The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1888-11-17
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
REGULATORS OF THE BoDY's FURNACE.

REGULATORS OF BODY FURNACE.
In paper read before the American Neuro-
logical Association at Washington, DIR. Isaac
OFT showed by cases of disease that there are
points in the brain-On the surface and at the
base-whose function it is to preside over and
keep constant the heat of the body He men,
toned recorded cases of a bodily temperature
rs high as 1859 f., and as low 90 f., explain
ing how nervous disease may produeesuch great
changes. He described fever as disease oft
nervous system chiefly, resulting in increased
chemical change in the bodily tissues, with
consequent elevation of temperature
MUCH SWEETNESS.
Prof Gustav Gehring states that 5, OBS, 600 900
pounds of cane sugar and BOSS, 100000 pounds
object sugar are produced annually. All plants
contain sugar, but only four others-the sugar
palm ofthe Indies. the maple tree, the sorghum,
and the sugar cOrn-are at all used industrially
for its extraction; and from these four the total
quantity of sugar obtained is comparatively in
significant.
A GREAT ELEVATOR.
Quite a marvel of hydraulic engineering is
the recently completed canal-bOat elevator at
Les Fontinettes, France The apparatus con-
ssts essentially ftwo plate iron sections called
lock-chanbers, each poised ON piston working
in the cylinder of hydraulic press. When
these lock-chambers are of equal weight, they
assume an equal level on the opening of a valve
to connect the water-columns of the two cylin-
ders but ON making the weights sufficiently
unequal one chamber is brought to the level
of the upper canal and the other to that of the
lower. Boats of 800 tons are thus enabled to
pass from one canal to the Other-a change OF
level of 43 feet-in three minutes, whereas two
hours was formerly required to pass the locks.
The chambers are $50 feet long, 10 wide, and
Deep and each weighs 800 tons when full of
water. The hydraulic presses, the largest III
existence. are So feet in height and 81 in diam
eter, and the internal pressure that they have
to resist is q atmosphere.
According to NJ. Him, the column of air sud
denly heated and expanded by flash OF light
ning-producing the sound known as thunder
is sometimes several miles long, and as the
duration of the flash is not even mlllionth OF
second, it follows that the noise bursts forth
at once from the whole column, though for an
observer at any one place it commences where
the lightning is at the least distance. The be-
ginning of the thunder clap thus gives us the
minimum distance of the lightning, and the
length of the thunder clap gives us the length
of the column.
MUSCLE FOR THE OCEAN FERRY.
In his address as President of the British As
ISOLATION for the Advancement of Science, Sir
Frederick Bramwell considered the elevating
influence of prime mowers as a substitute for
hand labor recurring no intelligence, and said
Compare galley, vessel propelled by oars,
with the modern Atlantic liner; and first let
us assume that prime mowers are non-existent
and that this vessel is to be propelled galley
assume that place be found for as many as 4OO
oars ON each side, each oar worked by three
men, or 2,400 men; and allow that six men
under these conditions could develop work
equal to l h. p, we should have 400 h. p.
Double the number of men, and we should
have 800 h. p, with 4, 800 men at work, and at
least the same number in reserve if the journey
is to be continuous. Contrast the puny result
thus obtained with the IS, 500 h. p. given forth
by large prime mower of the present day,
such power requiring, on the above mode OF
calculation, 117,000 men at work and 117,O0O
in reserve; and these to be carried in a vessel
less than 600 feet long. Even fit were possible
to carry this number of men in such a vessel,
by no conceivable means could their power be
utilized so as to impart to it a speed of twenty
knots an hour. This illustrates how a prime
mower may not only be mere substitute for
muscular work, but may afford the means of
attaining an end that could not by any posi-
bility be attained by muscular exertiOn, no
matter what money was expended or what gal
ley-slave suffering was inflicted"
MOTHER EARTH'S AGE.
A French astronomer, NJ. A. d Assier, allows
about half million years for the nebular and
stellar period of the earth's existence, and about
$4,000, 000-of which 100000 have elapsed
for the period of organic beings. AT the age of
about 26,0O0,000, our planet cold and lifeless,
will receive the moon, and at later period will
in turn fall to the dead sun, causing temper
airy outbreak of light and heat.
MISCELLANEOUS.
Experiments have been made in Russia on
the culture of minute parasitic plants for the
destruction of injurious insects. Caterpillars
feeding ON the beet-root were abundantly de-
stroyed. Various such parasites have been
known to produce epidemics in insects.
A tribe called Cafusos has sprung up in Bra
I'll from crossing between the long, stiff-haired
natives and the imported negro slaves The
admixture of such extremes has produced eX-
traordinary hair, which rises perpendicularly
in close curly masses, and forms an enormous
wig.
1t is not yet known why the shell of the lob
ster turns red on being boiled.
The question is asked, why women always
with exceedingly rare exceptions) but ON from
right to left, and men from left to right.