The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-03-14
SCIENTIFIC.

Rabies in cats is more common than is
generally known. one i'm twenty of all cases
treated at the Pasteur Institute in Paris
being due to the bites of rabid cats.
Hoar frost has been found by two Bel
gian scientists to be particularly rich in
heterogeneous matter. 1t must therefore.
play an important part in fertilizing the
forests and in purifying the air.
The most notorious starting points of
plague" epidemics are said TO be Mecca
in Arabia; Hurdwar, in India. and Mini
Novgorod in Russia. The discontinuance of
pilgrimageS TO these centers would be a
great sanitary reform.
The source of argon is as yet mys-
terry. 1t has been found with helium in
mineral waters, and French chemist, NJ.
Schloesing. jr., now reports its existence
in firedamp and in the gas evolved in the
mines of Rochabelle. 1t is suggested that
stores of the new element may exist i'm the
earth's interior. and that regular determi-
nations of argon in escaping gases may
yield interesting facts.
A new silver-colored alloy of aluminium.
having remarkable lightness, strength and
beauty, has been discovered by some Bir-
mingham metallurgists. Its specific gravity
is 2.73 or about third of that of steel and
tests at the Mason Science College show Ii
TO be much stronger than any other light
an exquisite polish that never furnishes.
"Vestadium' is its name.
Not often does such good fortune befali
q scientific student of thirty-five as is like
ly to be enjoyed by DR.. Giuseppi Sanarelli,
an Italian physician. His researches have
not only brought 10 view the germ of yell
low feYer hf oe a on sne more m
than 1000 animals. including rabbits, goats,
sheep, monkeys and horses, have assured
of f"i the disease disc The remedy. if really efi
caciouS entities the diScOverer to prize
of s150,00O from the Brazilian government.
Nansen's expedition places scurvy, the
much dreaded disease Of explorers and mill
tary expeditions, in a light. DR..
Torup of Christiana, had reached the con-
clusion that scurvy must arise from poison
ing due to the development in badly pre-
served meat and fish of matter allied to the
so-called ptomaines. This view led to care
full selection of the food in Nansen's equip
Torups theory, showing that scurvy can
be easily avoided and lead to the hope that
a more complete investigation will be made.
Artificial light. in the opinion Of Prof.
Vivian Il. Lewes should be essentially
different from sunlight. 1t is natural for
the optic nerve fatigued by daylight TO be
relieved by twilight and darkness but the
use of the eyes can be safely continued
for some hours longer if an artificial light
that is soft and as free as possible from
actnic rays be employed. The greenish-
blue light of the gas mantelS in most COM
mon use may prove injurious to the eye
sight in the course of time. A pharmaceu-
teal writer adds that the light of acety-
lene-not yet a safe or economical illu-
minant-is remarkably free from actinic
rays. as is also the light from paraffin.
Estimates of the suns temperature have
ranged from $4,000, 600 degrees down to 300
degrees Fair. At the Moscow observatory
Professor Ceraski has repeated the old ex-
pertinent of measuring the heat of direc,
sunlight at the focus OF mirror, the mir
ror in this case being very accurately made
and having focal length of about thirty
nine inches. The result was $500 degrees
c. 300 degrees Fahr.). showing only that
the solar temperature is greater than this
A measurement of the heat reflected from
an arc lamp was then made. the tempera-
ture in the focus of the mirror proving to
be only 100 degrees TO l05 degrees c. al.
though the arc itself was known to have q
temperature of very nearly $500 degrees
ture of the must be very much more
than $500 degrees, while it is believed thai
this method may lead TO an accurate esti.
mate.
A marvel of geology that has remained
strangely unknown is possessed by Greece
at Argostoli in the Island of Caphalonia
At this point four currents of water set l.
from the sea and sink into the limestone
of the cliffs, giving an anomalous water
power that in the middle of the century was
used for driving two grist mills. The faI
from sea level to the surface OF the dis.
charge pits is three to FIVE feet ALLOWING
necessary To drive the mills. Profs T. W
and W. O. Crosby find that the annual con.
sumption of water must have been 20O9,0o0
| 600 cubic feet. which would fill a chamber
| about five miles long 1000 feet wide and q
! feet deep. As the flow seems TO have beer
uninterrupted and fairly uniform Tor cen