The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1888-05-04
POPULAR SCIENCE.


Professor Herzen has recently shown,
from vivisectional experiments, the init
mate relation between cold and touch,
and that an injury to the cortex of the
braiu that destroys the sense Of touch in
any region will usually also abolish cor
Tespondingly the sense Of cold.
Eugene. Tyler, of Adairville, Ky, Is a
wonderful young man, whose body seems
charged with electricity. lie comes Of a
good family, is well edIcated, and is vi.
riously describe as being a spiritual me-
dium, living walking battery, a light
ning generator, and as hayiag fire enough
in him to run locomotive.
Professor Thurston says when drop
of oil is placed upon the surface Of water
IL first rapidly spreads in all directions,
forming a film Of exceeding tenuitY, aud
affecting the waves us il a sheet or car
pet Of thin, flexible elastic and yet te-
nacious substance, like rubber, had been
spread over the waves.
1t is claimed that the increase in the
number Of persons US ng glasses is fully
thirty-three and a third per cent. over
previous periods. This is set down rs
partly due TO the practice people have OF
buying glasses Of unskilled persons and
partly to notions of economy in buying
cheap glasses. The number of opticians
has, ofcourse, correspondingly increased.
The Medical Record reports that Pro-
fessor Windle concludes from his re-
searches that mans original dentition in
cluded six incisOrs in either jaw; that
two from each jaw have gradually dis
appeared; that this loss is due to the con-
traction Of the anterior part of tue pal
ate; that this process of contraction will
probably 20 on and result in the loss Of
two further incisors, aud that the cOnical
shape of many of the supernumerary
teeth indicates a reyersion to the print
tive type of tooth
The measuring CT the candle-power of
a light is accomplished by comparing
the shadow cast by a rod in the light OF
a standard candle with the shadow cast
by the light to be tested. BY moving
the latter toward or away from the rod a
point will be reached at which the
shadow cast by 10th lights will be OF the
same intensity. The intensity OF the two
lights is directly proportional to the
square of their distance from the shad-
ows, l. e suppose the light to be tested
is three times the distance of the candle,
its illuminating power is nine times as
great.
A German professor spent twenty
years in studying the habits and eharac-
teristics of certain snail, and learned
this interesting fact respecting it. On
the Pacific coast of America, where it is
found in great abundance. it is preyed
upon by a certain fish which abounds in
the Pacific Ocean As an aid in escap
ing from its formidable enemy it has
been provided with an eye on the back
of its head. The same snail is found on
the Atlantic coast, exactly like its fan
western brother in every particular ex
cept that it has no pOsteriOr eye. And
the reason for this IS that there is no cor
responding fish to prey upon it in the
Atlantic Ocean.
At a recent meeting of the Physiology
cal Society OF Berlin it was stated that
when the bee has filed the cell either
with pure honey or mixture of pollen
dough and hoaey, and has completed the
lid, drop of formic acid obtained from
the poison bag connected with the sting
is added TO the honey by performing the
lid with the sting. Numerous expert
ments show that this fOrmlc acid pre-
serves honey and every other solution
from fermentation. If this be well es-
tablished, it will show that the sting and
the poison apparatus of the bee has
further purpose than that of defensive
or offensive weapon. Another interest
ing fact suggests itself in connection
with this. So far as Is known most of
the insects that have singing apparatus
similar to that of the bee are collectors
and storers of honey.