The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1896-12-04
Especial to the Citizen

sought 10 trace cOlQcl0enCeS between
the properties and the atomic weights
of the elements, the most remarkable
result being the development of the
periodic law, according TO which ele-
ments having similar chemical aud
physical properties recur at regular in
tervals throughout table arranged in
the order of the atomic weights. An
other striking discovery is now an
nounced by Richard Lorenz a German
chemist. 1t is found that a very large
part of the clements have atomic
weights which approach each other
very close in pairs, differing at most
by only IA units, while the properties
of these so-called "twin elements"
have many similarities. Nickel and
cobalt, with atomic weights of 68.71
and 1927, furnish a type of these
twins. The even-numbered and odd
numered members of each pair of
numbered and odd-numbered MEM
bers of other pairs 10y the round num-
Der 4 or some multiple of il, and single
elements between pairs have places re-
quired 10y this twin rule. The excep-
lions to this rule are most numerous
among the elements whose atomic
weights are most uncertain. Not less
than fourteen pairs of twins are read
lily traced, and fifty or more elements
agree with the twin rule.
Much valuable scientific work has
been done with very crude apparatus.
A YORKSHIRE follower of ROentgen,
Mr.. g. w. Watson, of Keighley, re-
ports the use of an old, homemade
Wimshurst machine, giving a spark
about u inches long and having no
condensers, as the scource of illumina-
ton for Crookes tube. Wonderfully
fine photographs of the bones of the
hand and elbow were obtained in
about twenty minutes, the hollow
structure of the bones being clearly re-
vealed.
Light, and not oxygen, is found hy
M. Mesnard, of ROuen, to be the chief
cause of the transformation and de-
struction of perfumes. 1t acts chemi
cally in the transformations of the
mechanically in opposing the pressure
of water in the cells, which pressure
tends to eXpel the perfumes.
In the direction of treatment by spe-
eifics, Mr.. George M. Carfrae points
out i'll a London journal, medicine is
making an advance that is likely to
prove as revolutionary as have anaes-
md e ia in
gerry. In 153Sthe Countess of Chin
chODa, Queen Regent of Peru, was
cured of ague by the bark of the chin
chona tree. 1t is difficult now to real
iZe the importance of the discovery of
this one specific, principally because
the defe ctive drainage and other con-
diliOns that gave rise to the disease
have disappeared, but some idea of the
influence may be had by considering
that in the seven years preceding the
discovery of the chinchona bark the
deaths from ague in England num-
bered 10,484, or in AZ of all who died,
while from 1875 to 1742, after the
bark had been in use about so years,
the deaths were 81, or l in 1867.
Smallpox has long stood aloue as the
one disease from which immunity
could be had by the introduction into
the system of its own modified virus.
Pasteur's bydrOphObia cure and the
antitoxin treatment of diphtheria have
now achieved great apparent success,
while evidence is rapidly accumulat
ing to show that cancer, typhoid
pneumonia, epidemic cholera and nu-
merous other diseases may be effect
lively treated by cultures of their res
pective poisons. And this, it is con-
tended, is but the realization of Hahn
emann's rule of ''Sinilia similibus Gu
rauter," which was not supposed TO be
of universal applicability.
The thunderstorms of Germany are
found by Prof. Kassner, of Berlin, To
have a periodicity of seven days, the
records OF many years for Berlin and
other places showing that such storms
increase in frequency from Monday to
Tuesday and reach a minimum ON
Thursday, or the day before or after.
In factory towns, where large fires are
kept burning through the week, there
is an Increase from Friday to Saturday
and decrease from Saturday to Sun
day, the reverse being the general rule
elsewhere.
From an investigation in the Sanriku
district, Mr.. Igi, of the YokokonIa
College of Science, concludes that the
tidal wave of June had its origin i'm
submarine explosion about 200 leagues
to the eastward, or in N. lat. $50, E.
long. 1899. The explosion seems 10
have resembled that of Krakatoa, with
the difference that the volcano in this
instance was far beneath the ocean.
A Sta tempt allure of 80 above that of
ordinary years has been observed in
the vicinity.
A shoe carrying kind of warming
pan is curious invention by Paul
Wonueberger, of Grumer, near Dres-
den. The heel is made hollow, to re-
ceive glowing substance. and this
substance heat the water in rubber
bag, covered with asbestos, that is
placed between the soles. The circu-
lation of the water as the wearer of the
shoe walks causes the entire bottom of
the foot 10 be warmed. This sole never
becomes heated above TOO Fahr., and
the heat lasts about eight hours. A
small safety valve ensures the bag
from bursting. The sole is no! excess
lively thick or heavy, and is held to be
much more effective in preventing
'scolds" from cold feet than are cork
soles or rubber boots.