The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-04-08

Correspondence Beltim0rs County linton.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
Mlectrical Germ Killing Preserved Brains
Novel surgery-nvery Day Paine-A
Hidden Peril-Tne New Ulecfromobilo
"A Guage Of extraordinarily and /
the Hair-The Latest Serum-The Dead
Line.
The electrical treatment Of sewage, as tried
by DR.. Rideal. at Guilf0rd, Eng, seems to have
proven simple, inexpensive and effective. A
solution of salt and water. or even ordinary sea-
water, is decomposed in especial electrolyzer of
large surface and using q large volume OF
current, and tho so-callcd oxychl0ride solution
resulting Is added to the sewage in quantity
varying with circumstances. Any kind Of
sewage LIQUID may be treated. The worst forms
are readily made as free from bacteria as drink
ing water, and raw sewage receiving lsK gallons
Of solution per 1000 gallons showed reduction
of organisms from 100000 to $40 per cubic CEN
tImeter in five hours, bacilli allied to those Of
typhoid diminishing from over 100000 to none.
Students Of the brain are hampered BY the
scarcity of specimens Of famous brains. The
French societe Mutuelle d. Autopsie, founded
in 1881, now has ten brains or more, including
those Of Gambetta, Bertillon and g. de NORTH
let; the Cornell Brain Association. founded by
Prof. Wilder in 1889, has bequeathed to It seventy
brains, Of which thirteen have been delivered
and preserved; and the American Anthropo-
metric Society, started in Philadelphia In 1890,
has six brain Of scholars. In Sweden. Retzius Il
making a comparison Of the brains Of an astron-
omer, mathematician, physicist, and
pedagog.
In removing a needle from the flesh. DR.. E.
W. shenton first locates 1t by means of Roentgen
rays, then moves the limb about until the needle
appears as a single point. An ink spot is placed
over each end, and the two spots are pressed to-
gether. slowly forcing the sharp point of the
needle through the skin.
sss
Vague pains. worse on rainy days, are among
the most frequent complaints that physicians
and dispensaries are called upon TO treat. DR..
James j. Walsh, of New York, states that it is
no longer the general rule to attribute these to
so-called muscular rheumatism, or predisposi-
ton to uric acid poisoning. but the fact is be-
coming recognized that the pains result from
variety of causes, largely dependent upon oecu-
patton. Different work tends to fatigue differ
emit muscles. persons lifting heavy weights being
liable to lumbago. while motermen and Others
who use the legs actively may be expected TO
suffer from sciatica. Rainy day pains result
from low barometric pressure, which forces the
blood to the surface. and causes sensitive nerve.
endings to be pressed upon just at the time when
lack of nutrition from slow circulation makes
them irritable.
The mysterious deviatiOns of ships compassess
which have caused many vessels to 60 far out
Of their courses, are being investigated by
August Krogh. The Danish vessel Beige, which
was wrecked last June on the Rockall rocks,
seems to have been led Is miles from her in
tended route by some sudden perturbation Of
the needle, and other observations tend to prove
that magnetic changes occur In this vicinity
that are more sudden and greater in degree
than have been recorded at any land station.
Within q few miles of the spot two captains have
noted compass variations of 90 or 1O0. distant
aurora bOrealis being visible in one case.
&c
novel French electric motor carriage uses
slow-speed motors directly connected to the
axles instead of high-speed motors working
chains or gearing. Accumulators supply cur
rent, and the saving by gear friction Is estimated
at 20 to 80 per cent. The five speeds range be-
tween ~ and 10 miles an hour.
~
A legacy of Sl25,O is to be applied by the UNI
versity Of Leipsic to the study OF the history OF
medicine through q medical museum and q
seminary for students of medical history,
-
The watering of wine, or adulteration, in many
liquids or even solids. is infallibly told by the
telephone in the novel method of NJ .Maneuvrier.
of Paris Two glasses, one containing the wine
to be tested and the other the same quantity of
wine known to be pure, are placed on an instru-
ment resembling pair of scales. The telephone
is in contact with both liquids, and If both are
pure no sound is heard, but If one contains
water the telephone sounds until pointer is
moved to such point on q dial that the con-
ductivity Of the liquids is equalized. The NUM-
Der indicated on the dial is then read, when
reference to previously prepared charts show
the exact amount Of water
sss
An Investigation in asylums of the United
, States, Canada and England. with total Of 49,
5l2 patients, has shown Hobart Langdon only
7O8 insane people with light hair, and only 90
with red or auburn hair. That Is, o6 per cent.
of the insane are brunettes, with brown or black
hair. Among the blonde insane. however, the
percentage Of incurables is much the greater-a
fact. like that first stated, for which no explana
ton appears.
For two years the conviction has been grow
ing upon DIR. Menzer, of Halle. that articular
rheumatism is a parasitical disease. due to q
streptococcus that enters the organisms through
the lungs. Acting ON this theory, he has pre-
pared curative serum, with which he has very
successfully treated both acute and chronic
rheumatism.
A peculiar sign of lead-poisoning is known as
1.-THE dead line" This is black deposit of lead
sulphide between the inner surface of the gums
and the teeth. and late medical writer notes
that 1t is almost invariably present whenever
there is the slightest space between the gum
and the teeth. The smallest distinct fragment
is as significant as large deposit.