The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-01-23
SCIENTIFIC mIsCELhANY.

found to result eisastrously TO insects,
each season of Hood greatly lessening
the "bug eropf of the following sum-
mer.
To recent progress in sanitary sci
ence Sir 'Jeseph Fayrer, formerly sur
geOn-general Of the army in India, at
tributes the fact that England's death
rate has decreased during the present
century from forty in the thousand to
twenty in the thousand.
An English chemist has confirmed by
analyses the opinion that the lack of
mslleabiity in heated iron--or ''red-
shoTtness, - as it is called--is due to the
presence of oxygen. y red-shOrt speci-
men contained 1 ,3S4 per cent. OF oxy-
gen, while samples free from the defect
had only O.750 per cent. or less.
a mountain explorer just returned
from Asia states that during a four
months residence at a height of more
than Is, 600 feet above the sea his pulse,
normally only sixty-three beats per min
ute, seldom fell below one hundred
beats per minute, and his respIrations
were often twice as numerous as at or
binary levels.
After maEy observations at sea-level
and at $4,000 feet above. Prof. 5. p.
Langley concludes that the mean alb.
sorptiOn of light and beat by the atmos-
phere is at least double the usual estI-
mate of twenty per cent. He believes,
also, that dust PARTICLES play more i'm
pOrtant part in this absorption than is
generally supposed.
\ new building material--a mixture
Of cork, silica and lime-is coming into
extensive use in Germany. 1t has the
advantage Of keeping out heat and cold
and is also claimed TO be an excellent
preventive of damp aud deadener of
sound. 1t is substantial, light and dur
able, and seems to be especially adapted
for ceilings and wall Innings.
The Royal Geographical Society, of
London, has published a list of 100 sta
tiOns occupied by Europeans in Central
Africa in 1884, with their latitude and
longitude. OF these, sixty-one are stu
ated between the equator and the Zam-
beZi, east of the twenty-fifth degree of
east longitude aud fifty-nine are west
of that meridian, between the equator
and KuImen OF Cunene.
The tiexibility of itacoIamite-a re-
maTkable sandstone existing in Georgia
aud North and South Caroiina-seems
to be surpassed by that of magnetism
limestone found at The entrance of the
Tyne, in England This limestone Is
reported to be so flexible that thin lay
ers three feet or more in length may be
bent into a circle while damp, retaining
that form on being allowed to dry.
From experimental measurements of
the temperature Of the body during acts
of motion the following conclusions
have been reached 10y French observer:
That the lowest temperature in man,
following a period OF rest, is 9S de-
gTees; that the temperature rises under
the influence of an ascending effort to
100. 6 degrees, and under the influence
Of descending effort TO 100. 3 degrees :;
that 1t increases after any exertion, but
more after an ascending than after a
descending one and that the chemical
actions of the organism are augmented
alter every movement.
A variety of articles made from So
called phosphoric glass. which is com
posed simply of phosphate of lime, have
been exhibited to the French Academy
OF Sciences by Mons. SidOt. Unlike or
dinary kinds, this glass ressts the ac-
tion OF Guoric acid, and it will probably
be useful to chemists and others on that
account. a novel use Of il in connec-
tiun with cremation IS supported by
Mons. Henry de Parveilie, who proposes
that The phosphate Of lime remaining as
the ashes OF each burned body be con-
yerted into phosphoric glass. and then
nodded in.O vase, medallion, o. stat
uette of the person from whom it has
been derived.
The remarkable river Reka rises in
Austrian province of Carnio!a, and dis
appears in the Karst caves. There are
reasons for believing that it flows a
long distance underground, emerging
twenty miles away as the Timavo, d
streams which mysteriously pours out OF
a hillside. Members Of the AusCro-
German Alpine Club have lately at.
tempted an exploration Of the sabterra.
mean course of the Reka, and have sue
ceeded in following it about one fur.
long, passing SIX waterfalls and reach.
ing a seventh which proved 10 be i'm
passabie without special apparatus.
One of the Cayerus encountered is re
ported 10 be capaciOus enough to con
tain ST. Peters Cathedral OF Rome.
y very general but erroneous belief j.
that the breathing of pure oxyget
would rapidly destroy animal life by
quickening the combustion In the bodl
as the same gas hasteus the burning OF
the fuel Of an ordinary fire. a Germas
Psychologist has just shown by exact ex
pertinent on men and dogs that the in
halation of pure oxygen produces "a
etiecIs-at least upon pulse, respiration
and body iemperalUre-wh distin
guish its action fr,gn that of pure at
.mOspheric air; and that its use la case
OF poisoning with ehlUrofOrm. alcohol
.sulphuretIgd hydrogen or carbonie oxid,
offers no advantage over that OF puu
air. The same experimeuJer has dele
mined that diluted ozone does not pos.
seAs the narcotic influence usually as
cribed to it., aud that concentrates