The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-11-17

to old age. We translate from the St
Petersburg 'Novosti'' the following
brief summary of the Professors the
DRY:
Every organ of our body is COM
posed of two kinds of cells-common
and, as it were, noble cells. The noble
cells determine the peculiar functions of
the organs The common cells
do not differ from each other; they are
identical in all the organs, and their
only function is to connect and hold
together the noble cells.
Between these two kinds Of cells
there goes on an incesSant struggle.
The noble cells are stronger and for a
long time they prevail-that is, they
successfully resist. But eventually the
struggle exhausts them, and the pre-
ponderance passes to the common cells
This signalizes the beginning of old
age. The noble cells are crowded more
and more, the common ones growing IN
size at their expense and interfering
with the functions of the organ. Hence
the abnormal, diseased appearance Of
the organs, and the increasing difficult
les in the way of living. Ultimately
the performance of the functions be-
comes entirely impossible, and we have
death. (Mechnikoff gives the technical
term macrophagi to the connective
cells, while the noble cells, the leu
coctypes. he calls microphagi)
IF. then, the subjugation of the noble
by the common cells, after a protracted
struggle, is the cause of decrepitude
and shrunken old age, is it not possible
to reinforce the former and Stave of
their defeat? If not, is it possible to
weaken the common cells by some arti-
fetal means? Professor Mechnikoff is
of the opinion that it will prove easier
to do the latter than the former. We
possess the means of destroying GER
tain kinds of cells in the organism
For example, it is possible to inoculate
birds in such a way as to destroy the
red corpuScleS in their blood without
affecting the white ones. There is moth
ing improbable in the belief that a SUBJ
stance will be discovered which, intro
duced into the human body, will exert
destructive or restraining effect on
the common cells, without incapaci-
tating them for their proper function,
and thus strengthen and prolong the
life Of the noble ones
Engineering and Mining Journal: An
interesting paper on japanese swords,
by Mr.. GilbertsOn, appears in the last
volume Of the transactions" of the
Japanese Society. The blades are of
metal made chiefly from the deposits
of magnetic iron ore and ferruginous
sand, and, in the opinion of many ex-
perts, no weapons are superior to those
produced by the japanese The art of
making the blades was at one time
secret, handed down from father to
son and master to pupil
The mode of manufacture is as fol-
lows: A strip of steel is welded to a
rod of iron, which serves as handle.
A number of other strips of steel are
then welded on the first until the mass
measures 6 inches or 8 inches in length,
~ inches to "a inches wide, by "a
inch to p inch thick. When raised to a
suitable heat. this bar is doubled in half
and then beaten out to the original di
mansions. This process is repeated
fifteen times. Four such bars are made,
welded together, then doubled over.
again welded and forged as before five
times: So thin are the original strips
of steel, and SO often are they doubled
over, that it is estimated that Japan
csc sword blade consists of LIZA, 3O4
layers of metal.
The bar is then beaten out from the
6 inches or inches to the required
length. Sometimes in the forging pro-