The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-16

Balfour, the English statesman, has been
discussing the question of the effect of in
creased scientific knowledge on the length
ening of human life. Medical practition-
ers are necessity in modern community
but the most valuable part of their work is
that which gives profounder insight into
the nature and into the cause of disease,
and thus increases the sum of human
knowledge of the healing art. Mr. Bal
four believes the time will soon come when
the ablest physicians and surgeons will
be able, through Government endow-
ment, to concentrate themselves on
medical and surgical Investigations,
instead of wasting the greater part of their
energies in the struggle to live. One of
the foremost of living physicians, with
whom he had been speaking of these
happy prospects of scientific medicine
had told him he did not see any vital or
sufficient reason why, when medicine was
in the Immediate future better understood
and when those temperate habits which
medicine might counsel but which medi-
cine could not enforce, obtained q deeper
and larger hold on the great masses of the
civilized world, as undoubtedly they
would, he did not see any reason why
life should not be extended to the
patriarchal term Of 100 years. He
did not know whether the forecast
was genuine, but it suggested to his
mind, at all events, the reflection,
which had frequently occurred to him be-
my which the medical profession had to
night. 1t was rather the pain and disease
which rendered US Intellectual for practical
work. Cases are constantly heard of in
which by the extraordinary skill of some
great practitioner and by the appliance of
all the most recent medical discoveries it
has been found possible to prolong for some
few days or weeks the doomed life. When
this command of the most scientific medical
resources becomes the rule instead of the
exception, and people learn to regulate
their mode of living according to the laws
OF common-senset there can be no doubt that
the period OF useful existence of the human
race will be appreciably heightened.
USE OF KITES IN WAR.--Tests in kite
flying for military purposes have estab-
Hshed the following facts: That properly
constructed kite can be made to hv in the
very lghtest breezes: that by fitting "side
lines TO the kite 1t can be steered out of
the wind course to an extent of at least
forty-five degrees; that in an average wind.
say twelve miles an hour, kite can lift off
the ground a weight equal to three pounds
per square loot area, so that kite OF 500
square feet could lift man: that
il the string of a kite carrying a
weight breaks the kite forms
good parachute and descends gently;
that the length of the string is practically
unlimited, since, when a kite has taken
OUT all the string it is able to lift, the end
OF the string may be affixed to second
kite, and SO on; that by suitable arrange
m =, OF cords. etc., a kite may be made to
ny quite steadily without any possibility OF
Its capslzlng; that on perfectly calm day
a Kite can be made TO float in the air so
long as 1t is towed along at rate of at
least four miles an hour. 1t is believed
that In actual warfare kites may serve
as means of communicating between
BODIES of troops when the usual
methoo cannot be conveniently EN-
ployed. Excellent pictures of important
strategic positions and movements have
already been taken by making a camera
carrying KITE hover over certain spot. A
Kite may be used for carrying torpedo
over the heads of an enemy, for commune
eating with besieged place, or for raising