Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1891-03-12
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
MORE ABOUT aoLp.s1LyER.

The gold-colored allotropic silver
described by NJ. G. Lea, of Philadel-
phia, about two years ago has been
subjected by him to further study.
It is found that allotroplc silver
which may be produced in a great
varity of colors, such as gold-color
copper-color, blue, bluish-green, red
and purple-may be presented in a
form intermediate between that al
ready made known and ordinary
silver, and differing in a marked way
from both. All forms of energy, act
upon allotropic silver, converting it
into ordinary silver or into the in
termediate form. Mechanical force
even slight friction-and high
tension electricity convert it directly
into ordinary silver. Heat and chem
ical action convert it first into the
intermediate form, then into ordin-
airy silver. The action of light is to
produce the intermediate form only
and prolonged action at ordinary
temperatures does not carry it be-
yound this. Conversion to ordinary
silver oecursl spontaneously in the
course of time, even in the dark. A
connection is evident between these
varied and wonderful transforma-
tons, of pure silver and the changes
which many silver salts undergo
through the action of light.
TREATMENT OF LoCKJAW.
1t was not long ago discovered in |
Germany that NEGOTIATIONS with the
blood of a victim of lockjaw fail to
produce the disease; but that fluids
from the wounds causing the lock-
jaw invariably give rise to it. This
indicates that the specific poison of
lockjaw remains near its point of
entrance, and that local treatmennt
is necessary. Acting on this theory,
DR.. Pavilini recommends subcuta-
neous injections of carbolic acid.
A severe case of lockjaw in boy of
Is was on the fourth day treated
with injections of one per cent
solution Of carbolic acid near the
wound in the foot, and this was con-
tinued at intervals increasing from
three hours until the 9th day. The
boy recovered.
ELECTRICITY GENERATED BY LIGHT.
Since 1877 Prof. G. III. Minchin
has been making experiments in
photo-electricity, of which an &C
count has just been given to the
Physical Society, of London. Elec-
trc currents are produced by the
action of light on silver plates coated
with collodionor gelatine emulsious
Of bromide, chloride, iodide, or other
salts of silver, or with eosine, Auores-
cine, or other amiline dyes, when the
plates are immersed in suitable !
liquid andone plate Illuminated while
the other is screened. Uncleaned
tin-foil plates in water give current
when one is exposed to light and
the other screened. The direction
Of the current depends upon the
employed, and the effect of
light is strongest at the blue end of
he spectrum. With many cells, the
he exposed plate is first positive,
md soon becomes negative; while
other cells give no current after a
'ew days, but have their sensitive
hess restored by a slight tap or other
impulse, and are again made insensi-
i've by similrr impulse. The cleo j
force of most of the cells
ried was little more than 1-20 volt;
elenium-coated ALUMINIUM plates i'm
nersed in action of light, ] or volt;
vas obtained. With so cells in
cries, the action of light was made
o ring bells, light and extinguisb
Electric lamps, cts.
CURIOUS USE OF MICROBES.
A Norwegian naturalist, DR.. Neil
on, states that fishermen IN his
ountry have been catching whales
With the aid of disease bacteria for
nore than five centuries. Every
eason whales enter a narrow inlet n
# the sea near the town of Bergen, .
nd when one is discovered the fish :
rmen go out in boats, drive him :
arther up the narrow bay, and /.
tretch a net across the mouth of D
he inlet. Their primitive nipple .
nents are insufficient alone to cap -
ure and land the animal thus i'm q
which is usually 20 or 30 8
eet long, and very strong. They G
ccordingly shoot into him arrows i"
Affected with the poison of some in d.
ectuous disease-apparently sym "
athletic anthrax-and in "a or Sc "
ours he becomes so weakened by "a
he growth of bacilli in the wounds t.
nat men with harpoons are able to ("