The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-03-21


Problem Again.
Two coats of hot oil, carefully applied after
thorough cleaning Of the metal, are recommen-
ded by Canadian artisan as an Improvement
over any process now in use for preventing rust
of structural iron and steel. The oil would I'LL
crevices cracks and holes where paint cannot
enter. 1t would cover rough places often i'm
perfectly coated in ordinary painting. and it
would be a fine preparation for subsequent
painting or covering with cement coating.
"a
Arsenic, the dreaded poison that Prof. Ar
mand Gautier of Paris asserts is essential to life,
proves to be disseminated in tie primitive
rocks, from which sea-water derives its store.
The minute quantity taken in the food because
localized in the skin and its appendages, the
thyroid and mammary glands, the brain and the
bones and it is stated to be the exciting ferment
of the functions of sensation and reproduction
just as phosphorus is the exciting element of
the functions of cellular nutrition.
"a
Some of the giant Sequoias of Southern Cali
fornia are estimated to be from 5000 to 5000
years old, having perhaps SPAWNED the entire
period of written history. A section in the
American Museum of Natural History was cut
ITOu O06 Oh L0ebc trees db 0olBuJ VI " lecbs -
a little more than IS feet in diameter, and its
concentric rings show that it began its growth
in $50 A. D.. the tree reaching diameter Of ID
feet at Columbus landing,
-
''Nieves penitentes," slightly inclined snow
columns resembling shrouded figures doing PEN
ance, are peculiar phenomenon of the Andes
to which Sir NJ. Conway has given attention.
They are the last remnants of drifts or slides
which have become hardened in nearly vertical
strata OF difrerent densities.
~
Various drugs are enumerated by DIR. Schwei-
nitz as liable to produce forms of amblyopia, or
weakness of vision. Quinine in moderate doses
may cause dimness of sight lasting for several
hours and in large doses it may give rise to sud
den and almost complete blindness persisting
for some days. Similar effects upon vision and
the retina are produced by the salicylates and
by acetamilid. Weak sight is caused by ordi-
nary alcohol, and in more severe form by wood
alcohol, two drains of the latter having been
known to produce blindness. while in ninety per
cent. of the cases the injury is permanent
Iodoform, either absorbed from dressings or
taken internally, sometimes affects the vision.
Strong tobacco is very liable to cause the sight
to fail after some years, and blindness may be
y
opia is sometimes due to substances used in
certain occupations. Workers in lead and rub.
Der become gradually affected from the fumes
of lead and disulphide; hat-makers suffer
through the vapor of wood alcohol used in the
varnish and employees in chemical factories
have their vision impaired by the fumes Of arti-
fetal essence of almonds, nitro or dinitro-
benzene.
1t has been known for some years that ants see
in the ultraviolet rays a color unknown to hui
man eyes, and it Is suggested that the presence
OF this color, alone and In mixtures, doubtless
transforms the whole aspects of nature. Other
auimals perceive vibrations that do not affect
our ears, thus hearing sounds and melodies to
whichwe are deaf. 1t is In the sense of smell,
however, that many creatures surpass US, and
this sense, so strikingly developed in dogs and
some other mammals, is the most extraordinary
endowment of insects. A female gypsy moth is
known to attract males from mile away. Males
of other moths have found females at distance
of several miles, and when some females were
enclosed in boxes in glass building, the subtle
odor-confined and masked by thousands of
other odors-soon drew male moths from afar.
-
French physician removes foreign bodies
from the ear by sucking them into soft rubber
tube.
The problem of travel by balloon at sea has
been studied by NJ. Henri Herve since 1885. his
experiments-begun in the North Sea-being
now carried on in the Mediterranean. His bal
loon is provided with conical top to avoid fat
tening by showers, and instead of a single rope
system is used consisting of trailer floating |
at the end of long rope behind the balloon and
a balance weight hanging in the water by
nearly vertical and shorter rome Two devia-
tors are employed for changing the uaHoon's
course through the action of the water, one
giving changes of about 3O0 while the other is
claimed to produce reflections as great as 700 or
800. Water is used for ballast. and is drawn as
needed through a suction hose into cylindri-
cal reservoir hung above the balance weight
~
The influence on health of various metals used
in the household, especially in contact with
food, has been the subject of German report
by Prof. Lehman. Lead and lead preparations
are found to be positively injurious and dan
gerous; household poisoning by mercury is too
rare for notice, and copper, zinc and tin are but
slightly poisonous-less SO than is often sup
posed. Silver, aluminium iron and nickel may
be regarded as completely harmless.
Reviving an old question. DIR. G. Leighton
shows that there is no anatomical reason why
adders should not swallow their young. An adj
ders gullet is quite capable of containing field
mouse, and as frogs are known to live for a con-
siderable time after being swallowed by snakes
it seems quite possible that young adders should
be swallowed by their parent without being
killed. The phenomenon is improbable, how
ever, until proved by certain evidence.
80
Considering the dissertation of matter, NJ. GUS
tave lie Bon concludes that kathode rays, X-rays
and all radio-activity are aspects of a new form
of energy as common in nature as electricity or
heat. better acquaintance with the phe-
nomena may show connecting link between
matter and energy.
An absolute vacuum may always remain I'M
known, but close approach to it has been
reached by Prof. James Dewar in his determined
search for the absolute zero of temperature.
He uses no air-pump. glass receiver with
receptacle at the bottom, is filled with air.
which is then frozen and falls into the lower
tube. The neck of the latter is then sealed IN
the blowpipe flame, when the portion contain
ing the air is broken of.
-
In the process of Prof Hofrath Moselig, NOR
tifcation of the bones of the leg Is cured by
removing the diseased part and replacing 1t
with filling of iodoform, sesamoel and sper-
maceti. Roentgen-ray pictures of cured legs
Inko xo1,0 10 he 0df So