The National tribune., 1885-10-15
SCIENTIFIC CHAT.

After a visit to some of the Alaska glaciers,
Mr.. Thomas Meehan states that beneath the Muir
glacier, said to be 100 miles long, flows rapid tor
rent, which he estimates to be l60 feet wide and
four feet in average depth, and which runs Summer
and Winter without interruption. AT its termina-
ton the glacier hangs over the sea and gives off
icebergs. Mr.. Meehan remarks that the great ice
sheets have their lakes rapsis, waterfalls, hills and
valleys; that their waterways change their courses
at times through the melting, and that melting
proceeds freely in the suns rays, but not in the
shade
The Practical Photographer suggests that in
these days of convenient photographing appliances.
those who visit i'll any official capacity scenes of
murder, wreck, or riot should apply the camera
before anything is disturbed, as the evidence thus
gained. being incontrovcrtible, might possess in
caIcuabie value
The deaths in Europe from smallpox are said
to be 6OUO0 annually. The mortality is almost
wholly confined to civilians, as owing to constant
vaccination and revaccinaton the armies are al
most wholly free from the disease
According to the Lancet the recent visit to
America of DIR. Keith, who came to perform a sur
Ccal operation is the first instance since the Dec
laration of Independence of an American having
summoned medical aid from the old country.
Sir Henry Thompson and English physicians
who understand the thing say that all enteric
fevers. such as typhus, cholera, and the Oriental
plague itself due to positive pollution in the air
and water. Historographcrs OF disease tell US that
the cholera comes from the mouth of the Ganges,
the yellow fever from the mouth of the Mississippi
and the pague from the mouth of the Nile. Now
the Mediterranean is an obvious focus and hotbed
OF enteric poison, and has been so ever siace the
chroniced. Its tide!ess waters accumulate un-
speakable filth and garbage The present cholera
commenced and found its chief seat i'll Marseilles,
which is perhaps, the most pestilential port in the
world.
"A correspondent of the Monthly Magazine OF
Pharmacy writing from Messina. says: "A bottle
of bromne left in a closed room all night with the
stopper out destroys all infection and insect life
have cleared places which were infested with ver-
min many times. 1t is far more eflectual than the
vapor of burning sulphur"
= 1t has been shown that the odoriferous mole
cule of musk is infinitesimally small. No power
has yet been conceived to enable the human eye 20
see one of the atonS' of nihsk, yet the organs OF
smell have the scnsiti veness TO detect them. Their
smallness cannot even be Imagined, and the same
grain of musk undergoes absolutely no diminution
in weight. A single drop of the oil of thyIac,
ground down with 10 piece of sugar and little
alcohol, will communicate It's odor to % gallons OF
water. IIaler kept for 40nyears papers perfumed
with one grain of ambereris; After this time the
odor WAS as strong as ever. fBordenave has proved
n moecule of camphor sensible to the smell
to 262, ,5S1 ,00Gh of a"grain: Boyle has observed
that one drachm of ass.,i1nti exposed TO the open
had lost ill six days the eighth part of grain
from which keill cOpcludes that i'll one minute it
had lost l-G9 l20 of a grain.-LOndon Times