The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-12-22
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.


A Constant Battery-House Lighting
Ancient Greece-Indians Manna-Cor-
sica's Chestnuts--M of Taste
Oxygen for easicknes-Hail-Clo Cloud
Bombardment- Blood Temperature
Elconal.
In the new electric battery of Poppenberg,
the positive electrode is hollow cylinder of re-
tort carbon filled with depolarizing matter and
closed at the bottom by an insulating plate, the
negative is cylinder of zinc, and the two rest
on horizontal porous plate or diaphragm. be-
meath which is a thick layer of sulphate of soda,
with or without little common salt. When
water is poured into the cell. part of it passes
through the porous diaphragm, dissolving the
salt. The solution passes by endosemose into
the water above, forming an electrolyte that
varies but slightly with time, and causes the
battery to retain its strength for long period
The electromotive force is about two volts.
-
The color and character of walls have much
to do with the lighting of room, and expert
ments have shown these percentages of refec-
tion by different wall materials: Black velvet,
04; black cloth, ID; black paper. As; dark blue,
6.5; dark green, 1O1; pale red, 1872; dark yell
low, 20; pale blue, 30: pale yellow, 40; pale
green, 1876 pale orange, 548; pure white, 20 {;
also has effect Aside from mirrored walls,
white varnish ensures the best lighted room,
and this may be advantageously used in con-
junction with incandescent gas light as the
most economical source of artificial illumina-
ton.
OF nearly 500 treatises, mostly on medicine.
alleged to have been written by Galen, less than
100 accepted as genuine are now known. A
hitherto unknown Greek text on the lesseninR
Of obesity has just been published by DR.. Kalb
feisch. Of Friburg. Among the recommends
-fs1ns to-ss.e birds yvi.ssh are found in arid
mountains and fish which frequentro shores,
and to avoid vegetables which are round.
Ara
Records of more than 5000 observations show
ling the deviation of the magnetic needle from
Ne voyage of Columbus in 1892 to 1850, have
been collected by o German physicist.
-.
Probably no modern discovery in natural his
tory has been more seemingly miraculous than
the finding OF an edible gum exuding from the
bamboos of Central India at a time when the
people are suffering from their greatest famine.
This substance is pleasantly sweet, occurs in
white or brown stalactiform rods about an inch
long, and is found by David Hooper, of the In
dian Museum at Calcutta, to consist mainly of
sugar related to, If not identical WITH cane
sugar. The strange appearance in the forests
of Chanda was first made known last March,
The sugar differs from the bamboo mamma of
history, which is not sugar, but white gritty
body occurring inside the stem of the plant and
now called Tabishir contains. about 80 per cent.
of silica, with varying proportions of alkalies
and organic matter. 1t has been much used In
medicine.
Wherever extensive forests cover the land,
special industries are growing at their expense.
Immense forests of sweet chestnut trees exist
in Corsica, and the most fourishing industry of
the island is probably the extracting of fannie
acid from these trees, about 10000 tons of the
wood being now required annually for the 1900
tons of liquid extract sent away. Without COM
pulsory replanting, this wholesale destruction
of forests is likely to bring serious consequences
in time. tits feared hat not only will the climate
be affected. but that the peasants will suffer the
loss of their staple food of flour from the dried
fruit of the chestnut.
Attempts to measure the sensation of taste
are being made by E. Toulouse and N. vaschide,
French Psychologists. They test with sodium
chloride for salty tastes, saccharose for sweet
and citric acid for sours-solutions of these sub
stances, varying in strength along a decimal
scale, being prepared with distilled water A
special dropper gives drops of unvarying size. |
Another series of solutions is used for deter |
mining "odor-tastes,' - which-as with anise or |
vinegar-are ordinarily experienced but disap |
pear when the nose is stopped
-
With the universal use of electric light instead |
of oil, gas and candles, an English statistician
calculates that the United Kingdom would have
10000 less deaths annually.
The inhalation of oxygen as a remedy for sea-
sickness was first suggested by Dr. Dubois Of
Lyons. The idea has been taken up by M. Du-
tremblay. who has made numerous successful
experiments and has brought the matter to the
notice of the French Academy of Medicine.
The malady proves to be due to imperfect venti-
lation of the lungs. The sudden and rapid dis
placements of the viscera and the contraction
of the diaphragm act as principal causes, and
bring about such secondary manifestations as
headache, nauseau, chills. etc. The oxygen
gives rapid relief. 1t is inhaled through the
mouth from cylinders of the compressed gas,
and eight or ten gallons suffice.
- 80
The Italian system of cannon-fring for pre-
venting hail was recently put to severe test,
with results that exceeded expectations. Threat
ening clouds collected in the neghborhood of
Rogeno, in the province of Como, three times
in succession on one afternoon, and each time
they were bombarded by IA special cannon.
The clouds were scattered, only little sleet
falling. In the vicinity of Allessandria great
damage was done by hail. which fell over the
districts of Rochetta, Tanaro, Masio, Felizzano
and Quattordio in some places piling up to a
depth of twenty inches
80
The animals having the warmest blood appear
to be some of the cetaceans. DIR. Guldberg re-
ports that observations made with great diff |
Guilty have given the following results in indi-
vidual cetaceans: Sperm-whale, 400 c.; Green |
land right whale, $3.50 porpoise, IS 90 and 37.s0;
common rorgual, $500. The average blood-tem- |
perature of man is 3To c., that of other NAM
mails being 39.0 while that of birds is A.
So
Orthodioxybenzol, which has been given the |
name of Elconal by DR.. Ludwig Elton, seems to |
have proven very satisfactory as Photographic |
developer. This has the unique property of adj
hitting mixture with sodium hyposulphite In |
all proportions making possible a combined |
developing and fixing bath.
Sc
The disappearance of consumption within 90 |
years is recorded as prediction of Sir James |
Crichton Browne. This is to be largely result |
of more open air and sunlight in cities.
Personally Conducted Tours via Pennsyl-
vania Railroad-Season of 19OO-1oO1.
The Pennsylvania r. r. Company announces
the following personally conducted tours for the
season of l900-19Ol:
C'dlif0rniG.-A thirty hve-day tour will leave
New York, Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Pitts
burg February IA. The party will travel over
the entire route by the Golden Gate Special"
the finest train that crosses the continent
qridd.-Three tours to Jacksonville will leave
New York and Philadelphia February and 49,
and March 8. The first two of these admit of