The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-02-15
EOOlfOp the SeNaoa.

lnlnefSe the fOretinger of one band
i'll water at 1O4 degrees Fahrenheit, and
then plunge the whole of the other
hend into the water with temperature
Of 102 degrees Fahrenheit. The latter,
although two degrees cooler, will be
judged to be the warmer Of the two,
from which it appears that the intensity
OF the sensation Of temperature depends
not only upon the relative degree of
heat to which the parts are exposed,
but also upon tho extent Of surface over
which it is applied. From this cause q
bath which il not uncomfortably warm,
when few fingers are dipped Ill it,
appears scaIding hot whom the whole
body is immersed The sense of tenn
perature is likewise, entirely ut fault
when required to determine which is
the warmer OF two substances, say q
piece OF iron and piece Of wood, for if
thoy both have the same temperature,
the iron will feel tho hotter of tho two,
because of Its being q so much better
conductor. A slight difference OF tenn
perature, however, between two sub
stances Of like nature is easily discerned,
and we may here describe a simple but
MISUNDERSTANDING trick which is found
cd Oh the fact.
The performer, having placed his
hat behind him, requests the people
present to place in it three or four pom
MES. He shakes it up behind him, and
then asks some person to take out q
penny and closely examine it. He
hns then to pass it to the others fol
examination, the last one pitching il
back into the hat again. The pennies
are then shaken mp, and tho polformer
now, placing one hand behind him,
picks out the penny which has been
examined, although throughout tho
whole operation he has never seen it.
When the experiment has been done
some two or three times successfully,
all sorts Of unlikely suggestions are
made as to the way in whioh the feat
has been performed, but very seldom
the right one, which was exceedingly
simple. The people, in handling the
penny which was selected from the
others, make it warm. 1t is, therefore,
easy to pick it out from the others When
1t has been pitched into the hat again.
This sufficiently demonstrates tho fact
that at ordinary temperatures the sense
| Of temperature ns localized in the fin
gers is sufficiently sensitive to descrimi-
nate between several pieces OF metal SO
as to say which is the warmest.
But for tho extremes of hot and cold,
touch Is thoroughly deceived, piece OF
frozen mercury giving burning sensa
| ton like q rcd-hot bar of metal. The
touch which attalns to such perfection
III persons afflicted with blindness is
rendily deceived. This is shown forci-
bly, by tho experiment OF Aristotle.
Cross the index and middle fingers and
run them over marble placed on the
Oh the table with the eyes shut. Under
such circumstances ono has difficulty in
avoiding the belief that he is dealing
with two marbles ins stead of one. The
iden of roundness which hns been OBJ
tanned by II complex Judgment, founded
on tho coalescenco Of several sensations,
is herc appealed to, but tho usual con-
ditions being reversed, we draw wrong
conclusion. The sense OF taste may be
Likewise confounded by altering the
conditions, under which the gustatory
operation is always carried on, Thus,
II the nostrlls bo held firmly, it IS i'm
possible to distinguish between ap-
plying MI onion or M apple to the
tongue.