Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-12-24
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

FaoM experiments upon dogs, Lewas-
chew and Klikowitch have concluded that
the effect of ordinary natural mineral
waters is to increase the quantity of bile
and to make it more fluid and watery.
This increased flow is beneficial in freeing
the gall bladder from stagnant bile. The
action of artificial solutions of alkaline
salts, as we'll as of hot water, was found
to be similar to that of the natural min
erai waters.
A novel and interesting application of
electricity has been introduced at the
Court opera, in Vienna. The effect of
swarms OF firefies fitting about tropical
forest is produced in a strikingly realistic
manner by the plan Of suspending tiny in
csndesoent lamps by fine swinging wires,
too flashes of the artificial frekies being
caused by rapidly switching the current on
and off.
In an attempt to trace invention to its
origin in the mind of primitive man, Col
enel F. A. Seely, of the United States pat
ent Office remarks: OBVIOUSLY, archae-
ology can find no trace of remoter age
than that of stone; out I mistrust that the
thoughtful anthropologist will accept the
evidence of earlier ages, one of which,
taking one of it's perishabe materials as
the type of all, We may call the age of
wood. Still farther back must lie an age,
as indefinite IN duration as any, when man
existed IN his rudest condition, without
art of any kind, except such as he employ
ed in common with lower animals; and
this is the trne primitive period"
Two of the known comets of short
period arrive at perihelion in 1884-D'Ar-
rests On January 13, and Brorsen's about
September For several months estrono-
mers have been unsuccessfully watching
for the former, and it is probable that it
may pass unseen at this return.
AMONG the soientfic results of his
Greenland expedition Baron Nordenskiod
mentions the discovery that, contrary to
the general belief, the west coast of Green
land Is washed by cold water, while H
greatly heated current coming from the
so2th runs along the east coast at 6 short
distance oul5 from the shore. This cur
rent must exercise great influence on the
climate of the east coast, which may OF
more moist, but, in the Baron's opinion,
not colder THAI tn st of the west coast.
In a preliminary paper read before a
recent meeting of the London PATHOLOGY
Cal society, Mr.. Sutton and DR.. Heneage
GIbbes descri bee an Investigation now be-
ing made By them into the tuberculosis of
birds. They tiud that the di-ease Is very
prevalent among birds. aud that it some
times becomes pinemic The effects 90
not exactly correspond to .hose
produced u man by sOn
sumption, but the parasite present
il both cases seems 20 re the same. The
disease virus appears 10 be introduced
with the food, and thu birds most liable TO
be affected are common fowl, peacock,
grouse AID other grain-eeters-
REMARKABLE feature of the two satel-
lites of aaars, which we're discovered about
six years agn ny Prof. Asspn Hall, Is the
proximity Of the inner one TO the plscet,
it's distance from the center OF the latter
body beng about 5000 miles, ana from
the surface less IMAM 1000. Of" says
Prot. Newcoinb,' there are any astronomers
on Mars with telescopes and eyes like ours
they can readily fad ont whether this sat
elite is inhabited, the distance being less
than One-siItieth that Of the moon from
u.s."
AT certain seasons kind of fish eaten
IN Bombay IS liable to contain very small
worms, to which the natives often asorihe
cases of cholera. aud several cases of the
| disease among Europeans have followed a
fish supper.
TIN work Of the municipal laboratory
at Paris In testing food substances results
| in some interesting disclosures. II has
lately revealed the fact that spurious fruit
| havors are extensively made and sold III
| that city, the havors Of the strawberry,
pineapple, melon, apple, pear, cherry
| plum, apricot and peach being successful
| ly initiated by artificial chemical cora
pounds. so-cslled gooseberry jelly was
examined, and proved to have been made
| from sea-weed.
| Nh. R. W. JENKINS, of CeyloR, reports
| that in the mountain districts of that
| island the volcanic explosions of Krskatoa
we're distinctly heard, although 1900
miles distant. The sounds resem bled
those of heavy canDon at a distance of q
| few miles, or OF dynamite rock-blasting a
| mile or so away. Prof. r. a. Proctor
supposes that the sound-waves were con
veysd through the ear.h's crust and not
through the air.
| KIND of timber found buried in yell
low clay In China, near the border OF
| Thibet, is stated By Mr.. E. Oolborne
Baber, of the British legation at Pekin. to
be held in high esteem as material for
collins, on account of the resistance it Of
fers to decay and insect ravages. A single
coffin made from its planks is valued at
An equivalent of 800 pounds STERLING IN
fortunately Mr.. Baber has been unable TO
give any information concerning the DO
tsnical character of the subterrsnea1
| wood.
IT seems that the injurious effects some
times resulting from the use of canned
foods are not always due to the presenct
of lead in the cans. At a late inquest neal
London medical evidence was given TO eae
effect that death had been caused ny eaiing
salmon which had been poisoned througt
decomposition by nitrate of tin formeS