The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-07-23
SOURED BIZ ELECTRICITY.
Effect of Thunderstorn,s on MILK,
Beer and Meat.
From the London Lancet.

beer anu Mehts
From the London Lancet
During serious electrical disturbances
in the atmosphere 1t is we'll known
that beer may become hard" milk
may sour, and meat may frequently
turn Considerable speculation has
arisen as to the cause of this change.
1t has been suggested that an ozonized
state of the air due to electric dis
charge has something to do with it, or
that the formation of nitrous acid in
the air is responsible for the change
1t is, however, not probable that the
atmosphere undergoes any chemical
change sufficient to account for the
extent to which certain foods turn"
Moreover, any important quantity of
ozone or nitrous acid would be calcu-
lated to exert a preservative effect as
both are powerful antisepties.
IT may be urged, again. that the phe-
nomenon is due to oxidation by means
of ozone. but this can hardly be the
case, in view of the large quantities of
beer and milk that are soured in rela-
ticn 10 the very small quantity of
ozone which a thunderstorm produces
In the case Of meat, at any rate, the
turning can scarcely be attributed to
the action of ozone or of oxygen. The
change is probably due. not directly to
chemical agencies, but purely to dis
turbance of the electric equilibrium.
IT is we'll known that an opposite
electrical state is set up by induction
so that an electrical condition of the
atmosphere induces a similar condi-
ton, though opposite in character, in
the objects on the earth. Persons near
whom a flash of lightning passes fire.
aXn6rtAnRa a eli hry
Induction. though no lightning touches
them; and in the celebrated experiment
of Galvani he showed that skinned
frog in the neighborhood of an electro
cal machine, although dead, exhibited
convulsive movements every time that
a spark was drawn from the conductor.
In the case of milk turning" or OF
beer hardening" or of meat becoming
tainted 1t is probably, therefore, an in
stance of chemical CONFUSION or. II
may be, of a stimulus given to bacte-
biological agencies set up by an oppo-
site electrical state of the atmosphere
Although these changes are most
marked during thunderstorm, yet un-
doubtedly they occur al other times,
though not to the same degree, when
there is no apparent electric disturb
ance.
But even when the sky is clear the
atmospheric II1dN eAHlDlL considerable
electrical tension. The electroscope
constantly shows that a conducting
point elevated in the air is taking UP
a positive charge (as a rule) of cleo
tricity. the tension rising with the
hight of the point. This effect in
creases toward daybreak until IL
reaches maximum some hours after
sunrise. 1t then dininishes until It is
weakest few hours before sunset,
when II again rises and attains a sec
ond maximum value some hours after
sunset, the second minimunI occurring
before daybreak. There are, accord
ingly. constant changes of electrical
tension going on. changes, however,
which are quite powerful enough to
exert an evil influence on certain arti-
cles OF food or drink susceptible to
cnsnge, notably meat. milk, and beer
or cider.
There is no doubt that the unfavora-