The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1895-03-29
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
Blisters and Bleeding From Sug-
gestion-The Metric Standards
Initiating the Moons Surface
A New Sea-Calmer - Present
Cost of Electric Cooking-Dor-
mant Seeds-What Woodpeckers
Eat-Novel Work for Electricity
Another Insulating Material.
(Prepared Weekly. ,orthe Citizen

hypnotic phenomena are the bodily eff
tects produced by suggestion. AS early
as 1910, says DR.. Harriet c. B. Alex
ander, of Chicago, DR.. Louis Prejal-
mini with ''magnetiZed" paper pro-
duced the effect of cantharides. BIZ
jornslrom demonstrated that, 10y sug-
gestion, congestion may be produced,
carried to raised swelling Of the skin,
t. Il blister like that of canthrarides.
to bloody sweat, aud even to complete
formation of Il wound. ChafcOt and
his pupils thus produced all the phe-
nomena of burns In lss5, Beauus
blistered by suggestion the back and
arm of carefully watched hypuCtized
patient, and Facachon produced bis
tiers on the left ear and left temple of
another patient in the same way. In
Or. AleXander's own practice case
has occurred in which an hysteric was
blistered by belladonna plaster pro-
ven to be inert on other persons, after
which cantharides was applied with
ont result for Il hours, the patient hav-
ing been told that it was simply pain
curing plaster. The patient was at no
time in the true hypnotic state, but
was very susceptible to suggestion.
Blood sweat has been produced by sew
eral operators. Bourru wrote with a
blunt instrument on hynotized mans
arm, telling the patient the letters
would bleed at certain hour, and at
the prescribed time blood dripped
from the letters. Bjorstrom remarks
that these experiments explains the
phenomena of stigmatlzaliOn--or the
supposed supernatural appearance of
wounds Initiating those of Christ
which have occurred in Buddhism in
the middle ages and in modern times
X
Part of the International Bu-
reau of Weights and Measures, which
was established in 1879, is to supply
three standards to each of the q con-
tracing nations. Great Britain is the
first country receiving the full set COM
prising "line,n standard metre meas
ure, kilogram weight, and an "end"
standard metre me sure. These copies
of the French standards are made from
"a practically indestructible ALLOW of
platinum and iridium, and have been
verified with great accuracy.
Repeatlnes with slight variations,
experiments first made by Scrope, M.
Stanislaus Meuheir has obtaint d re-
suits which possibly furnish the kew to
the origin of the puzzling formations
seen on the moon. Plaster is mixed
with water containing little glue, and
the mixture is heated over gas flame
untll boiling commences, when the
gas is suddenly turned off, and the
mass Is allowed to cool uudisturbed.
by varying the consistency of the
paste, M. Meunier has obtained many
lunar features, tesides the il ternling-
ling circular cavities produced by
Scrope. The central peaks SO com
mon IN lunar craters are reproduced
perfectly, even to the characteristic OF
less height generally than the edges
OF the craters. The artificial craiers
further resemble the natural in tend
ing to form in groups OF two or three Oh
more, sometimes with Il ring surround
ing several; and in the cavities, with
or without central peaks, that cover
some parts, as well as in the large
smooth areas recalling the "lunal
seas" If the water has been nearly
all evaporated, assures also appear.
Nj. Meunier supposes that the moon
has failed to pass through all the plane
tary stages, in consequence Of original
relative scarcity of fluids; and he be-
lieves that this view is to some
extent confirmed by the fact
that when rather thick layer of fine
sand representing the earti's surface
rocks-is sprinkled over the paste, the
volcanic" manifestations become more
like those of our planet.
Vessels in heavy seas are more effect
ually and economically protected 10y
fishing nets than by oil, according tC
an Italian, Baron Benvenuto d'Ales
sandra. The nets, made from stout
twine, weigh about three ounces pei
square yard, and are provided with
cork floats when necessary. When a
vessel is scuddiDg before the " ind the
net is dragged at the bow, and the
waves are still; when she is anchored
in heavy sea the net is placed t.
windward, with the same result. The
inventor of this system declares thai
harbors may be enlarged by simpl,
stretching nets between buoys or piles
Electric cooking is still an expensive
luxury, as may lie seen by these figure.
from Casters Magazines: -Four or five
outlets can be fried by employing tn,
equivalent of five 16-candle electri,
lamps for II minutes. The equivalent
of Is lamps will heat the electric oven
from $50 +. TO 120o in minutes, t,
1850 in 10 minutes, to $3.50 in Is, and t,
437o in 20 minutes. The cost Of til,
electric lamp Is about one cent pei
hour. A pint of water is brought from
6O0 to the boiling poiut at "a cost of two
lamps for one hour, or lamps for /:
minutes.
Some interesting Investigations con
corning dormant seeds have been mad,
in Germany by DR.. A. Peters III hi,
second series of experiments, he ha,
visited vast forest. which occupies ;
site from which villages and cultivated
fields disappeared several centurie,
ago, and from shaded places which
have been destitute of surface vegeta
ton for years he has taken specimens
of the soil at different depths. Hi
purpose was chiefly to deternlin,
whether there were seeds of cOrii-iirlC
weeds still retaining the power of ger
mination aud development. From In,
specimens of soil he has succeeded II
raising plants representing about fit,
species. Including some thnt are essen