Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1885-01-08
SCIENTIFIC MIscELLAHY.

body, organism and microscopic brain 81
concerns its vital relations A. each
nerve cell is estimated to live about six.
ty days, 100000 must die every day,
about 10000 every hour and nearly ,,
500 every minute. The dying cells are
replaced by an cqnal number Of their
progeny, and once 10 every sixty days a
mans brain is entirely renewed.
While the great antiquity Of the hu-
man race has been established beyond a
doubt, it is impossible to assign auy az
ourate date to mans first appearance up
on earth, ain making soundings..in the
slimy soil Of the Nile valley" says Prof,
N. Jolly, Of the Science Faculty of Toulo-
use, 1.-TWO baked brick were discovered,
one at depth Of twenty, the other Of
twenty-four yards. If We estimate the
thickness Of tbs annual dcposi; formed
by the river at eight inches century,
70 must assign to the first Of these brick
On age of 10000 years and to the sec
ond that Of 1900 by means of an
alogous calculations, Burmeistcr sup
pose $4,000 years to have elapsed since
Che first appearance Of mau upon the soil
Of Egypt, and Draper attributes to the
European man who witnessed the last
glacial epoch an antiquity Of more than
100000 years"
Snails are possessed Of remarkable
vitality. Mr.. r. Z. G. Stearns has men.
toned one Of the specie, Helix Veatchii-
which lived without food from 1859 to
1865; and another--Bulimus palld;or-
which appeared to be in good health after
. fast Of two years two months and six
tsea days. Both of these species iuhabit
nsa,ly rainless regions.
The Siamese, according to an account
lataly given BY DR., E. A. Surge, regard
81 nature as composed Of four elements
earth, water, Ere and wind. These same ele-
ments are supposed to make up the human
body, which is composed Of twenty kinds
Of earth, twelve kinds Of water, six kinds
Il wind, and four kinds of fire. The
body Is divided into thirty.two parts,
such y the skin, heart, lungs, etc 1t
y thought to be subject to ninety six
diseases, due to the disarransement Of
u elements. Too much fire causes
fsvsn, IN excess Of water produces drop
sies, earth gives rise to disease by invisi.
Bic and impalpable mists aud vapors, and
wind can cause all manner Of complaints
While almost everything is used as medi-
cine, the bones and skins Of various an.
FINALS, and the gals Of snakes, tigers liz.
ards, etc., are favorite remedies. Burnt
human bones, powdered aud mixed with
alum, are used on ulcers; eye.teeth Of
various animsls, such as bears, tigers and
lions, ground up together, form the "a
vonts curative for fevers; and the ashes
Of carth-worns and human hair, mixed
with cocoanut-oil, are often employed
Tor cuts. The Siamcse know little Of
anatomy. They are not aware that the
heart Is connected with the circulation
but suppose that organ to be abou, the
siss Of IN almond, and to be cavity
M with auid which changes color and
consistency with our passions.
Il has been asserted that tho common
White lily (Silium candidum } grown in
Palestine only IS cultivated flower and
y not native Of the country, and that
consequently the lilies Of Scripture must
havs been derived from some other
plant A Flench botanist, however,
statss that many wild specimens of this
LILY have been obtained from the Lebau.
on, oas Of which he possesses.
50 perfect are the incandescent electric
lamps now made that one Of the Swan
type has sustained $500. hours Of use,
Many have lasted 1000 hours.
Were the human inhabitants Of the
globe y numerous as are the humblest
OF our servants, the earthworms. every
ACRE Of land would have to sustain a
great city. In his memoir showing the
importance Of the work done BY the
worms in fitting the soil for tho use of
plants, Darwin estimated that 26,ss6 of
the creatures existed in an acre of old
pasture land, while Hensen gave the
aanber for garden soil as 53,767 per
acfe' Recent researches by Mr. 7. A.
orquh0rd indicate that these figures are
much too lowsfor some localities, as in a |
pasture near Auckland, New Zealand he
has found s4s, 4sO per mere, with an az.
sresate weight Of more than GOO pounds.
hydrochlorate Of cocaine, a new local
discovered accidentally by a
.s.~.J. !