The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1890-11-01
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
AUTOGRAPHISM.

AUToGRAPHISM.
Ten years ago Dujardin- Beaumetz described
a curious case in which the skin of a woman
became red at the least contact. Similar sensi.
tiveness fthe skin to pressure has been noticed
since by DIR. Mesnet in several of his patients,
and described to the Paris Academy OF Medl-
cine under the name of "AutOgraphism." Ii
the skin of one of these persons is written upon
with sharp point, or pressed with the finger
or a fold in the clothing, slight redness APP
pears along the line of pressure, changing IN
about two minutes to rosy-white outline, fol-
lowed by gradual rounding out of the char
acters until they stand in prominent relief.
The appearance is visible from distance of 80
to 60 feet, and continues for from few min
utes to several hours No satisfactory explana-
ton of this phenomenon (which IN an earlier
age would have been attributed to sorcery and
a connection with the devil) has been given,
but it is supposed to be due to disordered ner-
yous condition affecting heskin's blood-vessels.
The patients are mostly hysterical, and are
easily hypnotized.
PURE COPPER.
The electrically-deposited copper which is
now being manufactured by an English COM
pany has its particles rubbed into each other by
an agate buinisher, the result being metal
with a tensile strength of "a tons per square
inch 20 per cent. of elongation, and OF such
purity that when drawn into wire the electrical
conductivity is per cent. better than the
standard. This copper is so ductile that it can
be drawn into wire of which 40 miles will
weigh only one pound. 1t will be used for
steam pipes. conducting wires, etc.
EFFECTS OF LTGHTNING-sTRoKE.
After exhibiting to his students young
woman who had been struck by lightning,
Prof. Nothnagel, of Vienna. remarked that
formerly it was known that the burns made by
lightning had zigzag course, and that the
further consequences might be paralysis or
death: Experiments upon rabbits with the
electric spark of Leyden jar had given the
lecturer new light upon the subject during the
last ten years. The action of lightning upon
the brain, the spinal column and the peri
pheric nerves, is shown by the loss OF con-
seriousness. the disturbance of the intellect and
the extended phenomena of lameness the latter
of which have tendency to disappear. There
are intense nervous phenomena, however,
greatly resembling those occasioned by railway
accidents and other conclusions, which may
long continue. Disturbances of sight or speech
may occur and remain for life or partly disap-
pear and in other cases the person struck is left
in a childishly merry or melancholy condition
of mind. The application ola large horseshoe
magnet is said to have been effective IN treating
lameness and other constitutional disturbances
from lightning. In case of very recent stroke,
when raising the head high and exposing to
fresh air fails to restore consciousness, astream
of cold water should be applied to the head.
A FAMILY MARK.
An old French family. to which attention is
drawn by NJ. 4. Pascal, has been distinguished
for three centuries for q tuft of perfectly white
hair which has adorned the heads of nearly all
the members from earliest youth. This tutt is
generally situated over the brow, but some
times is on the temple, and more rarely at the
back of the head. The white lock is said to be
quite becoming even to the young women.
ToRNADoEs AND SUN-sPoTs.
A table by Mr.. H. A. HaZen of the Signal
Service, shows that s tOrnadoes were recorded
in the United States in 1873, and that 7Ol mil
lionths of the suns surface (aS shown by pho
tographs taken at Greenwich) was covered by
spots For 1874 the figures are, Is tornadOes,
and a spot-area of COL mllionths; for 1875. 90
and 272; 1876 68 and 122; 1877, Ill and 81 !;
1878, los and "a; 1879. 80 and 40; 1880, 269 and
416; 1881, 169 and $780, 1882, 2S6 and 1902 !;
1888, $50 and ,155; 1884, 461 and 1079; 1885,
374 and S11 1885, 243 and 527; 1887, 1873 and
about 800; 1888, 259 and about 100. 1.-THE
enormous increase in both tornadoes and sun
spots during 1888 and 1884," the author adds,
us very striking and seems to be fact,
though it will require several more eleven year
periods to establish the coincidence. There
was an increased activity in collecting tornado
data in 1882, but this continued through till
1887; so that the great increase in the two
years above cannot be ascribed to this cause"
MIRRORS OF WOOD.
In Germany, wood with mirror polish is
coming into use for ornamental purposes in
place of metal. The wood is first submitted to
a bath of caustic alkali for two or three days at
temperature of about 175 degrees Fahrenheit,
tO36 hours, after which concentrated solution
of sulphur is added. After another dip in an
acetate of lead solution at about 100 degrees, a
shining metallic surface is given by polishing
when dry with lead. tin or zinc.
MISCELLANEOUS.
No fewer than Cos lady doctors have been
graduated from the Medical Academy for
Women at st. Petersburg The institution has
been closed, and in danger of remaining So but
has now received grant of SIS, 900 year from
the city fer its support, and is to be reopened.
The sleep of Rip Van Wrinkle or of the hero
of Looking Backward is but momentary
compared with the suspension ofvitality known
among some of the microscopic organisms.
The microzymes, according to A. de Barry,
may lie during entire geologic periods in such
rock as chalk, and yet retain the power ofde-
velopment.
From the oil of grasshoppers Spanish in
ventor claims to make the finest soap yet pro-
duced.
The old idea that the latitude of places may
vary was first confirmed last year by observa-
tons in central Europe In Berlin and Pots
dam, according to Prof. Helmert, no percepti-
bic change occurred during the first half of
1889, but in the third quarter the ATTITUDES in
creased at first, and then diminished, the move
ment continuing until the close of the year.
Similar variations were detected in Prague and
Strasbourg.
Experiments by an Italian physician indicate
that tuberculosis of fowls is different from that
of man, and is not transmitted to the latter.