The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-11
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY
A Cuban Insect Trap-A Hint for the Homo. Good Cheer Powders-The Greatest Med ical Puzzle-A Gas-Fire Econo- mizer-An Interesting Problem.
 RadhIm Light-Water An '. aesthesia - Winter
 Melting Ice.

One or the nose Teildihoo ok "ooSh- catching plants seems to be grass tcen- cirrus echinatus Linn) that Is a great pest ialong the edges of Cuban cane-fields. With the beginning of the rains says E. A. Schwarz in calling attention to this plant, great swarms of insects appear. and they are caught In enormous numbers In the Towering spikes of the grass Even beetles so large that they can not be easily held in the hand are retained. only large ear wig and a large bug being able to escape. The plant seems to derive no benefit what ever from It's ruthless captures. new use for carborundum has been dis covered in Germany. Two large gas retorts becoming very Ieaky. paste of equal parts of carbcrundum and fireclay was applied to the still red hot edges of the cracks. and in three minutes the retorts were receiving their usual charges of coal. subsequently, proving quite sound. For repairing a cold object the carborundum may be mixed with one third of it's weight of water-glass in-
 stead of fireclay.
 Powders for the temper are prescribed by Sir Lander Brunton. As the irritability pre- ceding an attack of gout comes on. he gives 20 grains of bicarbonate of potash with 10 to 20 grains of bromide of potassium; and for the irritability coming before head
 ache caused by heart troubles he advises a few doses of bromide of potassium and salicylate of soda
 The recent nutrition experiments have shown that man utilzes about ss per cent of the material and 91 per cent of the ergy of his food. The steam engine. with an efficiency of ten per cent or less, is a poor machine by comparison.
 Epilepsy, though known to Hippocrates
 O by millions, still remains one of the most mysterious and neglected diseases. It is es- timated that not less than 150.00 living persons in the United States are epileptics. and they are no fewer elsewhere. all class es copdtions and ages being affected. The attacks may appear but a few times in a long life or they may number hundreds and even thousands in twenty four hours. There are four chief forms. viz: CD A sudden, severe fit, with loss of consciousness and muscular control: (2) mild fit, with par tial unconsciousness; (3 a spasm in a single leg or arm or group of muscles, and (D temporary blank in the memory. Feeble mnjedness usually follows epilepsy insan- ity developing in fully 20 per cent of the cases. Considering the oft-claimed rela- tionship between genius and epilepsy, Dr. W. P. Spratling. a specialist in epilepsy. contends that the disease always impairs the mental powers, and that Caesar, Ma poleon, Mohammed. Swedenborg and other great epileptics must have become affected when their strength was on the wane.
 Radiant. the invention of two English en- gineers is claimed to increase the effi- ciency of gas fires as remarkably as the in- candescent mantle adds to the light It is product of the waste of chemical works replaces asbestos fire-clay balls, and causes the gas to burn brightly and com pletely, trebling the heat. The material can be had in any quantity at no greater cost than fire-clay.
 Whether matter undergoes any change of properties on being charged with electric current has been a subject of experiment The results have been practically negative MT. Paul R. Heyl states that when carry Ing heavy current the change in the tensile strength of iron can not exceed half of one per cent and the melting point of tin can hardly be changed two degrees
 very infusible fire brick. promising to serve many needs Is made by cementing quartz sand with magnesia, drying and carefully burning.
 Some new and simple radium experiments have been described by Prof, Rebuffat. an Italian physicist. On rubbing a glass tube with wool in medium containing a raiium salt. luminous glow followed the wool and glow also appeared when the finger was brought near the excited glass Using A vacuum tube brought into connection with a tube of radium salt. a brilliant glow ap- peared inside when the outside of the glass tube was rubbed with wool This experi- ment it is believed. makes 1t possible to demonstrate the production of emanations from radiunl mixtures of low grade, or feeble activity.
 The action of water as anaesthetio is Illustrated in some recent cases brought to notice by Joseph Clements In one case five hemorrhoids were injected with dis titled water. when they were removed in fifteen minutes without pain and the pa tient at once returned home. Tn another
 Sl o\Sl tniro C. j >cntury Dr. Pleile
 Golden Medical Discovery has sold more