The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1890-12-25
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

the chorus OI Ut. LaDnelOngue, 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 any
thing. The doctor concluded that
the abnormal uarrowness OF the
head INSTRUCTED the growth of the
brain, and in May last he made an
incision in the center of the skull
and cut piece Of bone from the
left side. The result was marvellous.
Within less than a month the child
could walk, and she has 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 certain hysterIcal women who are
affected with kind of pain Jog
not only experiencing no pain from
surgical 1Dutilation, but having a
morbid desire to bear without
anaesthetic operations which should
prove very painful. A young wom-
an was introduced who had serious
ly injured her lower jaw during a
paroxysm of hysteria, but who had
insisted upon having the necessary
removal of part of the jaw and liga-
ture Of two arteries performed with
out an anaesthetic, and subsequent
ly declared that the operations had
given. her great pleasure.
THE Moon WEATHER PROBLEM.
From tables made by the use of
synoptic charts, eliminating local
disturbances, DR.. 6. Meyer believes
he has accomplished what other in
vestigators have sought to do with
out success shown an influence of
the moon on the weather. The
height of the barometer, in month
of September to January, is lowered
at the time of full moon and raised
during the first quarter. No effect
can be traced for other months.
ELECTRICALLY AIMED GUNs.-In a
new invention, small dry battery,
an electromagnetic and a circuitclog-
err of mercury are so arranged in
the stock of a gun that the weapon
can be discharged only when ele-
waited to predetermined angle. At
other positions the trigger is locked
and cannot be pulled. The device
is claimed to insure precision in
range and accuracy of firing at night
when the range has been previously
obtained.
ANOTHER SlLK.-A substance
having all the essential qualities of
silk has been made from wild hemp
by Nayemura Sakusaburo, Of Hi
kone, 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.
COLD WAvE.-A cold wave is de-
fined by Prot. 7. Russell of 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 1886 and
1890 no less than 691 cold waves
were recorded in the United States.
In the great cold wave Of Jan. II,
1882, the fall of30 degrees extended
over an area of 100000 square
miles, and the fall of 10 degrees in
Guided 100000 square miles. In
six cold waves of the ten years the
area of the fall of 20 degrees was
more than a million square miles.
Geld waves follow day after an
area of high pressure, reaching their
greatest extent when both condi-
tons are present.
NESTS FOR GERMS The impuri-
ties that collect under finger nails
have been investigated in the bacte-
biological laboratories of Vienna.
The matter obtained in 78 examina.
tons was placed in culture solutions
and gave 36 kinds of micrococci.. Is