The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-06-06
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
Messages of the Sea-Danger in Wet
Skin-Minimizing Surgical Risk-Dis-
tances of the Stars-Egg Freaks-Ine
Smallest Plant-Lighting by Bacterla-
Plant Oils as Protection from Frost-
The Powderless Gun.
In some experiments lately brought to the no
tice of the London Royal Society, telephone
receiver was connected in a short line of tele-
graph having both ends in the sea, and sounds
were heard that seemed characteristic of earth
currents of varying origin. Some sounds, usual
ly heard near sunset, are always stronger ana
more frequent in broad daylight, but are set up
by the electric tension preceding thunder
storm or gale. Particularly striking are GER
tain sounds resembling the distant scream of a
rocket rising in the air, and usually heard only
at night. 1t is assumed that these are due to
electric currents generated by meteorites fall
ing near the circuit. That they are seldom
heard in daytime is supposed to be due to cleo
IRRIGATION of the upper air by the sun, con-
dition that seems to explain the greater night
time efficiency of Marconi's signals.
-
In a recent English accident two bathers
were electrocuted by an alternating current of
of 200 volts by which the baths were lighted.
A report of the investigation that followed
states that with dry skin the resistance of the
human body between the finger tip and finger
tip is about 5000 ohms, and pressure of 1900
volts is necessary to send Is ampere through
it. yet a touch at 1900 volts with a wet skin is
likely to be fatal. With dry hands the poles Of
an alternating current of 200 volts could be
grasped with only painful shock, this being
about the limit of shocks given for amusement
at fairs. The current is about 1900 ampere.
With wet skin the resistance would probably be
less than 1000 ohms and at 200 volts the current
passed would exceed 1-5 ampere.
By what has been termed "knife-and-fork sur
gerry" koenig of Berlin seeks to avoid risk of
injecting wounds by the hands. Even in appen-
dicitis, special instruments, thoroughly steri-
lized. have enabled him to perform the entire
operation without touching the hands to the
tissues.
An idea of the distances of some of the fixed
stars is being slowly obtained. From observa-
lions six months apart angles are found having
the diameter of the earth's orbit as a line,
and from these angles the distances are com
puted, the yard-stick being the light-year, or
distance that light, at the rate of 10000 miles a
second, traverses in 1856 days. This hght-year is
equivalent to about &c, 900 times the distance of
the earth from the sun. From the recent de-
Examinations by DR.. Elkin and Others it appears
that the nearest bright star is Alpha Centauri,
visible only in the southern hemisphere, and
distant a little more than light-years; while
the nearest stars in the northern sky are Sirius,
at SK light-years, and Procyon, at 10 light-years
Arcturus seems to be about 125 lght-years
away; Regulus and Betelzause, about 14O
Light measurements indicate that the sun
would be first magnitude star if removed to a
distance of light-years and that Alpha Cen
tauri emits twice as much light as the sun Sirius
rs times as much, Pollux 100 times, and Alpha
Cygni at least 1000 times as much.
~
Many strange forms of the hens egg have
been collected by Clement L.. Webster. In one
an elongated large egg is connected by narrow
neck to small egg, both parts being soft-shelled'
while only the smaller has a yolk. Another
elongated egg is club-shaped, while similar
one has the small end bent up like that of the
crook-neck gourd. A triple egg, consisting of
three distinct eggs Joined, has hard shell and
contained only albumen with no yolk while a
large normal-shaped egg contained three yoIks
In one egg was a second complete egg, including
the shell.
"a
Microbes about 1O0,0OOth of an inch in length
have been seen under the microscope. and it is
known that others smaller What is the
limitr 1t is suggested that these invisible Or
ganisms may be 100000 or even 100000 times as
small as any seen, but L. Errera, who has been
studying the subject, finds that this cannot be
true. AS every organism must contain thous-
ands OF molecules, the smallest microbe can be
INN To- han fhoeo
-
The bacteria mining lamp of Prof Hans Mo-
lisch, of Parague, consists of glass jar lined
with compound of saltpeter and gelatine pre-
viously inoculated with luminous bacteria In
the jar, sufficiently brilliant to show faces two
yards away and TO enable person to read large
type, and this light remained for several days,
gradually fading away in about fortnight
The light is cold and quite safe in mines filled
with the most dangerous cases.
-.
The volatile oils that give plants their odors
are usually regarded as waste products which
play no part in the vegetable economy Dr.
George Henderson suggests that they may serve
the useful purpose of preventing damage by
night frosts during the towering period. 1t is
well known that moisture in the air prevents
radiation and loss of heat, and Tyndall showed
that If the notwithstanding power of dry air be
represented by that of air saturated with
moisture would be ~, which would be increased
to "a by traces of the essential oil of rosemary,
to 100 by that of cassia, and to 372 by that of
aniseed.
In test of the electro magnetic cannon of
Prof Kirkland, the Norwegian physicist, %
pound projectile from 2K inch bore was made
to penetrate to depth of 16 inches; and it is
claimed that projectile of 100 pounds could
De discharged from 12-inch gun with a speed
OF more than 200 yards per second without
lame or explosion. The special advantage is
that projectiles can be discharged with force
that would destroy the gun If ordinary explo-
sives were used.
a+s
Evidence Of the favorable action of x-rays
upon lupus and cancer continues to increase.
The action is not yet understood, one theory
being that it kills the bacteria, while a more
probable suggestion is that the Inflammation
set up brings an accumulation of phagocytes
and leucocytes, and these "scavengern cells at
tack and destroy the morbid tissues.
CASTORIA
To-. T.