The San Francisco call., 1896-05-10
Various Notes.

A striking illustration of the infuenc e
OF fatigue upon the nervous system is
afforded by an experiment conducted by
an Italian physician some months ago.
Twenty-four bicycle riders who had ridden
thirty-two miles in two hours and a quar-
ter were examined with reference to their
hearing, and it was in nearly every in
stance found to be defective After two
hours rest the hearing had become ormal
in most of them.
1t is not essential that fruits should be
havored to our taste in order to induce
birds or animals to swallow them. The
macaranga capsules, covered with viscld
gum most unpleasant to the mouth, the
hot capsicums, the drupes of the palm
kentia Macarthurl, the berries of the wild
grapes, which have most irritating effect
on the mouth, and the poisonous fruits of
sapium are highly popular with birds.
The best preservative for milk is said by
German journal quoted in the National
Druggist to be borax and horacic acid in
the proportion of one part of the first to
two parts OF the latter. The Druggist goes
on to say: The writer hereof can attest
TO the virtues and harmlessness of boracic
acid in this direction, having used it
through one entire summer-some four or
five months-in the South. One heaping
teaspoonful was used for every gallon Of
kept frequently for seventy-two hours un-
altered. 1t gives no taste as far as can be
discovered (by an ordinary palate, at any
rate) to the milk, and the entire party of
seven men who used it daily never enjoyed
better health than they did on that expe-
dition, running the county lines in Arkan-
sas swamps."
A new manufactured product entitled
"pantasote" has been awarded medal and
award of merit by the Franklin Institute,
Philadelphia, in view OF the report of the
committee on science and arts, which
describes 'pantasote" as "higEly merito-
rloDs substitute for leather FOR a number of
uses for which leather is adapted" !" This
report" says Industries and Iron, sis the
result of two years Investigations into e
best substitutes for leather" The method
OF manufacturing the new product is stated
to be the coating of tough paper and
leather fabrics OF various kinds with a
gummy composition which becomes in
corporated with the substance of the
! fabric, this gum bei.g colored before it is
used. The pantasote fabrics are stated to
be superior to leather IN the possession of
several desirable qualities, such as plia-
bility under extremes OF temperature, i'm
perviousness to water and cleansing
qualities.
According to recent experiments de-
scribed in the Medical Record each pint of
IL, 600 microbes. In some places the num-
Der is as high as 100000, but the average
city number is about as stated. This
microbe-laden air is taken into the air
! passages, and when it is thrown out it is
quite sterile. The air has further been
found to be sterile in the aso-pharyngeal
cavity The inference is that the nose is
most powerful microbe-destroyer, and
this fact shows also how important it is to
draw the air through the nasal passages.
A syndicate has lately acquired an es-
tate near the great waterfall known as
Sarpsfos, between Christiana and Cote
borg, with the object of utilizing he water
power for the generation of electricity, and
intend to establish aluminium works. The
Sarpsfos is one of the finest falls in Nor
way, bel ng seventy-four feet high and 116
feet wide. The water-power is already be-
ing largely used by, numerous sawmills
ceilulose factories, etc., while the railway
already crosses the falls.