The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-12
SCIENTIFIC.

which surpasses the best dairy butter in
purity, and is found to be especially well
adapted for use in gravies and for shorten
ing. An extensive demand is expected.
The new incandescent gas burner of Herr
E. Salzenburg uses gas at pressure of
about three and one-half atmospheres. The
light is golden yellow, showing objects in
natural cOlorS, and costs but a fraction OF
the less powerful arc light.
The first spectrum photograph of me-
teor is the remarkable object lately secured
by the Harvard Observatory. 1t is hoped
that this will show something of the condi-
ton of shooting stars and meteorites on
first entering the earth's atmosphere
An English physician finds that many
cases of typhoid fever in autumn are due to
the playing of such games as peg-top and
marbles Germs are conveyed to the mouth
by the frequent licking of the fingers in
marbles and the wetting of the string of the
top. The theory is confirmed by the fact
that the disease mainly affects boys.
The aurora borealis, according to the the
DRY of Herr Gustav Wendt may be re-
garded as an electrical phenomenon, arising
when oxygen and other paramagnetic mat
ter-or matter assuming polarity under the
influence of the earth'S magnetiSm-iS con-
tinuouSly drawn down from the higher re-
gions of the atmosphere, thus setting up
electric currents
The village of Great Catmouth, in Hunt
ingdonshire, England, is built upon an enor-
nous bowlder of chalk This bowlder is
half a mile long, and must have been car
ried eastward a distance of twenty-five
miles by some great iceberg. 1t was drop
ped to the bottom of the glacial sea, where
it became partly covered and surrounded by
blue-gra boWlder clay.
Medical authorities appear to be becoming
convinced of the efficacy of alcohol in the
treatment of cancer 1t is used in hypo-
dermic injections and its strength has been
gradually increased from a 10 per cent. So
luton until the pure alcohol is often used.
The injections are repeated after five to
seven days The cancer cells are destroyed,
the growth gradually becoming smaller, and
finally leaving a hard mass that may be
ignored or cut out.
A floating scientific station was the novel
suggestion made to the International Geo
logical Congress by Professor Andrussow.
1t would consist of a ship fitted with ap-
paratus and laboratories for geological and
biological study of the ocean bottom, and
would be kept constantly exploring in diff
ferent parts of the world the expense to
be met by international contributions. The
scheme was warmly approved by Dr. John
Murray and other scientific leaders.
During the Zulu war DR.. George Stoker
observed that wounded natives quickly re-
covered in mountainside places, to which
they were carried This led him, his re-
turn to England, to experiment with oxy-
being the establishment of home where
the oxygen treatment is carried out. The
application is made by inclosing the i'm
jured limb in a suitable case, which is kept
charged with the gas. The dressing irri-
tateS less than others, is stimulating and
oXidizes bacterial poisons.
The new flying machine of Maj. r. F.
Moore, OF the British army is not on the
usual plan of fixed aeroplanes driven by
screw propeller. He has selected for his
l.
indicating that it's wings can be initiated
artificialy, and that the action of the pee
oral muscles can be reproduced by spiral
springs of suitable strength to keep the
wings expanded. The up-and-down motion
can be impaired by light electric or other
motor. Two or more pairs OF wings, placed
tandem are found to be better than sim
gle pair, and it is believed to be quite pos
sble to build a machine of this type ca
pable of lifting man.
The magnetarium is remarkable appara-
tusAlately shown the French Academy by
NJ Wilde. 1t is intended to reproduce the
phenomena Of terrestrial magnetism, and
the secular variations of the compass and
dipping needle. One terrestrial globe is
made to revolve within another. The inner
globe is wound with insulated copper wire,
and the surface of the seas is covered with
thin sheet iron, to give a difference be-
tween the magnetism of land and water.
Insulated rings revolving with the axes
carry copper brushes, winch cause electric
currents to pass around the surface OF the
globes A differential motion is impaired
to the inner globe by an arrangement of
epicycloidal toothed wheels, and the result
is an accurate reproduction of the principal
phenomena of terrestrial magnetism, and
the changes that have taken place during
the last three centuries at London, the Cape
of Good Hope st. Helena and Ascension
island. The inequalities in the periods OF
magnetic dip, well as the unequal rates
of change, are faithfully shown.
Animals have been called warm-b looded
and cold-blooded, but the distinction is less
sharply drawn than was once supposed,
as one class graduates into the other. In
a paper to the Royal Society of Victoria
Mr.. Alexander Sutherland mentions that
the invertebrates have the capacity of pro-
ducing heat, although they are cold-blood-
ed but except the insects, their tempera-
ture seldom rises more than fraction of
degree above that of the medium in which
they live. Certain northumberland
pOlypi molluscs and crustacea-raise them
selves One-third of a degree to a degree
above their environment. Insects, though
essentially cold-bloC led, usually a de-
gree or two warmer than their medium, but
capable of remarkable warming with ex-
ertion. Fishes, ampaibia and reptiles also
heat themselves on moving. A species of
blind worm is said To rise as much as IA
degrees above the temperature of the air.
The warm blooded animals have nearly fixed
the monotremeS-the lowest in the scale OF
misunderstanding a temperature of about
II to So degrees, while he marsupals aver
age about SO to 81 degrees, and the average
of the higher orders seems TO be from 30
to 1C4 degrees Birds range between 10S and