Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1902-04-10
Science Notes.

8AETE R s
AS to discoveries of DR.. Loeb and
himself regarding the nature of nerve
force. DR.. Mathews of Chicago thus
recapituidLes in an article on the sub
ject in the current Century: 1t has
been shown. First, that the chemical
stimulation OF protoplasm is really an
electrical stimulation; second. that
the poisonous action of inorganic salts
is due to the electrical charges of the
salts and probably to the movements
of these charges; third, that the neg
alive charges stimulate protoplasm
while the positive prevent stimulation
and if not counteracted by the mega
tive will destroy life; fourth. that
muscle contraction is probably in it's
essence an electrical phenomenon and
that the conduction of nerve i'm
pulse is almost certainly an electrical
phenomenon; fifth, for the first time
we have physical explanation, which
agrees with all the main known facts,
of the nerve impulse and changes in
irritability; sixth. we have secured a
physical explanation of the way in
which an anesthetic produces its eff
feet; seventh, we are led to the hypo-
thesis of the identity of stimulation by
light and by chemicals.
Ape Relationship to Wan.
In recent number of the Lancet
Grunbaum gives a short note of
some extremely interesting observa-
tions that he has made on the blood of
three anthropoid apes-the gorilla,
the orang, and the chimpanzee. He
first points out that in a general way
it may be said that the serum from
an animal for instance, rabbit, that
has been injected .intraperitoneally
several times with any given organic
fluid will, if mixed in small quantity
with a dilute solution of the fluid
used for injection, produce more or
less marked precipitate. To such a
serum has been given the name
"antiserum" Hence the serum from
the rabbit that has been treated in this
way with human blood which gives a
precipitate with human blood may be,
although somewhat paradoxically,
called human antiserum." Such a
serum has. to use the term applied by
Durham to agglutinating serums, a
special" although not specific"
action. Grunbaum, adopting the gen
eral mode of application of the test,
found that human antiserum' gives a
precipitate with all three species of
anthropoid apes above mentioned-a
precipitate that is practically indis-
tinguishable either in quantity or quail
ity from that obtained with human
blood But it is not only by the action
of the human antiserum on anthropoid
blood that this close relationship of
the various bloods may be demon
strated Grunbaum having prepared
gorilla, orang, and chimpanzee anti
serum, and having tested them, found
that ali reacted not only with their
own blood, but with each of the others
and also with human blood. This
would seem to indicate a somewhat
close blood relationship" between
man and certain of the anthropoid
apes
Comparing the constituencies of hui
man organs with some OF the mechan-
ism of the scientific laboratory, Carl
Snyder writes in Harper's magazine:
The ear hears little of what is going
on around us. By means of micro
phone the tread of fly sounds like
the tramp of cavalry Our heat sense
is very vague; we need a variation of
at least one-fifth of degree on a
thermometer to realize any difference
in temperature. Prof Langley's lit
tie bolometer will note the difference
of millionth of a degree. 1t is 200,-
900 times as sensitive as our skin. A
galvanometer will flex it's finger at the
current generated simply by deform-
ing a drop of mercury, of pressing it
out from a sphere to the shape of an
egg The amount of work done by a
wink of the eye would equal hundred
billion of the units marked on the
scale of very delicate instrument
1t is at least 10000 times as sensitive
as the eye or the ear. But even this
astonishing performance is far sur
passed by the exquisitely sensitive
coherers, discovered by Prof. Brandy OF
Paris, by which the Hertz waves OF
wireless telegraphy are caught in
their pulsings through space. The
range of impressions which We get
from lifting an object in the hand
seems rather small An ordinary
chemists balance is about 20,000,00C
times as sensitive 1t will weigh
down to the 200th part of a milligram
Wherever we turn we shall find in,
struments which surpass each and all
of our senses in most humiliating
way.