The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-05-24
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.


Desert neutrality-suspicious. Weakness
of Bronze-A New Blotter-An Improv-
ed Thunderstorm Indicator-Hay Fever
Not Due to Pollen-Nature's Flesh
Storage-Air-Borne Smallpox-Orlgin
OF Leprosy-Nervocidine
AS the north northeast wind blows quite con-
stantly over the central Sahara from October to
April, French aeronaut, NJ. Les Desburaux,
believes that tit should be easy to cross the desert
by balloon from Tunis to the Niger He pro-
poses trying the experiment with small I'M
manned balloon of about 1000 cubic yards. This
would carry guide-rope of considerable weight
and an automatic discharger of water-ballast,
and will be expected to keep afoat for IL days.
In case of wreck on the way. the chances favor
the recovery of the registering apparatus, with
very valuable scientific data.
-
An astonishing decrease in the tensile strength
and ductility of bronze at temperatures above
4OO' F. has been reported by Prof. G. Bach, of
Stuttgart. With an alloy of 81 per cent of cop
per, of zinc and of tin, these properties we're
reduced about per cent. at 4O0o, but about 80
per cent. at 6OO0. This discovery suggests eau
ton in the use of bronze for engine parts in
contact with superheated steam.
81
l part of oxalic acid in parts of alcohol and
subsequently dried, forms new plotting paper
for dried ink. The ink to be removed is moist
ened with water and the paper is used in the
usual manner.
Many steam-pipe explosions are due to water
hammer action. In late paper, Mr.. c. E. Stro-
meyer showed that plug of water only 6inches
long propelled only 2 feet under pressure of
Is pounds would exert pressure Of 9, 40Opounds
on being suddenly stopped.
Records for 80 years show that 43 per cent of
the storms Of the British Isles approach from
some point between south and southwest. Not
per cent move westward.
80
Various electrical devices-including Tom
masina's electro adiophone and Fenyi's CO
herer-have been used for studying thunder
storms. The new apparatus of J. J. Landerer
consists of a telegraph line of 300 yards running
north north-east which is put to earth through
the water pipes of Tortosa, and joined to a very
sensitive galvanometer. A great advantage is
the showing of the direction of the discharge.
A lightning fash in the distance gives a slight
shock followed by greater one, and the small
deviations are always in the direction during
the same storm, the discharge proceeding from
north to south in storms in the west. One storm
recorded was as far away as Majorca, a distance
of $50 miles.
The pollen theory of hay fever has been prov
en- by two German investigators to be unten-
able. The number of pollen particles in the air
during the hay fever season is very small, an
average of % to each cubic meter, and the nasal
and throat secretions of hay fever patients show
less pollen than those of healthy persons. Very
few heterogeneous appear in the pollen. AS
to the bacteria that may excite hay fever little
or nothing was learned and it is still uncertain
how such germs may be transmitted
~.
touching bit OF Alpine history tells of a
guide who fell into a crack in a glacier, and
whose perfectly preserved body emerged so
long afterward that it was recognized only by
an old woman who had been his youthful sweet
heart. Even more striking was the late dis
covery of DIR. Herr in Eastern Siberia. 1t was
the perfect body of mammoth, which, while
quietly feeding some 1000 years ago, had fallen
down declvity and been instantly killed Its
mouth still held the last tuft of grass its thick
red-brown hair was still unchanged.
-.
half acre near Scarborough. Eng, is plant
ed with trees and'shrubs for raising moths and
butterflies. In their season the stock of cater
pillars is 10000 and from 600 to 900 preserved
insects are kept in reserve.
Smallpox infection appears to have been car
ried by the air in cases observed in England by
DR.. Thresh. Hospital ships are anchored in the
Thames about 200 yards from the Essex Shore
with which no communication is allowed, and
when these ships have been receiving smallpox
patents-both in 1895 and during the epidemic of
the last few months-the disease has been con-
stantly present in the neighboring Essex dis
trict. Within three-quarters of mile from the
ships not less than o.S per cent. of the inhabi-
tants have been attacked. In the part of this
area much exposed to the infected wind, more
over, IL per cent of the population have become
victims, while in part rarely in line with the
wind from. the ships the rate has been less than
l per cent. Passing beyond three-fOurths of
mile the rate has rapidly fallen, the baneful in
fiuence seeming to have extended about two
miles.
From the study Of leprosy in South Africa,
Mr.. j. Hutchinson concludes that the primary
cause is the as food of badly-cured salt fish,
He does not believe that the disease is infec-
tious or contagious in the ordinary sense, but
that it may be communicated by eating food
poisoned by leper's hands. Legislative con-
troll of the fish-curing establishments is the
most important means of prevention. There
should also be warning as to the danger of COM
municatiOn, and small isolation homes for leperS
In the dangerous stage.
A new local an@sthetic, an alkaloid from an
Indian plant called "gasu- basu,'' is to be known
as nervocidine." 1t e1erts much more sus-
tanned action than cocaine, but has such draw
backs as giving local irritation, requiring 10 to
20 minutes to produce the an@sthetic state, and
causing nausea and more severe symptoms of
general poisoning. 1t is useful in certain den
tai cases.
Mount Etna is found by Prof. Ricco to have
been lowered s. feet on the south since 1868, and
twice as much on the north The top is supposed
to have been slowly blown away by the wind.
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ToIk o.