Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-12-17

summer in the earth's aphelion, making
a difference of about one-sixteenth of
the average absolute amount of solar
heat at the North Pole, in favor of the
higher temperature of the South Pole,
during the respective midsummers
while, on the other hand, for similar
though opposite reasons, the South
Pole would have a correspondence
colder winter, in aphelion, than the
North Pole in perihelion, thus giving
the Southern hemisphere the earlier
original cooling (for the earth as q
whole and III every part, as we shall see,
lost heat faster than it received it from
the SUM and the greater extremes of
heat and cold.- N. Y. Tribune.
PETRIFIED WOOD.
The petrifed wood which is so
abundant in the United States territories
OF Arizona, Wyoming, and Rocky Noun
tain regions is rapidly becoming utilized
by the practical American. In San
Francisco there is now factory for
cutting and polishing these petritica-
tlons into mantelpieces, tiles, tablets,
and other architectural parts for which
marble or slate in commonly used.
Petrltied wood is said to be susceptible
of finer polish than marble, or even
onyx, the latter of which it is driving
from the market. The raw material
employed comes mostly from the forest
OF petriGed wood along the line of the
Atlantic & Pacific Railway. Several
other companies have also been formed
to obtain concessions of different por-
tions of these forests. Biologists will
regret the destruction of such interesting
primeval remains, and some steps ought
to be taken to preserve certain tracts in
their original state. = Engineering.
INJURIES TO THE HEAD.
The frequency of severe injuries to
the head, skull and brain may not be
any greater than usual of late, but there
certainly seem to have been in the last
six months an unusual number of such
cases reported as wonderful cures.
Such injuries when the skull is fractured
and the brain laid bare, have been con-
sidered almost necessarily fatal. But
we have in mind about half dozen
cases which were reported in the news
papers, that shows astonishing possibili
ties of recovery in such cases. The de-
tails of them are rather too sickening tC
relate; they would make unpleasant
reading. One of them was boy whose
skull was cut open by Ratchet falling
upon him, in the street, from the fifth
story of tenement house. Another
was young woman mistaken for s
burglar, and shot twice in the head, the
bullets probably crossing their track
in her brain, and as yet not removed
Another case was that of man shot IL
the forehead, the bullet having beer
dextrously removed by the surgeon
from the back of the head, by making
new hole through his skull in that re
| gion for it's removal. Still anothe
case is that of man whose head was al
most crushed by being caught beneath
descending elevator, with the result
that four square inches of the brai1
were exposed. In this last case tn
membranes of the brain were actual,
sewed up-something new in surgery
But in all the cases recovery seemed
miraculous, in view of the severe con
fusion, liberation and exposure to which
the brain substance was subjected. 1t
important that such facts should b
generally known. because the diffusion
of such knowledge will lead to other re
coveries in cases which might hav
been considered hopeless. If man
found with his skull cracked and hi
brain protruding, he might be given u
as a gone case, and left to expire with
out any surgical care; when, on the 9th
or hand, if it be generally understood
that even man IN such case may SUI
vive and get well, there will be bette
chance of his having the right atten
ton, which means fair chance to ge
well.