Smyrna times., 1890-12-10
Scientific Miscellany.

ARTIFICIAL SKULL SHAPING.-As-
tonishing success has attended the
efforts of DIR. Sannelongue, an eminent
specialist, of Paris, to give intelligence
to a little idiot girl. Though four
years old, the child could neither walk
nor stand, and never smiled nor took
notice of anything. The doctor con-
cluded that the abnormal narrowness
OF the head Obstructed the growth of
the brain, and in May last he made an
incision in the centre of the skull and
cut piece of bone from the left side.
The result was marvellous. Within
less than g. month the child could walk,
and she mas become quite bright
playing, smiling, and taking notice of
everything around her.
PAIN-JOY.-A German anatomist has
called the attention of his class to GER
tain hysterical women who are affec-
ted with kind of pain -joy-not only
experiencing no pain from surgical
mutilatiOn, but having a morbid desire
to bear without anaesthetics operations
which should prove very painful A
young woman was introduced who
had seriously injured her lower jaw
during parOxysm of hysteria, but
who had insisted upon having the neces-
sary removal of part of the jaw and
ligiture of two arteries performed with
out an anaesthetic, and subsequently
declared that the operations had given
her great pleasure.
THE Moon WEATHER Problem
From tables made by the use of synop-
tic charts, eliminating local disturban-
ces, DR.. G. Meyer believes he has ac-
cOmplished what other investigations
have sought to do without success
shown an influence of the moon on the
weather The height of the barOme-
ter, in months of September to Janu.
aTy, is lowered at the time Offull moon
and raised during the first quarter.
No effect can be traced for other
months.
ELECTRICALLY AIMED GUNs.-In
a new invention, a small dry battery,
an electro-magnet and a circuit-closer
of mercury are so arranged in the stock
of gun that the weapon can be dis
charged only when elevated to pre-
| determined angle At other positions
the trigger is locked and cannot be
pulled. The device is claimed to en-
sure precision in range, and accuracy
of firing At night when the range has
been previously obtained.
ANOTHER SILK.-A substance hav-
ing all the essential qualities of silk
/ has been made from wild hemp bv
Nayemura Sakusabura, Of Hikone,
Japan The plant grows on moors and
! hillsides, and could be cultivated. The
fibre is strong and glossy, and several
silk factories are said to have found it
to be in no way inferior to silk.
THIS Potato DIsEAsE.-In Denmark,
some interesting, and perhaps very
valuable researches into the potato dis
ease have been made by Prof. J. l..
! JensOn. The disease is found to con-
sist of fungus, whose spores are car
ried by the wind, and which first at
tacks the foliage of the plants. 1t
]
! days by spores washed down from the
stem and foliage. Considering these
facts it was thought that the tubers
might be protected by moulding the
soil into broad ridge, or inches
high and 10 or II inches wide, after the
first wedding and a further earthing
up on one side only causing the plants
to bend so that the spores would fall
away from the ridges-within seven
days after the appearance Of the dis
ease on the foliage. Some $50 farmers
are said to have experimental in this
way, with these astonishing results
Where no moulding or earthing up
was done, the percentage of diseased
potatoes was "a where the moulding
was imperfect, u; and where the
moulding was perfect, only l. Infec-
tiOn during harvest was prevent by al
lowing the tubers to remain in the
ground for a month after the wither-
ing of the tops.
COLD WAvEs.-.A cold wave is de-
fined by Prof. 7. Russell as a fall of
temperature in twenty-four hours of 20
degrees over an area of $4,000 square
miles, the temperature in some part of
this area descending to 36 degrees.
Between 1880 and 1890 no less than 6)l
cold waves were recorded in the Uni
ted States. In the great cold wave OF
Jan. II, 1882, the fall of 20 degrees ex.
tended over an area of l, ,101 900 square
miles, and the fall of ten degrees in
cluded 2,929,000 square miles In six
cold waves of the ten years the area oil
the fall of twenty degrees was more
than a million square miles. Cold
waves follow a day after an area OF
low pressure, or occur to the south.
east of an area of high pressure
reaching their greatest extent when
both conditions are present.
. NESTS FOR GERMs.-the impurities
that collect under inger-nails have
been Investigated in the bacteriolOgi-
cal laboratories of Vienna The mat
ter obtained in rs examinations wa!
placed in culture solutions, and gave
36 kinds of micrococci, Is of bacilli anC
8 of sarcinae. Cleanliness of the nail!
is especially necessary for all who come
near wound, and for those who live
in neighbOrhood where an epidemic
prevails.
, A REMARKABLE Preventative
A Belgium chemist has found that tn
s green tar left after extracting the Oi
t from the white bark of the birch will
/ effectually preserve even the most del
icate textures from decay. 1t yield
neither acid nor alkalOid, is remarka
bly, fluid in alcoholic solution, an,
when once dried resists even the aC
ton of alcohol.
: A NEW IDEA.-A recent contrac
provides for street lighting in paris Oh
a novel plan. Power is distributed b,
q the compressed air system to a grea
= number of small motors, each of whic
: supplies electricity for small numbe
a of lamps.
n The Oriental Aspect of New Mexico
In many parts of New Mexico tn
landscape features present an aspeC
- not dissimilar to certain parts of Egyp