Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-04-29
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

The New Weather Seienee-Imaainary
Disease-The coal-Tar Dyes-Gyro-
scopic Ship steadyins-FossiI Ocean
currents-BiolosieaI Effects Of Dark
ness-Fish opal-A Novel Micro
seope-Another Appendicitis Theory.
In his work as director of the Indian
Meteorological Department, Sir John
Eliot has found that while one hemi-
sphere Of the earth, which includes
Europe, southern Asia, Africa, India
and Australia, Is experiencing high at
mospheric pressure on the average, the
other hemisphere, which includes North
and South America and Siberia, is ex-
periencing a deficiency Of pressure, and
vice versa This see-saw Of pressure
has an average period Of about four
years or a little less. This and other
facts that must influence ong-period
forecasting, lead Sir John to declare
that the next development Of weather
study will almost certainly be In the
direction of international or world me-
teorology and its relation to sun-spots
and terrestrial magnetism.
Hysterical persons imagine diseases
and deceive doctors in an astonishing
number of cases, according to French
writer. In diseases requiring surgical
treatment this Is serious, and in one
case Of simulated tuberculous perito-
nitis the patient was operated on three
times, the peritoneum being found per-
fectly healthy. In another case a wo-
man of twenty-six became dumb af-
ter an accident. Fortunately no oper-
alton was attempted, and she suddenly
recovered her voice during an X-ray
examination.
The coal-tar colors on the market In
1894 numbered asa distinct compounds.
A new survey enumerate 695 pro-
ducts, the actual number Of new dyes
being 300, as So have been dropped
from the list as obsolete.
On a vessel Of 5000 tons, Otto Shlick
a German naval architect, would ro-
tate a ten-ton flywheel at circumfer-
ence velocity Of $50 feet per second
He believes that the gyroscopic effect
would practically overcome the ships
tendency to roll.
We have been told of fossil rain and
fossil wind, and Prof. Stanislas Meu-
nier has now pointed out the existence
in certain rocks of fossil ocean cur
rents. In many localities the stratified
sand and sandstone show peculiarly
curved and interlaced layers. This in
terlaced structure Is now to be seen IN
formation by the river Seine, and the
rivers Of the ocean have transported
sand and mud to deposit in their wind
ings in a similar way. II the seas were
dried UP, the course and history of the
Gulf stream and other currents might
be traced in these deposits. The sand
and sandstone Of interlaced structure
are found from widely separated geo.
logical epochs, and an interesting les
son taught by them Is that the ocean
currents and their work have been
substantially the same at all periods
Of the earth's evolution.
Since 1896 the effects Of light and
darkness upon crustaceans, batrach-
ians and fishes have been studied In
biological laboratory Of the Catacombs
of Paris. In the underground portion
of the laboratory, animals accustomed
to daylight are kept constantly in dark
ness, while in a section above ground
cave animals are kept in ordinary
light. Life in darkness brings gradual
fading of color. The organs of smell
touch and taste soon increase to three
times their former size; the eyes re-
main normal for a time. but In fishes
doubled in size at the end Of five years,
though with loss Of power and evident
coming atrophy. The size Of fishes be-
comes much reduced. The cave AMI
mails show that light is disagreeable to
them, and in few months develop
color.
The N-rays of Blonlot seem to give
reactions that some persons can per-
ceive, while others cannot. This brings
up again the matter Of the difference
of the senses in different individuals
and suggests that selected persons may
be trained for work requiring acute
ness of vision. others for keenness of
hearing, and so on.
The discovery Of carolinium and ber-
zelium increases the number Of known
elements to about eighty. and Of radio
active substances to about six.
While wood that has been turned to
opal is frequently found. it has not
been supposed that flesh may be SINH
larly silicified. Australian geologists,
however, have been lately puzzled by
what appears to be an opal fish, which
is a stone three and a half feet long,
having the shape Of a dogf1sh, but with
spiral veins Of opal in the body and
horizontal ones about the head. The
object was taken from a depth Of 35
feet at White Cliffs. Local authorities
disagree, some declaring that the spec
linen Is a piece Of opalized wood of Gu
rious form, and 1t is to be sent to Lon
don for a thorough scientific investi-
cation.
A remarkably powerful new optical
instrument called the diastoloscope, is
described by French author as a kind
Of eye-piece, which Is attached to a
microscope in place of the ordinary
eye-piece. In place of lenses it has
two cones on the same axis. In the
fold of NianU annaarc central blank