The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-08-16
SCIENTIFIC

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A study OF the cancer and peeullari-
ties OF diet OF certain districts has lea
]. Braithwaite TO conclude that excss-
sive use of salt is leading cause OF the.
disease. With this there is probabIA
some local irritant or stimulant, an
either an over-nourished condition A.
the body due especially TO much meat
or a loading OF the cells OF the body
with effete matter. as In the aged. the
indOlent and those who live indoor
lives, or locally in organs that have
become disused. The theory Is confirm
ed by the facts that cancer is rare
among active workers I'm the open afr
and practically unknown among ami
mails that do not use salt
How the electric waves used in wire
less biography follow the earths curV-
ature is sim an unsoived problem. ~.
Lasher supposes that the waves run
along the surface OF the earth. and eS-
pecially Of the sea, In the same manner
that they follow a wire. and that part
of the electric energy enters the earths
surface as part of II penetrates the sur.
face of the wire. A suggested test Of
the theory is signalling between tive
balloons, when the difficulty OF COM
munication should increase with the
height, The electrical oscillations being
at right angles to the wire or esrth's
surface, another interesting experiment
would be the sending of signals up
precipice using both horizontal and
vertical antennae.
Oils of chamomile. rosemary. cumin,
iilicum anisatum and rose are found
by Dubois to phosphoresce I'm the cold
on agitation with an alcoholic solution
OF potassium hydrate. The different
behavior of oils OF geranium and pelar-
gonium gives an easy means OF recog-
niZing substitutions Of these oils fora
oil OF rose. Turpentine oil does nE
phosphoresce when fresh. but sonieE
times does SO when old. The most
brilliant effect Is shown by aesculin, a
glucoside of horse-chestnut bark. In
the cold alcoholic solution OF potas-
SUM hydrate, this substance sparkles
for hours. Frightening up with every
of the liquid. and giving an
Of light in direct proportion
TO the purity of the aesculin. In no
case. however, is this phosphorescence
equal TO that Of cultures OF marine
photo bacteria.
In his experiments OF the last four
years, NJ Ed. Fouche has found no
better solvent for acetylene than ace
tone This liquid does not boil below
1873 deg +. and, at atmospheric pres
sure and a temperature of 80 deg. one
volume absorbs "a volumes OF acety-
ene. Water is carefully excluded. The
solution is not explosive until the pres
sure Of dissolved gas reaches 140 pounds
per square inch. but at double this
pressure the whole mass can be deton-
ated. For safety the liquid is absorbed
by special poTbus bricks carried in steel
cylinders. These cylinders have a wa
.er capacity OF OH TO 353 cubic feet,
and hold 100 times these volumes Of
lcetylene at the standard pressure Of
l42 pounds. With incandescent burn
srs, light of AIS candle power is OBJ
aimed from on cubic foot OF acetylene
Der hour which is about one-fftleth,
ne volume per candle hour of the or
iinary compressed gas used in lighting
:ars
Sleep is produced by the action OF
substances generated in the body DUR.
ng work states DR.. j. II. Kellogg. AZ
Experiment some years ago showedE
hat a rabbit would fall asleep when
injected with the Urinary secretion OF
tired laborer. but that only q spasm
vas produced by the night secretion OF
he same man. The products OF the
BODY laboratory OF the idler instead OF
poison and irritate, giving
Use to sleeplessness. There are other
ileep-producing substances, but the
leep from bromide of potash opium
llcohol, chloroform or ether is not of
he most restful kind, and there are
lfter-effects. Natures own sleep-pro-
iucer is within the reach OF all. The
person in health can get two or three
hours of outdoor activity before going
o bed, and the partially disabled can
,erform hard work by extending the
rms at full length for two minutes or
-eeping all the muscles rigid for five
minutes. The bed-ridden invalid can
et the benefits Of good exercise from
many movements Of head, limbs and
runk.
Electricity, in the view of the TWEEN
Ieth century physicist, is a material
INSTANCE. Its unit, the electron, forms
n infnitesimal part OF the atom OF
ny element, and when split Off IL pro-
uces stress in the ether similar TO
hat due to a negatively electrified
ody. This severing Of the eIectron
'om Its atom Is the genera ton of cleo
-icity. The remainder Of the atom
cts as a positively charged body. but
is not certainly known whether the
ositive electron-supposed to be about
IN times as heavy as the negative
eaily exists. Associated with neutral
articles, the eIectrons become mega
We ions and positive ions. Conduc-
on is wandering of these ions, mag
etism and the magnetic field and inff4f
uced currents are explained by rapid y "
1tations Of the eIectrons, and the phe-
omena Of the electric arc and vacuum
ibes depend largely upon the splitting
p Of neutral molecules, or ionizatiOn.
he radio-activity OF such substances
5 radium, actinium and poloniurn is
he somewhat forcible projection Of
ther negative electrons or positive
ms.
That memories are laid down in
rata is the novel theory evolved by
r C. A. Mercier from cases Of senile
sanity. Though quite forgetful OF re-
mt happenings the patient recalls
ng-past events In correct order. and
zen lives again amid scenes that had
lssed utterly ont OF racoIIecflnn be-