The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-05-31
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SCIENTIFIC

8 SCIENTIFIC t
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!. Eucalyptus and other trees OF tn.
Australian deserts store up water
which the natives obtain by cutting ~
the roots and standing the pieces en-
end
Human serum. contrary to expees
ton, has proven effective in counter
acting effects Of the tsetse fly bite 4.
lower animals. and feebly active as a
preventive.
Though yesuvius has been for c.s-
turtles discharging steam charged w,th
hydrochloric acid, extensive injury Z.
vegetation in the surrounding resiea
seems to have been unknown until last
year.
The youthful appearance OF nate
women Of Swaziland is attributed Il =
/ secret elixir, which. like all kaffir re-s,-
edies. Is obtained from an herb, snd
which preserves plumpness. etc. thicty
or forty years.
Pure barium. as lately obtained sy
II. Guntz in the electric furnace, Is 49,
ver-white when freshly cut, almost AZ
soft as lead. fuses at a low red hsat.
and volatiiizes rapidly at a bright red
II oxidi3es rapidly in the air. often tax
ing fire.
! Very light plates for electric primary
; cells are made by A. DE Castro. OF
Aal
fabrics by electrolySis. Saii-cloth Ear
instance. may be impregnated with re-
duced copper for the negative elements
I and with reduced zinc for the positive
elements.
The preservation of fruits and veg
etableS by cold has been a subject OF
I tests by the makers OF a French ss,;-
. phurous acid freezing machine Az S.
TO 10 degrees Fahr., perfectly ripe mel
ons were kept unchanged for eigat
days, and the ripening of piums, pes
bananas. ETC., was completely arresfSe
Darwin laid great stress on the ''sur-
vival of the f1ttest" in the struggle Of
living forms for a place on earsh
Prince Kropotkin. in a new work
SHOWS that mutual aid" a kind Of
cooperation in nature, has been. like
competition. a leading factor in evoiu-
ton.
The great dust cloud of the KraEs-
toa eruption in 1888 has been repco-
duced on a small scale by an explosion
of $40 pounds of blasting gelatine at
Perranporth, on the Cornwall coast
Rain and snow falling six days after
ward deposited a yellow sediment, even
at one point 113 miles away, and this
proves to be undoubtedly dust from sae
explosion "a
The natural soap mined near Ash
croft, b. c., is q washing compound
containing borax and soda. The exact
composition seems to be unknown,
different analyses of the same sample
have reported 16 and 20 per cent of
borax. but il is claimed to give results
equal to those of the common washing
powders. The mixture lines the bottoms
and sides of several soda lakes, one %
which contains 10000 tons.
The next return of the Leonides, sr
November meteors, Will mark the one
thousandth anniversary of the first req
ord OF this swarm. Last November =
on the morning of the 18th. one Amer
can observatory estimated that 1Sss
meteors per hour were falling. In Eng
land a number of meteors were dousiy
observed, the mean heights of eisht
being thus calculated at eighty-one 10
fifty-six miles, with visible paths Of
twenty-five to sixty-seven miles.
A mysterious loss Of water is often
noticed in boilers under steam but net
in use. The valves appear to be tight.
no escaping steam is seen, but in few
hours it is necessary TO introduce more
water. What becomes Of the lost steam
IS a problem that could be thoroughly
investigated with profit. In one case
i. is stated, the loss was partly &C
counted for when windows over Sae
boiler were opened. the cold air makiss
visible a leak of steam from every
valve.
It has been urged that doctors 1t
least should be absolutely vaccinates
To show what is meant. DR.. Arthur
Maude states that, after four effective
vaccinations at intervals OF seven L"
nine years, in 1892 he revaccinated him
self four times at Intervals OF month.
the effects decreasing to no reaction =
all; and since that time he has resu-
larly vaccinated himself every fe"
months He insists that the physician
should have this protection, which give.
no Inconvenience after two applicS-
tons.
The high-frequency electric currests
of D'Arsonval are applied by two Ger
man dentists instead OF ordinary sh-
aesthetics. Application of the current
TO the part is made through a moldins.
which is covered inside with metahiG \
powder and layer of tinfoil. with sHe
additional layer Of asbestos to absorb
heat. Out of fifteen cases of extraction
of teeth with one root. thirteen opera
tions were completely painless Tbe
patient remains in a waking condition
and the usual risks and annoyauce<
are avoided.