The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-09-25
corresnondeace baltimore County Union

THE NERVES OF TASTE.
The dicovery that heat influences one set of
nerve-paints in the skin while sensations of cold
are received by another set. has been followed by
an interesting investigation by two Italian physi
ologsts, whose experiments seem to indicate that
the various tastes result from the exciting of dis
tinct sets of nerve fbres in the tongue. The pro-
longed application of ice removed the sensibiity
for all tastes-sweet, souri, salt and bitter Cocaine
destroyed-temporarily of course-sensibility for
bitter only. Other substances such as caffeine
and morphia, reduced the power of discrimina-
ting between different degrees of bitter. Dilute
sulphuric acid had peculiar effect, causing dis
titled water and even quinine to taste sweet at
the tip of the tongue, although the bitter of the
quinine was elsewhere tasted as usual
MOISTURE IN BREAD.
In the opinion of Messrs. Wanklyn and Cooper,
English food analysis, the proportion of moisture
contain ed in bread offered for sale should be
matter of government regulation. When well
made bread should contain about thirty four per
cent of WATER but in practice the proportion very
often reaches and even exceeds forty per cent,
the bakers thus making sixty pounds of bread
solids do duty for sixty six pounds. Itisremark-
ed that bread which is too moist is prone to grow
mouldy, and some years ago a serious outbreak of
disease in the French army was traced to the poi
sonous character of quantity of over moist bread
This suggests the question whether there are not
many deaths which might be traced to similar
poisoning, and leads to the recommendation of
suitable legislative restrictions when practicable
THE DISEASE OF SLEEP.
A curious and fatal malady, called lethargus,
has been described as peculiar to the negroes in
certain districts of the western coast of Africa
The patient, usually male adult falls asleep In
spite of his efforts to overcome the sudden drowsi-
ness with which he is seized without warning,
and slumbers in perfectly natural manner for
about twenty-one days, when death invariably
II l.. IL Cos hr,af 10
take nourishment, and shows no indication OF dis
ease except the abnormal tendency to sleep.
IMPROVED VACCINATION.
As protection by ordinary vaccination is not
secured until after the lapse of thirteen or four
teen days-that is, period at least equal to that
required for smallpo to develop-it has been
considered of no use after symptoms of the disease
have appeared, or in those persons who have been
already infected. But by modified method, a
Russian medical student, M. Gubert, claims to
make such late vaccination effective. In expert
ments on dogs he has rapidly saturated the sys
TEN with protective virus by several successive
daily inoculations with calf lymph, by which
means he has succeeded in bringing the vascina-
ton process to completion within four or five days
This result has enabled him to arrest the develop
ment Of smallpox in twenty-seven persons in
whom he was quite sure the disease incuba-
ting, while in twelve others the disease was mod
flied to simple vorioloid.
MISCELLANEOUS.
curious export of New Zealand is peculiar
fungus which grows on the trees in some sections,
and which is sold only in China, where the de-
mand is rapidly increasing. Its uses do not seem
to be well understood, but English officials have
reported that it is employed blood purifying
medicine, as food in soups, and as dye.
The Prince of Gondal, ruler of an Independent
native state of India, is taking two years course
in medicine and natural science at the University
&c hurp mad haiu 10 hiatt
fit himself to govern his people.
At late meeting of the Microscopical Society
of London, Prof. f. j. Bell gave account of
what he regarded the most extraordinary
biological discovery of the last twenty five years
that of third eye at the top of the head of GER
tain lizards.
In new electric battery, by London inven-
tor, the current is generated by the action of chic
rine gas on zinc. Very important advantages are
claimed.
Many of the finer transparent soaps in the En-
glish market are said by Wright to be quite free
from the glycerine which they represented to
contain, sugar which is very cheap and seems to
be as well adapted to making transparent soap,
being substituted.
new white alloy, containing ten parts of tin
and one hundred of aluminium, is recommended
by Bourbouze for instruments requiring lightness
specific gravity is 2. IS, it be easily soldered
and is not readily corroded.
Some oak timber which in 1924 had served for
1854 years for roof beams in an English church, is
still doing duty seat in farmers kitchen.
A common cause of blindness is opacity of the
cornea, to overcome which various means have
been tried. The new plan of circular cauteriza-
ton of the with electrically heated wire
is reported to be proving very successful in France
where, in one case, eighteen months of this treat
ment restored vision to eyes which had been
sightess for fourteen years.
In experiments at Berlin, a new description of
shell, charged with rolls of gun cotton is reported
to have produced such extraordinarily destructive
effects that kind of defensive works can be ex-
pected to resist it.
The discovery that zymotc diseases are due to
germs appears to be less modern than many may
suppose the germ theory having been advanced
as the only plausible explanation of such affec-
tions in a work published in 1921 by DIR. Geifon,
of Lyons.
The mean annual rainfall of India, according to
the Government meteorological, is about forty two
inches, varying from nearly FIVE hundred inches
at Cherra Poonjee to about three inches at Jaco-
ballad. j.