The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1896-01-24
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
Meteorological Discoveries From
Balloons-The Land of Med1-
cine-Bats and Their Sleep
Heath Service in India-Red
Light for Small Pox-A Remark
able System of Ancient Roads
A Gigantic Globe.
written for the C1T1zENl

voyages the greatest heights yet reach
ed were recorded. Am ing the facts
discovered are: that the air tempe ra-
ture above 1000 meters or about y
miles, is considerably lower than had
been assumed; that, contrary I'd pre-
vious belief, the decrease is fairly uni
form with increa3iug height, and the
isotherm of freezing point is found be-
tween $500 and 3, 800 metres; that the
variation of temperature with the sea-
sons is very small above 5000 metres;
that the inversion of temperature dur
ing winter, and at night, up to
height of 1000 metres, appears to be
regular phenomenon; and that the
aqueous vapor is unexpectedly small
in regions even moderately high.
In one sense Germany may he said
to be the modern medicine purveyor
of the world, says The independent.
1t was her chemists aud doctors in the
last century, who demonstrated the
value of minerals, mercury, arsenic, an
timony and sulphur; aud now they
have planned "A systematic attack on
the vegetable kingdom. The Berlin
Pharmaceutical Society has established
a central office for extending the
worlds knowledge of poisonous and
healing plants, and they expect to re-
ceive reports from all parts of the
world on "the botanic. chemic and
archaeological discoveries in plants
of a healing or poisonous nature"
A bore-hole near Port Jackson, New
South Wales, has reached depth Of
nearly 5000 feet. Ii shows an increase
in the earth's temper allure of l degree
f. in 50 feet, while tn average on the
Northern Hemisphere is l degree in
90 feet.
A mummified cat found in hay
NOW has attracted a French writer.
The drying of the skin to parchment
has forced open the mouth with nor
ribie expression of pain, and the II ,ir
has disappeared. The weight is : of a
pound, while IA large cat of the same
size should weigh from 81 to 81
pounds,
Bats in captivity have been found by
| Mr. j ID. Patten, an English artist, to
be easily fed on meal worms when flies
and moths are not available, to be do
cile and easily managed, but to live
not more than a few mouths. The
common bat proves to be practically
blind in light or darkness, but the
| lOng-eared bat can see and hear better.
When bats are asleep in the cool days
| of autumn they sometimes take as
much as Il quarter OF an hour to
awaken. Ifoue is taken in the hand,
II lies quite still, and is dead cold 10
! the touch. On holding it to the ear Il
! thrUbbiug is heard, beginning slowly,
with more than a second between the
beats, then gradually quickening until
1t is impossible To count the beats,
while the warmth increases rapidly.
At last the throbbing becomes a con-
tinuous whir, not unlike the purring Of
ii cat and the body feels quite hot ia
the hand. Then, rather suddenly, the
! throbbing quiets down, slows some
what, aud becomes almost inaudible.
| The bat coughs or sneeZeS, chatters
! little with his teeth, and begins to
|
ing the long sleep of winter two of the
bats under observation died, when it
was found that the spleen was much
| enlarged-a fact which serves as a re-
minder that little is known Of the
organs and tissues of animals during
| Information.
The American oyster, says Prof. w.
A IInr
English, producing as many as 60, 000,-
600 ova at time. The oyster is thought
| to live about 90 years, those fittest for
market being about five years old.
A French biologist, M. Nocard, has
proven that, while but few microbes
exist in the blood after an ordinary
meal, they are abundant after meal
containing much fat. He supposes the
microbe-carriers to be the small fat
globu es taken up by the lacteals.
The human skin in a condition of
health may he inflamed by light of
great intensity, and in smallpox the
already inflamed skin seems to be as
sensitive to the chemical rays as pho
tographic plate. This discovery has
led to recent experiments in the eXclu-
sion of actinic rays of sunlight from
smallpox patients, to prevent suppur-
ation and pitting. From an account
by DIR. N. r. Pinsen, of Copenhagen,
it appears that the treatment should be
commenced as early as possible, that
the chemical rays should be carefully
shut out by window glass of a deep red
color or by very thick curtains, that
the patient may safely use weak can
die light when taking his meals, and
that natural daylight must not be adj
mitted until the vesicles have dried up.
This treatment does not interfere with
any other that may be considered
necessary. In several cases of unvac-
cinnated children suffering from small
pOx, one physician, at first skeptical
as to the influence of the red light, was
surprised at the favorable course of the
disease, asthe vesicles did not sup
pirate, there was no secondary fever,
and no permanent pitting resulted.
Some ancient highways.of the Mexi-
can State nf Michoaaan aaonrdfprr 10,