New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-05-30
MEDICAL AND SANITARY NOTES.

study has been made Tor scmc ten years u! W.
MIGUEL OF the numbers of bacteria in a cubic metre
OF air. both In the centre Of Paris and In the PARK
of Montsouris. and the results are published in the
"Annsles de Micrograrhie." 1t appears that IN
consequence Of local improvements the air In the
park has gradually become purer. the number OF
bacteria having decreased from $50 cubic metres IN
1884 25 in 1893 but the air In Paris has Increased
IN micro orea nsms from 34S0 In 1884 to 600 In 1898
This large increase NJ. MIGUEL attributes to the
really greater cleanliness of the inhabitants VINO
by busting out and cleaning their houses ana snah-
Ing carpets etc. stir large quantity OF Germs n,p
this form OF cleanliness, on the ground that the
germs arc simply blown about by the wind ana mo
nd ,hei way mo the sec m not 80 come back
again. those from n neighbours premises may enter
MEALS FOLLOWED BY SLEEP.-This ques-
ton has been much discussed. with varying oph-
ions. by the best authorities Recently. to test the
advantages. as assumed by many, OF nap AFTER
the dinner meal DR.. Schulz. OF Fribourg. under
took n series OF experiments on two normal SUD-
Jects. In carrying out this purpose the contents
of the stomach were carefully examined ana an
alyzed few hours after meals some OF inc la''er
being followed by sleep and some not; the re-
suits indicatng that such sleep weakehs .ne
stomachs movements while the acidity OF the
gastric juice IL increased: on the other hand snp.e
IN pospr the ay
OF the gastric juice. Thus 1t Is well 10 st,e r
ones self ont for rest. but not for Sleep at.er "a
hearty meal. II the stomach is not TOO diiateu OF
Its juices very acid.
THINKING NOT CONFINED TO THE BRAIN
TIsSUE-The opinion Of DIR. William A. nam
mond Is quoted as favoring the idea that every
human being does a good deal of thinking with his
heart. his liver. his kidneys. and various o'her
organs, and that the 'ganglia which are scat
tered all through the body, are nothing more nor
less than minute brans-along the sympatheuc
nerves they strung like beads. and. without
the aid of the thinking which they do nobody could
get along al all-and arc largely made up OF '"e
sort Of gray matter that composes the thinking
part Of the brain This theory assumes that the
system of sympathet!c nerves extends throughout
the body, and there are ganglia even In Inc nnEcls
a great collection OF them. there being IN lacl
lot Of gray mind STUFF in the heart, that orghh
being secondary brain, an enouonal ct , n,,t
greatest collection. however. OF gray tissue OUT
side IF the brain proper is behind the stomach;
there being located an e soisr nexs
a properly delivered blow upon which VIII produce
death as quickly az upon the Skull.
CONCERNING 1NFANTS-A paper read before
the Obsterical Society Of Boston exhibits some in
,eresting results obtained from observations in a
large number of infants. regards weight, sex
and fetal Concerning the assertion so
often made that the fetal heart-rate OF girls Is
more rapid than that Of boys. such statement
appears 10 depend on the figures. published ny
Frankcnhauser years ago. showing the average
frtal rate in boys 10 be l24 and in girls 1H these
being founded however. on only fifty observations
and consequently lacking in comprehensiveness
Taking as in this paper. thousand cases at fnii
term in the Boston Iylng-in Hospital. The average
rate Of the rtal heart there noted o was; pe
1873. The average weigh, OF these thousand tuIi-
Term infants was follows: Five hundred male s
Infants Z pounds and SO ounces ana JO leHlale
infants I pounds 81 ounces An interesting :nc'
Is noted VIZ, that some OF the very ne"V' ""'''
HUMAN HAIR GROWTIS-Professor Exner. OF
the Vienna Medical Society. treating Of the func-
ton of the human hair. remarks upon ;he some
what curious fact that writer's have hitherto oc-
cup,ed themselves mainly with speculations az 10
the circumstances which have led TO man becoming
denuded Of his hairy coverIng-the hairs. however.
being not only dcgeuerated organs but having
also 10 fulfil some functions There ia group. says
the Professor such IN" eyelashes and Inc eye
brows for instance. which are sensorial organs
possessing tactile functions and; moreover. serve
two interumentary surfaces are In contact they act
as rollers and facilitate the gliding CT the ntrs
mentary surfaces on each other. Further. there IL
no doub. that the hair OF the scalp projects The
head against external cold ana also p,"vGnts 'rr
loss OF heat through The very low con1u",lviiy 81
the hair cylinders and Of the cushion Of air inter
mingled with them
AIR OF HEALTH RESORTS.--Me1ical writers
are now pointing out that. while the Dir Of popular
health resorts is comparatively free from disease
germs and organic this is really not the
whole secret Of the matter. and the inquiry is
legitimate why Of two coast towns only Few
miles apar. and both situated the same height
above the sea, ore should have a ''bracinS ana
the other ''rclaxing' climate, chemically the an
ferences In the air being inappreciable In answer
TO this the suggestion is thrown ont that some oil
the innumerable harmless miC ro-organisms anna
which men live and move and have their being
NAV he responsible for some Of the mysterious dif-
frrcnccs in the quality Of air which. though az
nresent uexplicable profoundly affect the health
ard spirits of mankind Then. TOO. the subtle II
duence of emanations from the soil, from vcSeta
ton and from other animate and inanimate on)ects
r,rs. 10 ,ak.n into account. Considering the de-
nrosstng or exhilaratng effect or many snDstances;
chiefly carbon compounds, Whlch arr" iniouuc'o
into the lungs in YapOrZed or timely dlNiueu stat
The orinion Is advanced that the Invisible an,
brrne matters which may so affect for good or cvi
are mainly organic in their origin. Apart, now
ever from the relative purity OF the atmosphere
there is peculiar virtue in mere change.
COMPARATIVE MORTALITY RATES.-An ex
oro,na,,on of the Massachusetts, census reports
covering period Of more than quarter OF c"i'
tury has been made 10y Or. j. Nj French. inc resu'
showing tina. from birth tc ten years OF age th'
male death rate is in excess OF the female; IRON
ton IN forty the female death rate Is in excess OF
tho male the rate for the mex. ten years Deiha
ebou. tho same while from fifty 10 sixty the per
cen,age OF deaths is largest with the males. anc
bevond that time the excess Is with the females