act upon and destroy the para
sites, are to be used for disinfectlon and
as remedies for consumption.
A curious collection OF books is con-
tanned in the library OF Warstenstien,
near Cassel in Germany. These books
appear at first sight to be logs of wood,
but each volume is really a complete
history of the tree it represents. The
back shows the bark, in which small
place is cut to write the scientific and
common name as title. One side
shows the tree trunk in its natural state
and the other is polished and vanished.
Inside are shown the leaves, fruit, fibre
and insect parasites, to which is added
a full description Of the tree and its
products.
The sorrowful tree-so named be-
cause it flourishes only at night-grOws
upon the island OF Goa, near Bombay.
The flowers which have a fragrant odor, |
appear soon after sunset the year round !
and close up or fall off as the sun rises.
Prof. F. A. Abel considers it doubtful
whether coal dust in mines can cause
extensive explosions in the complete
absence of fire-damp, but only very
small proportion of fire-damp is neces
,ary to make the presence Of the dust
dangerous.
Fort Rae, in British America, has
,een chosen as a British Government
station in the chain of circumpOlar sci
,ntific obseryatories. The Swedes have
elected site for their station at
Nylde Bay, in West Spitzbergen.
A Prussian manufacturer has found
hat treating the woods with ozone
.reatly adds to the durability of pianos
Ised in warm climates.
Mr.. st. George Lane-Fox predicts
hat incandescent electric lamps will
Don altogether supersede the arc lights
ow so rapidly coming into general use
or lighting streets and large areas.
lie thinks the danger to life from con-
lct with wires used for electric lighting
urposes may be overcome by using
w tension currents which are harm
ss. As to fire risks, he believes that
ley can only arise ffom gross careless
ess.
The attempt made by the Belgians to
troduce the Indian elephant into Cen
rec elephants taken by the expedition
we died, but it is believed that this
suit has been caused by insufficient