Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-03
ORGANS AND ELECTRICITY.

Two Lectures Ont of the Anatomical Line.-
Vibrations of Tuning Forks, Cylinders,
Reeds; Etc--Electricity and COcaine.
At the regular Saturdays lectures, given
under the auspices of the College Of
Anatomy yesterday, Professor A. E. Frost,
Of scity, delivered an interesting talk son
the Organ" and DIR. Samuel Ayers spoke
about electricity, and its uses to the medical
profession. The audience was made up Of
students snd others interested in the college,
and they listened attentively to the remarks
of the lecturers. During the course of his
lecture Professor Frost said:
Before beginning on the subject proper I
will try and get at the foundation Of what
really makes an organ. l have here in my
hand glass cylinder about Is inches long
and ~ inches in diameter. Here Is
an ordinary tuning fork the same
that Is used by music teacher. It has
capacity of 256 full swinging vibrations per sec
ond. L will hold the fork over the
top of the cylinder and see If we
can near the sound caused by the vibra-
tions. Now take another tuning fork
which vibrates 2SS times per second and pour
some water in the cylinder. You can readily
see that the sound produced by one fork with
out it. The sound made BY the fork over the
cylinder is totally different from that made by
holding the end of the fork on a tin board or
box. There is great difference between using
air for carrying sound and using portion OF
air along with the carrying body. As the fork
vibrates over the cylinder the fork
The organ is made up Of vibrating columns Of
air. These columns are pipes running from
the keyboard OF the organ If you get on the
inside OF the case OF . large pipe organ. you
of all kinds. They can be classified as fine
pipes and reed pipes. All of them are pipes
through which the air is made to speak as ft
passes from the bellows.
When a column of air issues through the
pipe, and seeks an outlet through the reed, it
Is thrown, out, and there is no definite
variation Of sound. The sounds are but
a mixture and a condition Of things
likened unto the action Of dozen tuning forks.
Take a dozen tuning forks and set them vibrat-
ing. The air about them becomes confused.
torn, pushed and jostled about. But out Of
these most complex sounds could be involved
the sweetest elements Of harmony.
The reed pipe is a tube closed at the bottom
but open 1T the side. Covering this opening at
elastic and vibrates backward and forward in
proportion to the pressure Of air against il. IN
cabinet organ this reed Is q piece Of brass
which vibrates backward and forward through
o piece of wood,
In his lecture DR.. Ayres. after referring
10 IHe many uses VI eleCbElclIy IOT uBubluSa
motive power, telegraphs, etc., said:
There are four principal varieties Of cleo
tricity. They are static, galvanic, paranic and
magnetic. There can be no galvanic current
without chemical action. He then put
a piece of zinc in the acid and con-
put in, to be the conductor Of the current and
the zinc was connected with the carbon, thus
forming one galvanic element. The chemical
action passes through the carbon over the wire.
and complete circuit is made.
Electricity; the speaker said, stimulates both
muscles and nerves, and it is called the ''elec-
tro centrality." He then placed the bat
terry on his assistants arm and face,
to show its action by the contraction
of the muscles and nerves. When q muscle or
nerve does not show any effect Of the battery we
know that it Is diseased or inhamed. The uses
of electricity are many; but 1t does not accom-
plish all that is claimed for IL. BY its AID
cocaine can be injected into the body. Some
physicians claim 1t will remove tumors; but
this is matter Of discussion.