The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-04-05

SCIENTIFIC.
From facts connected with the periodic sys-
tenn. julius Thomson has worked out the
| hypothesis that there exists series OF hith-
| erto unsupported inert elements, with an
atomic weights OF 4. 20 SO. "a. 1s2, 212.
| Betting OF ramie cloth coated with tar has
| proven successful with French machinists.
1t is unaffected by water, steam or acids.
and tests have shown Ii to have twice the
strength OF cotton and three times that OF
| double leather.
| The man-faced crab, which swarms in
Japan's inland seas, has a body about an
inch long. with face. says DR.. Shiesof.
| exactly like that of a Chinese coolie The
| strange creature has two legs, which seem
| to grow from the top Of its head, and two
feelers grow from the chin like a forked
beard.
Plateau, a Belgian experimental, throws
| doubt on the assumption that insects are
strongly attracted by bright and contrasted
colors in flowers. Snowy dahlias, hidden be-
meath leaves and colored paper seemed to be
the is
perception Of odors is the insects chief
guide
Glass houses of a very substantial kind
can now be built. Silesian glass-makers are
turning out glass bricks for all sorts OF
building purposes, claiming for them such ad-
tduldSeS Is variety Oh shape, Tree lTdnS-
mission OF light. strength, cheapness and
general adaptability. Where complete diffu-
sion of light is needed, as in factories, con-
servatories, courtyards, etc., they are spe-
cially suitable.
Imitation hard rubber from sawdust is the
subject of a German patent The sawdust,
that of resinous woods being best. is mixed
with chromatized glue, pressed into the de-
sired shape, and freed from moisture in a
bath of heated, oil; varnish or. tar The
heated to 400 degrees to COO degrees Fair.
when the substance becomes like hard rub
Der in appearance as well properties.
Fishing boats in the southern parts Of the
North sea having recently complained of the
fewness Of Goldfish in their CATCH the captain
of a steam fishing smack declared that he
had foreseen this for eight days. His clew
was quantity of sand found in the stom-
achs OF the fish caught. The sand, If his
observations are TO be accepted. is taken in
as ballast just before the fish leave the
shallow sea of the southern waters for the
deeper northern waters, and Is elected
ha sh sand o fGr
from that OF the bottom where the fish are
taken-a fact that may a prove valuable
guide to fishermen.
Only within the last year has 1t been
known that some of the yeasts, or fungi OF
fermentation, are capable of producing dis
ease. DR.. Lydia Rabinowitsch, a pupil of
Koch, has lately collected fifty different va
r.eties Of yeast, of which seven-one from
fermenting figs, another from grapes and
third from an American aie-had disease
producing properties, and these yeasts more
over, appear to be distinct from several
pathogenic varieties Isolated by other OBJ
servers The fatal effects appear to be due
to the enormous multiplication of the fungi
in nice, rabbits and guinea pigs, I'm which
they have been simultaneously introduced.
The vegetation of considerable portions of
grass fires. These prevent the accumulation
Of leaf-mold and stems. and the consequent
improvement of the SOIL while they have
completely altered the season for Towering
OF many trees and herbaceouS plants. An
other curious effect Is the manner in which
tect themselves. Mr.. Scott-Elliot has taken
to England bark of about half dozen trees
that manage to survive, AMI an examination
shows a cumming degeneration OF the cells
or the bark, with the development OF hard
and resistant oels-facts that may have
connection with the preservation Of the
PLANTS.
Experimenters now seem to be divided be-
tween two theories to account for the
Roentgen rays. Tesla. who has obtained
strong shadows at a distance Of forty feet
or more finds his conviction growing that
the effects are due to molecular particles
projected at an enormous velocity-perhaps
theory of longitudinal waves continues to
find much favor. Various experiments have
tended to show that the rays emanate
from the anode instead of the cathode, and
the rays have been reflected. Professor
Slime has found that success in obtaining
pictures depends upon an extremely high
vacuum in the Crookes tubes. the success
full tubes showing fuorescence of green
color while 1t Is yellow In inactive tubes.
Use improves the tubes. AS pictures may be
taken through many layers OF dry plates,
celluloid fins or senstized paper, E. B.
Frost suggests that chemists should seek a
kind of dry plate that shall better alb
sorb the active rays. Recent interest in SIM
liar work makes it strange II, that a dlseoy-
ly thirty years ago should have been for
gotten. 1t was then shown that human
flesh is translucent, and that in front of the
the hand and arm could be seen and frac-
lures located, while in the move
ment and outline of the heart were visible.
With us about one person In fifty is left
handed. but. the popularity may be he
reditary, 1t is quite possible that a race of
left-handed people may have been developed.
although statements as to the existence OF
a preponderance of left-handed individuals in
various parts Of the world have not been
verified. Various theories to account for
observation-disclosures have been advanced. 1t
is well known that each side of the brain
is connected mainly with the movements
and sensations of the opposite side OF the
body, and DR.. r. A. Lundie, an English
physician, gives reason for believing that
the real cause of observation-disclosures is kind
of left-brainedness. When the power or
speech is lost 1t is found that portion Of
one side of the brain only is affected. From
rests In an organ of the left brain called
after it's observation-disclosures convolution. but
when the mental faculties have NOT been
otherwise injured II has proven 10 be posi-
BILE to restore speech by educating the por-
ton of the right brain corresponding 10
Broca's convolution. The normally active
speech CENTER however, is not always on
the left side. In some individuals IL 10 the
right side Of the brain that has been edu-
Gated for speech. and singular fact Is that
such persons are left-handed. DR.. Lundie
finds it practically useless. TO combat. a
strong tendency to left-handedness in chill
dren. But in such cases the right hand can
be made nearly as expert as the left. giving
an ambdexterity that could he advantage
ously taught the right-handed as WE'LL