The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-04-07
COnpiIed for The Ark0ns0W TrGveLer. SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY

more than 1000 yards in England, the
 longest being that of the Severn
 1864 yards.
 Dirrrhea and stomach pains having
 been detected as a result of eating
 mouldy bread, it is suggested that this
 may often be the unsuspected source
 of diarrhea.
 The fourth session of the Interna-
 tional Geological Congress will be
 held in London from September 17 to
 25. The previous meetings were held in Paris in 1878, Bologna in 1881, and Berlin in 1885.
 Prof. Poel, of St. Petersburg, has found fifty per cent. of petroleum in the cod liver oil sold by one druggist, the adulterated article having the taste, smell and appearance of the gen. ulne. Mineral oil is also frequently found in olive oil.
 In the early forms of electric incan- descent lamps the filament was of platinum, and it was noticed that & thin film of the metal soon formed on the inside of the glass bulb. In recent investigations Dr. Alfred Berliner has found the phenomenon to be due to the tearing away of solid particles by the violent emission of gases the plati- mum had absorbed.
 An interesting collection of con- mercial products, made by Dr. Forbes Watson, has been acquired by Uni versity College, Dundee. It contains some 7,500 samples, embracing be- tween 700 and 800 flores, over 500 dyes and dye-stuffs, 300 oils and oil- seeds, 600 or TOO gums, resins and gut tas, nearly 2,000 medicinal substances, and more than as many samples of food-stuffs.
 WIND AND ELECTRICITY.-The same wind that bears the mariner towards rocky coast has been forced into ser- vice to warn him of his danger. At g. station near the mouth of the Seine & windmill is made to drive dynamo, the electricity produced being stored in suitable batteries, and atterward employed for lighting beacons to guide the seamen. Possibly the wind mill dynamos might be adapted to domestic purposes.
 OZONE AS A GERMICIDE.-In some experiments with ozone as a curative agent, an English lady, so far advanced in consumption that her case appeared hopeless, has been treated with inhala- tions of this gas, with results described as marvellous. After a months treat ment, the appetite was regained, the sleep calm and refreshing, and there was very good prospect of recovery. The ozone was prepared by passing stream of oxygen through the current of an induction coil, and was adminis- tered with atmospheric air in the pro- portion of one in five. The experi- menter has reached the conclusion that the ozone treatment is specially appli- cable to all germ diseases.
 A SCIENCE OF MYTHoLoGY.-It is believed that the myths and folklore of different peoples, when properly studied, will add valuable chapter to the history of the human mind. "The time is coming" says MT. Jeremiah Curtin, "when mythology may be- come science, if scholars will work for that end, but mythology is far from being a science yet. There are many theories and loose statements current about mythology - disease of language sun myths, serpent myths, etc.-but there is no science in all this. It is fancy, guess-work, eff forts of men dealing with insufficient and unsatisfactory materials, collected in many cases, by incompetent hands or by persons who tamper with mate- rials for the purpose of improving them, or fitting them to some the ory." The things needed, this author ayers, are facts, and facts in mythology are well-preserved myths.
 AN ANCIENT HoME.-The primitive man may be said to be absolutely un- known, and 1t was not until after they had made considerable progress to- ward civilization that our prehistoric ancestors left works by which we have learned something of their rude life. This picture of the miserable home of the ancient European who, for con- siderable period, dwelt in caves, or even mere sheltered places among the rocks, has been drawn by Prof. N. Joly, of Toulouse. In this rocky re- treat he took his meals, and allowed the remains of his food, uninviting to our fastidious palates, to collect. The flesh of the mammoth, of the great cave bear, of the amphibious rhinoce- ros, of the horse, the aurocks, the rein- deer, the fox, and, doubtless, also wild fruits and roots, formed his staple diet. Usually the flesh of the animals was eaten law; but fire had long been known, and even pottery had been in- vented, and was used for culinary pur- poses. Hunting was his principal oc- cupation. Armed with the stone axe, or mace, with the flint headed lance.