The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-06
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SCIENTIFIC.

SCIENTIFIC.
A hairless adult rat of brownish color
is new marvel in a museum at Plymouth,
England.
A remarkable dwarf pine from Green
mountain, near Boulder Col, is reported by
Professor Bessey to be only five inches high
and fifth of an inch through, with sim
gle tuft of leaves, yet to show twenty-five
annual rings.
The thrilling discovery Of a survivor of
an earlier geographical epoch must arouse
active search for others, to be captured or
preserved living. The four modern speci-
mems known of New Zealand's fghtlesS
rail, the notornis, were killed in the years
1S49, 1851 1879 and 1898.
The flashes of blush white light seen in
the dark when pieces of sugar are rubbed
together have been studied by Mr. John
Burke an English physicist. BY rotating
a loaf of sugar on a. lathe against a ham
mer he has obtained almost continuous
luminosity, enabling him to observe and
photograph the spectrum. The light APP
pears to be a result of some change IN the
crystals and not to be due to heating or to
chemical action between sugar and air.
The success in preserving dead bodies that
has been achieved by a Naples surgeon, DR..
E. Manini, has excited the wonder Of Euro
pean physicians. He uses a series of spe-
cial baths without incision or injection.
The first of the three stages is provisional
desiccation, which keeps the body in q con-
dition for ready dissection by the anatomist
the second is petrifaction, giving the hard
Eess of marble in a few hours; and the tnlrd
is the restoration of natural color, fieXibility
and freshness so that the subject appears to
be simply sleeping.
Water is contaminated by lead pipes, says
Herr Liebrich, a German chemist, through
the joint action of the oxygen of the air
and carbonic acid. but this action is greatly
retarded if the water contains bcarbonate
of lime. This. however, does not entirely
prevent the dissolving of lead. The guam
tity of lead taken up while the water is in
active circulation is extremely small, but it
is liable to become very noticeable in water
that has stood in pipes all night, and TO IN
sure complete freedom from lead 1T is rec
commended that carbonate of soda be used
in quantity sufficient to fix the carbonic acid
without rendering the water alkaline.
The possible extent Of the spread of dis
ease by the animals about US is still mat
ter of conjecture only. While it is more
than probable that consumption and other
diseases are distributed by domestic ami
mails, good reason has been found for be-
lieving that the plague was introduced into
Calcutta by rats, and while mosquitoes
probably inoculate the blood with disease
germs, it now appears that flies may carry
death in other ways. The last-named sug-
from ptomaine poisoning were attributed
by the coroner's jury to eating lamb which
had been placed in larder containing pu-
trid tongue, and, as the two were not in
close proximity, the analyst believes that
flies brought the poison from the tongue
should be kept from larders and meat
stores.
While progress in civilization has brought
greater care of human life, there is yet
prodigal waste DR.. A. Hill. vice chancellor
Of Cambridge University, states that one
fourth of all the diseases that destroy life
are absolutely preventable, and that if the
practice of hygiene were only on level
with it's theory the average longevity would
be raised at once from fifty to nfty-nVe
years. The greater number OF diseases over
which the individual has control are que
to mistakes in eating and drinking. one
purpose yet to attain is more exact
knowledge by every citizen of the causes
and properties of preventable diseases, but
1t is hardly surprising that the knowledge is
still so slight, when even medical men hardly
realized the contagious character or con-
sumption twenty years ago, although one
third of the cows in England are tubercu-
lous and half the milk sold distributes the
bacillus of tuberculosis.
1t has been predicted by Lord Kelvin that
in four or five centuries it will become diff
cult to live on account of the scant supply
of oxygen in the atmosphere. Fortunately,
as a French writer points out, there are
other oxygen mines besides the atmosphere,
mo, works in Italy, Switzerland and Bel
GUM are already obtaining oxygen by cleo
trolysis from water at a cost OF less than
half cent per cubic foot. There are now
many uses for the oxygen, as also for the
hydrogen obtained at the same time. The
apparatus, which successfully oVercOmeS
the old difficulties of securing free circula-
ton of the electrolyte and at the same time
avoiding the liability of the freed gases to
mix is very simple the electroyzer con-
sisting Of a tank of steel plate, divided into
cells by diaphragmS having very small
aperture near the bottom. The metallic walls
offer feeble resistance to the current. The
apertures permit the water to circulate free
ly, but the bubbles are too large to pass,
and the gases cannot mix. Inc alternate
cells, those having the same polarity, are
connected with the gasometer for oxygen or
hydrogen.
a recent distribution of a half ton of fish
to the soldiers at Camp Wikoff possessed
greater significance than the casual OBJ
server would suspect This incident posi-
bly, marked the opening of an important
new industry, one that Professor Baird be-
lieved would date from 1881, but which, for
fifteen years, has been abandoned. The fish
were newly discovered specimens of lost
species. This species was the tile tsh, which
was first described from specimens taken
in 1879 off the southern coast OF Nantucket,
in 1881 was found 10 exist In great num-
bers and early in 1882 seemed to have dis
appeared as q result of some strange ia
tality that strewed the see. over an area OF
40 by % miles with millions and millions
of it's dead, a conservative estimate placing
the number at LABS, 100000 At ten pounds
per fish, this would have given 2SS pounds
of fish to every man, woman and child in
the United States. For ten years there
after no trace of the tile fish was found,
and the singular story of its determination
was often told but in 1892 a search of two
months yielded eight specimens. In 1898 and
1897 few others were obtained and In Au-
gust of this year the GrampuS, the scientific
vessel from Woods Holl, succeeded in cap
turing a considerable number about sixty
miles south of Block island, according to
Professor Bumpus, and in a trip in Sep
tember it took more than two hundred,
weighing over three thousand pounds. The
hope is again justified, therefore, that the
tile fish win become an important source
of our food supply. The range of the spe-
cies seems very limited, present determine
tions showing 1T to cover only 9. tract of
sea bottom about IT'S miles long by ten to
fifteen wide in water near the one-hundred-
fathom line.
LITERARY NOTES.