The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1904-02-06

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Correspondence baltimore County linton.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
A New ulusion-Radium and Comets
A Motallurgical Hospisal-The Disease
OF Obeslty-Tempering Copper--A
Neurological Freak-Iron From Sand
Novel Danger from Explosives
Acknowledging Plants.
A curious Illusion Of vision is being studied by
Dr.. George NJ Gould, Of Philadelphia. It Is
the apparent movement OF distant bright
light-such as an incandescent electric light
two or three miles aWay-and IL can best be OBJ
served By looking steadily at the light on dark
night, with precautions to shut from the field Of
view other lights or objects that would tend to
TX the location Of the point under observation.
with the right eye alone. the light seems to
move slowly to the right and often upward |;
while the left eye usually but not always sees
the light move to the left and sometimes also
upward. DR.. Gould supposes the movements to
be caused BY the mechanism or physiology Of
the brain center for vision, and he suspects that
this hitherto undescrIbed phenomenon may
prove Of far-reaching interest as connected
with ghosts, telepathic visions, the Illusion Of
delirium tremens. etc.
sss
The idea that comets are connected with
radioactive substances was suggested by T. G.
Chamberlin as long ago as July, 1901. Prof. @.
v. Boys now considers that radium, whose par
ticles are shot out at twelfth Of the velocity
Of light, may explain some of the phenomena
Of comets tails, these particles would be sent
away from the electrically charged surface Of
the sun in a single, double or multiple stream.
The negatively charged rays that radium is said
to give out would be attracted, giving the tails
that on q few occasions have pointed toward
the sun.
The diseases Of metals'' are becoming so
well-recognized by German metallurgists that
the Imperial Navy Yard at Wilhelmshafen regu-
larry sends samples to the dissecting tables Of
Prof Heyn, who diagnosis the maladies, and en-
deaVors to prescribe remedies.
nFA
The shortness of breath and heart weakness Of
fat people are found by Dr. L. Menard, "a French
physician. to be not wholly due to superabun-
dance Of flesh. The disease of obesity is that of
imperfect assimilation. the blood being filed
with the incompletely oxidized products of the
latter process. and by training and systematic
exercise it Is possible to correct the faults Of
nutrition, so that health and strength may be
enjoyed, even without reduction Of weight.
The worlds champion wrestler in 1o01-excell-
ing in running as well as In strength-weighed
2N pounds although only feet 8 inches in
height, this weight being 1872 pounds above the
accepted standard for his height. The disturb
ance Of nutrition may even be brought about
by lessening the weight through diet cures or
cd <.e
duced diet, especially diet of milk and vege-
tables. together with methodical exercise, usu-
ally gives both reduction Of weight and cor
rection Of the lung and heart arrangements Of
obseity.
Hardened copper. states German authority.
has been sought not so much for providing in
Struments with razor-like cutting edges as for
coating them with q caee-hardened surface to
resist changes from exposure. A lately pub
lished patent claims that copper may be salts
factorily tempered by heating slowly to GER
tain temperature and sprinkling with powdered
sulphur during the heating. The objects, while
still hot, are plunged into bath Of blue vitrol.
s's
A novel watch in Zurich is in the form of q
ball which moves imperceptibly down an in
clined plane without rolling. There is no spring,
the sliding giving motion to the hands, and the
trip from top to bottom of the inclined surface.
distance Of 1e inches, requires "A hours. The
ball Is then lifted again to the top.
-
The birds Of Lapland are reported by H. Goe-
bel to number 1893 species. OF these. 1873 GER
tainly breed In that country. "a probably do SO,
II are stragglers and winter visitors. is an
ocean species, and are seen only in the Solo
vetski Islands.
The best iron sand, quite black and containing
81 or 40 per cent. of metal is claimed by the
British Colonies. It is calculated that there are
100 miles Of it along the coast of the Gulf of
st. Lawrence in Canada, 200 miles in New Zea-
land, and about so In British Columbia, and it is
also found in Ireland. prize Of about $4,000
has been offered by the Government Of New
Zealand for a satisfactory method Of extract
ing the iron. Many processes have been paten-
ted, but one of the most promising seems to
be now under test at Lambeth, Eng, where the
iron is first separated by magnets, then formed
into briquetts through the aid of secret fluid,
and 10 finally heated in the furnace. As only
half the ordinary amount Of coke is required,
the process is expected to materially reduce the
cost of pig-iron.
IoAAI AAJ otGAlO0c ucdtu1 VI CdlblC III AlucEucJ
have been traced to curious source. Mercury
was found in the dead animals, and also in
many meadows and gardens, and the presence
Of the poison is attributed to a recent explosion
Of factory for Illuminate Of mercury. The
fumes from the explosion were carried to dis
tance By a strong gale. As a result of the in
quiry. the manufacture Of explosives in the
island has been prohibited.
80
The migration of birds is being studied in q
new manner by German ornithologists. Hum
dreds or thousands Of crows are being captured
at Rossitten. in East Prussia. and after being
tagged with a number and the date are again
liberated. It is requested that when one of
these birds is killed. the tag and the date and
place Of killing shall be forwarded for record.
80
A tree using aluminium almost to the exclu-
sion Of other mineral elements has been repor-
ted in New South Wales by H. g. Smith, of Sgd
ney. 1t is known botanically as Oritss ercelsa r.
Br and the aluminium is deposited IS basic
succinate. Other towering plants show only a
trace of aluminium, althoughit seems to serve
as q food Of cryptogams.