Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-09-07
SCIENTIFIC SUNDRIES.

THE sounds of the heart have been re corded and reproduced by the photograph
 A NEW disease called photo-electric oph- thalmia is described as duo to the continual action of the electric light on the eyes.
 OF five cases of movable heart studied by Prof Rumpf, three were the results of die tetic and medicinal attempts to cure obesity.
 THERE is now a 'tDynamodermic Institute of Paris" where the professors offer to smooth out wrinkles by "Electrolysis." The electricity revivifes the skin and makes 1t young again.
 MEDICAL science has of late made no more important discovery than that consumption is not an inherited disease, but may be transferred by means of germ or microbe from the sick to the healthy.
 ABROAD they have also reached the con- clusion that the constant and unavoidable accumulation of gases and the attending ex- plosions are the most serious questions in connection with placing wires underground.
 To GIVE an idea of the kind of telephone cable which would be required to work un- der the ocean it has been calculated that the copper core would have to be as large around as a flour barrel, and the insulation the diameter of a hogshead.
 A SINGLE plate of perforated zinc about 8 foot square, suspended over gas jet, is said to retain the noxious emanations from burning gas, which it is well known de- stroys the binding of books, tarnishes the gliding and vitiates the atmosphere for breathing.
 AN Italian has discovered that the decay | incident to old age is caused by 8 microbe l which is inherited. He proposes to find an | antidote which will destroy this microbe. Then a woman of seventy will be a aHebe and an old gentleman of eighty will have the charms of an Apollo.
 FROM a recent study of the bones of anthropoid apes it appears that the gorilla | and chimpanzee approach nearest to man, but in different degrees, the ourang-outang | holding the third place. But great differ ences exist between the proportions of the l human frame and those of all the apes.
 STRAW is now about to be employed on 8 | large scale for the making of gunpowder The straw is pulverized, chemically treated and then finished in granular form for use l The new explosive is said to be 15O per cent stronger than an equal weight of ordinary gunpowder, and much superior in every re 1 spect.
 l REGENT investigations in French medi l cal institute show that death from hydro 1 phobia is the result of brain and spinal in l dammation rather than blood poisoning g Hydrophobia could not be caused by inocu lation of the blood, but followed from inocu lation of the nerve tissue, as was shown by experiment.
 ACCORDING to 8 French physiologist tht wing of the ordinary housefy makes 33 strokes in one second; the wing of the bum
 ble bee, 24O, the wing of the honey bee, 19O the wing of the wasp, no; the wing of tht dragon fly, 2S; the wing of the sparrow, 13 the wing of the wild duck, g.; the wing O the house pigeon, g.; the wing of the os
 prey, 6.
 SOME experiments were recently made il
 Europe to ascertain the loss of light il
 passing through window glass of various
 kinds in general use. A simple translucen
 but not transparent glass showed Q loss o
 9 per cent. of light. Cathedral glass, sucl
 as is used as basis in stained glass work
 being clear but with slight ground tint
 showed loss of 1295 per cent Plain ca.he
 dral glass with a white tint showed tn same loss. Plain white Rhenish ''doubl
 glass" and thin mirror glass obstructed 1
 per cent. of light.