The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-12-12

Abnormal Fermentation In Nature
Lamps for Downward Lighting-Light-
ninR's Tree Victime-France's Depopu-
lation-A New Coma Water Animal
in Desert Dust-Flavoring With Mi
Notwithstanding Progress-Doc-
tors Disagree.
Albinism, states E. Henriot, may be traced
back more than four centuries before Christ,
when it was described as existing in India, but
until the end of the seventeenth century 1t was
regarded as q condition of the skin. Sach-him-
self an albino-and others have shown that it Is
caused by absence of iron in the lower skin.
In man it is most common among blacks. The
white albino has a skin of peculiar pallor, hemp
colored hair, rose-colored iris and red pupil
the negro in some cases has skin as white as
milk, while in others It resembles wax, and the
hair is pale blonde yellow, orange or even red.
Albinism has been recorded in 70 mammals, in
Guiding horses, rabbits and mice. Numerous
examples are found among birds, the white
blackbird being no myth, aud 1t is often OBJ
served among fishes, reptiles and batrachians.
Il takes two forms In plants. In one the leaves
are affected. producing monstrosities of varie-
gated colors, and the other manifests itself in
the corolla. There are albinos also among
fruits, such as the raspberry, strawberry and
goosebeTry.
Attention has been called by E. Bohn to two
new forms of incandescent lamps. In both, the
lower half of the bulb is of futed glass, which,
acting as a row Of lenses concentrates the light
downwards. and gives the special advantage Of
strong illumination directly beneath the lamp.
One form has the ordinary filament, with the
upper half Of the bulb of opal glass. while the
other has zigzag horizontal flament and top
Of clear glass.
A report Of the Austrian weather service
notes "a cases of damage to trees by lightning
in 1901 q being pine or larch 20 oaks II poplars
and 10 pear trees. The beech, usually supposed
to escape lightning, was struck only once, but
several other trees shared the same freedom
from damage.
Investigation into the decline of population
in France has included an inquiry into infant
mortality by p. Budin. It appears that in Paris
1l5 out of every 1000 deaths of children less
than one year old. and in st. Pol-sur-Mer the
proportion is as high as 500 per 1000. In the FIVE
years ending with 1900 the average annual NOR
tality of children under one year in France was
1sl,434. The principal causes of death are in
fantile diarrhoea. respiratory diseases, and con-
genital debility, the hrst-named claiming much
the largest number Of victims The diarrhoea,
comparatively rare in breast-fed infants, is
chiefly induced by excessive and improper feed
ing, especially in the premature use Of solid
food. With proper care deaths from this cause
might be almost entirely prevented. Suggested
remedies for the excessive mortality include
state Intervention to persuade healthy mothers
to nurse their own children. regular weekly
medical inspection. hospital care of weaklings.
and the prohibition Of the insurance of the lives
of infants.
The mineral spodumene. usually known in
Opaque whitish crystals. occasionally yields
small transparent specimens of good color.
Such are the clear yellow gem-spodumene of
Brazil, the green hiddenite or lithia emerald, Of
North Carolina, and the lilac or amethystine
fragments of Connecticut. The recent remark
able find Of spodumene in the rubellte locality
of San Diego Co., CAL, includes transparent
rosy lilac crystals up to the size of mans
hand. Mir. George F. Kunz reports that no such
crystals Of this mineral have been seen before,
and that they will undoubtedly yield gems of
great beauty, with the hardness of the amethyst.
-
The latest estimate places the United King
dom's coal supply at s0.684 100000 tons, which
the present rate of mining would exhaust in $40
years. The worlds output in 1900 is given as
767 1885, 20l tons, of which the United States pro-
duced 245 GOO tons and Great Britain 229 900
tons.
The sixth sense" by which blind persons per-
ceive certain objects is attributed by DIR. Emile
Javel, who has been blind several years. to SEN
sitiveness of the skin to obscure radiations that
do not affect the eyes.
remarkable adoption of mollusc to strange
conditions has been brought to notice by Baron
Nordenskjold. Portions of Bolivia produce an
unctuous edible earth known as "chaco," and
during the wet season in these localities species
Of fresh-water limpet (Ancylus moricandD
abounds in the numerous pools. In dry seasons.
however, the pools are completely dried up, the
whole country becoming practically arid
desert. The Ancylus does not succumb but
protects itself by securely closing the opening
to its shell. the material used being true shell
instead of the thin skin with which certain land
snails guard themselves in times of drouth.
When there is no marked dry season, the Ancy-
lus retains its ordinary condition.
80
Microbe farming to supply favors for the
table is a possible future development. The
new microbe of M. Eichholtz, which gives a
strong flavor of strawberries, was first isolated
and grown in milk. It was found to peptonize
and render soluble the albuminoids, and tho
peculiar agreeable taste developed at the same
time was soon noticed. Further experiment has
shown that the bacillus fragi, as this microbe is
called, may impart its flavor to beef-tea and
several other liquids and some solids, although
it is without effect on mashed potatoes.
"a
The fluid lens of DIR. Grun is reported to have
been much improved, abon. 200 of them having
been made. It is so rapid that theatrical scenes
can be photographed by the ordinary stage
lighting, and Photographic portraits can be
taken in an ordinary well-lighted studio in LOO
second. The lensi is expected to prove of special
value in color photography.
-.
Lunar influence on the weather varies with
the observer. Prof. w. II. Pickering lately
showed that thunderstorms are less frequent in
the second half OF lunation than in the first,
and it has now been found that Schiaparelli,
from records of 1927 to 1884. proved that thun-
derstorms reach a maximum near the Gath day
Of each lunation.