The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-01-07
SCIENTIFIC NOTES.

The activity OF the nervous system deter
mines in large part the power Of resistance TO
| contagious diseases. NJ. Ch. Fere cites many
| illustrations OF this law in the Popular Science
| Monthly for De cember II is a notable fact
| that many old men are found among the rosters
! OF scientific and literary people. Whether their
resistance To disease has been attributable to
! inc habtual exercise of the mental functions
| or Doth resistance and mental power are at
| tflbutaOie TO good natural organization. the
relation is no less clear. The same relation is
found, susceptible of like Interpretation, among
! persons Of cultivation whose existence has
been, as might be said, all organic and who
| are more exposed to the action of atmospheric
| lnclemencleS and to all eli noes of mortality.
| Nothing Is NOR remarkable than the facility
with which weak minded persons succumb to
acute diseases of every kind. Recent theories
OF the spread OF and immunity from contagious
diseases throw light on this iDterrelaion OF
| the nerves and resistance 10 disease. The one
| particular Theory that contributes an eXplana-
! tiOn is that which asserts that the mesodermic
! cells. and particularly the white globuleS, are
! charged with the protection of the organism
! against the invasion OF disease. The lrucocytes
| throw out arms, as IL were, surround the
microbes. and force them into the mass OF
| their protoplasm, where they destroy them by
| real intercellular digestion.
The state OF the brain in sleep is more active
|
evidence points cOnclusively to certain
amount OF mental movcmen during the whole
| period Of sleep The vast majority OF our
dreams never come TO our knowledge. Only
! few OF the dormant processes remain In mem
OrV, or at least in The V0liIiOual power of TecOl
| lection. DIR. Louis Robinson. IN the North
| American Review, IN speaking of "what dreams
are made Of" says that during sleep the brain
4, seems TO be occupied in recounting, classifying
and storing as il were in pigeOnnOes the obseT-
| Vations OF the waking day. In scientific terms
the process is the reaction OF the nerve cells
which have BEEN played upon by the phe-
nOmeRa of the senses. This unconscious cere-
Dration Is undoubtedly Of great utility, and is
probably essential TO every being poss ssed Of
| reasoning power. Every healthy mind proba-
bly, should dream, though we should no doubt
be as well off II none Of the sleep work OF the
brain impressed itself on our active memories.
The inventive proclivIlies OF man do not
| seem willing to accept Professor Helmholtz'
! mathematical demonstration of the impossi-
| bilty of mechanical flight. certain o. Lilieu-
thai now comes forth In book entitled Der
| VogeItug'' and describes experiments OF his
own which seem 10 be a first step toward the
accomplishment of the impossible. By using a
! wing surface slightly curved, of fifteen square
| meters h. has succeeded in flying over a
| distance of some $50 meters. This is not by a
direct flight into the air. The experimental
| launches himself from high building al the
summit OF an inclined plane and slides down.
! as 1t were, over slope of air TO the bottom Of
the hill. By shifting the center of gravity rela-
lively TO the center OF resistance he can give the
! wing surface any inclination and thereby can
TO certain extent, either slide down quicker
or slacken the NOV ment or alter the direction.
Nicola Tesla, the famous European electri-
clan. is making some interesting experiments
| In the production OF artificial sunlight by the
use OF electricity. With alternate currents Of
| 100000 voltage, by means of atmospheric
vibration, he has already succeeded in pToduc-
Ing FAINT light BY merely increasing the
voltage sunlight might result but the atmos-
pheric vibrations of the voltage would be be-
! yond human endurance. The difficulty lies in
! controlling the large voltage. Tesla expects to
| he able TO overcome this In The near future
| Then" he says, when / have increased the
! atmospheric vibrations, perhaps a thousand
times. the phenomena will be no longer cleo
| trcity. 1t will be light. l am satisfied that
sunlight can be made from electricity without
doing harm 10 anybody and L expect soon to
discover how il is DONE"
The city Of Glasgow. Scotland is experiment.
! ing in methods for the disposal OF Its sewage
| Gravitation, irrigation and filtration have all
| been found impracticable The chemical treat
ment of precipitation is now being tried. The
sewage Is run into immense tanks, where by
chemical treatment the solid matter is pre-
eiDltaI ed and the liquid drawn off for purfca-
tion. The preciptated substance is compressed
into the form of blocks and sold for fertza-
ton purposes. The purified water IS discharged
into The rivers. The process is expensive The
/ plant itself has cost the city SEQ. 900, but If
the experiment continues 10 prove succession
the authorities think the outlay will have been
Justified The last number of Industries and
Iron gives complete description of the ma
lat,f, ~
The value OF SAND for purposes OF water i-
| tratiOn is clearly shown by the experience OF
| the neighboring cities OF Hamburg and Altoona,
in Germany. Both cities draw their water sup
ply from the river Elbe, but Altoona, being sltu-
ated lower down than Hamburg has to take its
supply after the river has been polluted by tho
sewage of the latter. Yet during the cholera
| plague of 1892 Altoona presented death rate
Of ONLY go per 100, 900, as against 1850 per
| 100000 IN Hamburg writer In Longman's
! Magazine aScribes this TO the fact that the
! water of Altoona was submitted TO an exhaustive
and careful filtration through sand, while that
| Of Hamburg was delivered directly from the
| river without filtration.
NJ Rateau, a prominent French scientist, ex-
| pressed the opinion before the Academy last
| month that the phenomena OF the earth's crust
are well explained on the theory that the inter-
| ior is molten and that layer of gaseous matter
| separates it from the crust which forms the
continents. The seabeds rest directly on the
| igneous globe.
Artificial wood has been invented recently.
| BY patent process of burning magnesite with
waste vegetable or animal matter, such as cot
ton. wool, sawdust, cellulose, ETC., a composite
has been produced which is suitable for max
ing furniture, roof covering and for use for IN
sulatlng purposes.
"Staff," the material used In the decoration
Of the Worlds Fair buildings, was first intro
duced into Europe by the Moors. Examples of
its use are still TO be found in many old castles
in Spain. The famous Alhampra was decorated
| with IL.
The deepest we'll 10 the world is now re-
ported to be at Parvschowitz In estern Siiesia
A boring Of ga inches Is sunk 658S feet. 1t Is
| proposed 10 continue TO depth Of 5000 feet.
Had His Flobert Full.
| joel guess | must be q gun