The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-19

to fall at each break-until only one plate
was left. Loads of five tons can be safely
handled with double-pole magnets taking
TOUR amperes at 24G volts
The experiments of Mesnard, the French
botanist show that, in general, light soon
decreases the strength of odors. and that
oxygen first causes an increase, and then
a gradual decrease. The perfume of flowers
is heightened. however, By the simultane-
Gus action of light and oxygen. Water
counteractS the effect of light, restoring
the Odor, which is weakest in an unwatered
plant in strong light
The existence of luminous emanations
from the living body has been demon
strated by DR.. Luys to the Paris Biological
Society in the following manner: In the
dark room the fingers were placed on an
ordinary Photographic plate for about
twenty minutes. the plate being in bath
of the usual hydrOQuirOne solution, and
the negative was then fixed in the usual
way. Not only are fingers, with their lines
and pores. reproduced. but kind of halo
third of an inch wide surrounds each.
No result was obtained when the expert
ment was tried on patients whose hands
were paralyzed or in any way benumbed.
The mantles for the Wellsbach gas
burner must contain ceria as we'll as
thoria, it being a curious fact that. while
pure thorium oxide has feeble glow in
the Bunsen flame, the presence of per
cent or less of cerium oxide increases the
light ten or twelve fold Herr G. 2. Dross-
bach attributes this to resonance That
is, he supposeS that the vibrations OF the
thoria molecules are not SynchrOnouS with
those Of the Bunsen flame, but that the
presence of a small amount OF ceria puts
them in accord, as a bit of wax will bring
into accord two tuning forks of slightly
different pitch.
The rheumatism-curing plant fitted up by
DR.. Kozlovski, of St Petersburg, includes
a. lamp, using the energy of six
horsepower oil engine through a dynamo
and battery of accumulators. The patient,
protected by a cardboard screen, with an
aperture over the affected part of the body,
is placed about five feet from the electric
light. The exposure lasts from three
fourthS to two minutes, and three or four
sittings-never more than doZen-are usu-
ally given, at intervals of three or four
days. Slight heat only is felt on exposure,
the skin, however, peeling off in about
forty-eight hours. A trial of several months
seems to have yielded remarkably success
full results in rheumatism and kindred dis
eases, even in chronic and severe cases.
There are seventy-three species of insects,
according to Mr.. L. o. Howard which an
nually cause losses of hundreds of thou
sands of dollars in the United States OF
these, thirty are native, thirty-seven have
been introduced and six are of doubtful'ori-
gin, all but one of the species brought
across the ocean having been ACCIDENTALLY
imported. The spread of insects, like that
of civilization, tends westward. w hlIS
thirty injurious insects nave been Drought
from Europe to America, it is said but
three of like Importance have reached Eu-
rope from America, ana 1t is dOuDIleSS Il
fact that certain of our now cosmopolitan
forms were originally Asiatic, and have
Travelled westward through Europe, TO ana
across America, and thence to Hawaii,
New Zealand and Australia A similar law
is found in the study of plants. out OF two
hundred American weeds, lO3 are intro
duced, of which ninety-SiX are from pole
arctic regions, siXty-eight being native 70
Europe. while it seems that less than halt
dozen American species have become
troublesome in Europe. A number of Amer
lean Species however, have been carried
to Australia, where they flourish vigor-
ously.
The effects of sunlight on the human
body have been a subject of investigation
for many years by DR.. Robert L. Bowles,
an English physician. He finds that sun
burn is not due to heat, but is probably
caused by the violet or ultra violet rays,
especially as reflected from snow at high
altitudes-and that the reflected rays may
not necessarily be of the same quality as
the incident rays. Snow-blindness may pc
due to a similar cause, and sun FEVER may
be associated with penetrating rays, Whlle
reflected rays burn deeply INTO Woou.
Freckles, which are but the mlider eHects
of luminous or chemical rays, stop the
penetration of those rays through the SKIN,
as do various pigments, particularly req
and yellow Sun fever has been prevented
in India by wearing an orange lining IN N
the clothes and hat. Another Illustration OF
the Intervening power of color is the ex-
perience of a lady who, after wearing q
linen blouse of red and white stripes, found
bright red stripes on her shoulders unuer
the white of the cloth, the red having al
forded protection from any action These
and other observations lead to the conclu-
tion that Roentgen rays may be simply
nominations of ordinary light. The work
of other authors is cited TO support the
view that the vital changes on the SKIN are
aIone and that the rays issuing from a
Crooke's tube are not an entirely new form
of energy distinct and separate from hgntdi
cbenoical ravg and that light as such, as
we'll as the divisions into which it can be
split up may penetrate wood, clothing ana
the human tissues.