The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-10
ITEMS OF INTEREST.


mains absolutely neutral. There is no
local action between the two metals.
When certain sulphides. such as
those Of bismuth, zinc or cadmium, are
heated with a solution of sulphur chlor-
ide in benzene a green powder, consist
ing of almost pure sulphur, Is obtained.
The product formed in the case af
cadmium chloride also contains blue
granules. 1t has been suggested that
the blue variety of sulphur islands in
the same relationship to ordinary sui
phur as ozone does to ordinary oxy-
gen.
The Pennsylvania Railroad has or
dered from South America a Tot of
hardwood sleepers which will be tried
in the tracks in and around Philadel-
phia. The sleepers are of Mora wood,
said to be from British Guiana. They
cost about $3.50 each at Philadelphia
and are expected to last a great many
years. About seven years ago the COM
pany put down a few of these ties at
Frankfort station, on the New York
division, and they are said to be now
as good as the day they were put down.
In Milan, Italy, some few months
ago, many persons died from tetanus,
the poison having been introduced in
to their system by the agency of i'm
pure anti-diphtheritic serum. This I'M
fortunate accident has been redupli-
Gated recently at st. Louis, where 20
individuals developed tetanus with IA
tai results after antitoxin treatment
for diphtheria. The infection with the
germs of lockjaw has been traced to
contaminated antitoxin, procured from
a horse whose blood was tainted with
the bacilli of tetanus.
Before the line can be drawn intel
ligently between instinct and reason
more must be known about the special
senses of animals. 1t is common to say
blind as bat" but it has been shown
that while bats have imperfect eyes
they have other. organs that supply
their place. In some species the outer
ear, in others the skin round the nos
trils, in others the skin on the lips and
chin develop into curious outgrowths
richly supplied with nerves. These SEN
Sitive patches enable the bat to per-
ceive the faintest disturbances in the
air. So delicate are they that really
blind bat let loose in a room across
which a number of strings have been
stretched will fly about without touch
ing one.
Stamp collectors will be interested
in learning that one of the German
states will disappear as a stamp issu-
ing country in a few months. At pres
ent the kingdoms of Wurtemberg and 4
Bavaria are the only states of the Ger
man Confederation which have their
own special postage stamps. 1t has
long been the desire of the German
Emperor to have uniformity in this re-
Gnppf OIifa rnpanfIxy Toafn oh
zeiger" announced that after April 1,
1902, Wurtemberg will cease to issue
the stamps, and will use those now in
use in Germany generally. Bavaria
has been approached on the subject,
but the Bavarians will not listen to
the proposal to give up their own
stamps.
1T is pathetic to notice how near
man of science has come to making a
great discovery. AS far back as 1879
Prof. Hughes came upon evidences of
the transmission of electric waves
through the air. He exhibited expert
ments Gin aerial transmission over dis
tances extending to nearly 500 yards"
The Professor consulted Sir George
Stokes, who did not accept the sugges-
ton of etheric waves, but ascribed the
effects to ordinary electromagnetic in
duction. The opinion of so eminent an
authority diverted Professor Hughes
attention for a while, and a great op-
portunity was missed. Had he made
his results known and devoted himself
to their practical application he would
have anticipated both Hertz and Mar
conf.
"A novel form of charity has been
inaugurated in Budapest-namely, the
distribution of bread and milk among
children up to six years of age. The
distribution, which is to be continued
daily, takes place, morning and even
ing, at shop in a by street The
milk is first boiled in four large boil
ers, whence it runs into a cooling ap-
paratus. Fifty children are allowed to
enter at a time. either with their moth
ers or alone, while the others wait for
their turn in a neighboring Warmes-
tube, another charitable institution.
These large, well warmed rooms are
found in many places in. Austria Hun
gary. The children are told to bring
their own mugs for the milk; but there
are drinking vessels for those who have
none, which, after use, are cleaned and
disinfected. Both the bread and milk
must be consumed on the premises.
and very sickly children receive a sec
ond portion. On the opening day a
number OF medical men, as well as
men and women from the upper mid
die classes, assisted in the distribution.
Some time ago DIR. Calmette, the
edirector of the Pasteur Institute in
Paris and the discoverer of a curative
serum for snakebite, was bitten by
one of his own snakes. He keeps a
number of poisonous snakes in his lab
oratory from, which to obtain the VEN
ON for preparing his serum The ven
ON is collected by grasping the snakes
neck in a special pair of forceps. fore
ing its mouth open and receiving the |
poison in special syringe known as
the Prevaz as 1t is squeezed from the
pouches. During this operation a tri-
gonocephalus, genus of extremely
venomous snakes, escaped from the for
cops and bit DR.. Calmette severely on
the right hand. He Immediately gave
himself an injection of the anti-venom-
Gus serum, and though the hand and
arm swelled badly and an acute fever
resulted on the following day, all bad
effects had apparently disappeared. II
is now announced. however, that some
local trouble has since occurred at the
site of the bite, and DR.. Calmette has
unfortunately had TO undergo amputa-
ton of the ring finger of his right
hand.
The grape cure is commenc-
ed by half pound of
grapes being eaten in the
morning while the patient is fasting.
says the Scotchman. In some cases |