The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-11-17
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

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SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
Living Lamps-Deep Wells-The Human
Engines WORKMAN and Tree-Ringe-
Longevity and the Will-Animale GAS
SIZED by Eyes-CouQueet OF Britain
Powdered Oxygenated Water-Fly-
Worms in the Eyes ooking by Colo'
Considering the phosphorescence Of marine
animals, Prof. Mcintosh states that the light is
produced by four distinct methods, viz: Cd BY
special cells secreting phosphorescent mucus;
% by special cells that are phosphorescent
without any visible secretion; 90 by ordinary
tissue under nervous action and (D by bacteria
The entire absence of heat is the most striking
feature. Though the light Of the FREELY is cold
to produce it BY the usual processes-except
the Geissler tube-would require temperature
approaching 2,O00o; and it is this remarkable
economy Of energy in nature that leads to the
hope Of greater efficiency in artificial lighting.
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Data respecting 48 wells or borings more than
1000 feet deep are collected by an American
hydroloeist. OF these the Transvaal has "A /;
United States, 10; Germany, 8; Queensland, 81;
New South Wales. / South Australia, l. The
deepest are: Paruschowitz, Upper Silesia, Ger
many, 6.572.6 feet; Schladebach, Germany,
5.735; Springs, near johannesburg, Transvaal,
55s2; West Elizabeth. Pa, 5575; Doornkloof,
Tranvaal, $500; Aleppo, Pa, 5a22 feet.
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The daily work of grown man has been
found by French psychologist to be about DAT
horsepower per hour. He calculates that $50
workmen at francs per day, or a total of $50
francs, would yield 100 horsepower, which would
besuppied by horses at cost Of 60 francs, and by
gas motor for $50 francs.
~
A close relation between rainfall and tree
growth has been shown by Prof. e. E. Bogue, of
Lansing. Mich. A fall of 80 to IS inches gave a
width Of ring of OIL to OILS inch, and an abnor-
mally large or small rainfall affected the tree
growth Of the following year.
sss
Life is not only what we make it, but its
length depends very largely upon ourselves.
A French psychologist, Jean Finot, urges that
a most important means of prolonging it is
auto-suggestion, or will power. He states that
the possible life span can be shown theoretically
to reach $50 or even 200 years, and that prac-
tically It is much greater than is usually
imagined. Old age comes prematurely through
abuse of auto-suRgestion by loss of confidence
in our strength and powers. 1t is pre-eminent-
ly essential that we keep cheerful and hopeful,
banishing depressing thoughts Of the shortness
Of time and Of human failures. that we remain
active, and that we make rational use of the
functional organs. Statistics show that the
critical period of old age is actually between
80 and IS, after which probabilities favor reach
ing or exceeding the century mark.
81
New evidence in evolution-maklng necessary
certain changes in geological classiication-has
been found in the eyes of animals by Dr. Lind
fay johnson, the British opethalmogist. Almost
remarkable result is confirmation of Darwin's
theory by the fact that the eyes of man and OF
all apes are practically identical. each having the
highly complex system of veins and arteries
and the direct or parallel vision. In going down
the animal scale, the eye gets further and fur
Their from parallel vision. The dog is found tc
have two ancestors in the round-eyed hyena
and the oval-eyed bear though the raccoon
the hare and other animals exposed to pursuit
can see all around, and all the rodentia squint
The ophthalmoscope proves the horse to be
related to the camel and other tropical animals
its puzzling eye-pigment being the same, with
the evident function of protecting from sunlight
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In the 80 years ending with 1900 England lost
from the wearing away of its coasts Al, 1913 acres
estimated in the report of the surveys to have 9
value Of s5.OOO,OOO As the gain from new land
deposited has been deducted, the total denuda-
tion was considerably greater.
s.t
What may be called powder of hydrogen
peroxide, or oxygenated water, is an interesting
discovery claimed by NJ. Joubert, French
medical man. The substance is perborate OF
soda, and when placed in water it yields solu.
ton having all Of the properties Of free and
chemically pure oxygenated water and all OF
those Of borate of soda. It can be preserved
indefinitely in the form of powder. The solu-
ton is affirmed to fill the place of the non
poisonous and odorless oxygenated water as an
antiseptic, and to be free from the occasional
irritating acidity Of that much-used antiseptic
It also serves in the place Of oxygenated water
for arresting nasal and other hemorrhages.
~
of the eyesight by worms is the
singular case recorded in France by NJ. j. Cloqut
An old man fell asleep, when the bad odor from
his body attracted flies, which laid eggs in great
number under his eyelids, on his cheeks, and on
other parts of his body. The eggs produced
larvae in few days. These soon caused alb
scesses, and when the man sought aid at Q
hospital large quantity of worms was removed'
These had produced blindness by perforatine
the eyes.
~
Experiments with meat in liquid air and vege-
tables in cold of less degree have shown effects
very like those of cooking. Potatoes that had
been frozen were found by DIR. Ephraim Cutter
to be shrunken, limp, soft, elastic, and sweet
tasting, and he concludes that they might be
safely eaten. Onions, cranberries and squashes
were similarly changed. Tested with copper
sulphate, the frozen vegetable gave the reaction
for cooked food, but some of the starch grains
poarized light while cooking by heat destroys
polarization.
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The investigation of German physicist has
shown the so-called ether to have about the
same density as electrons, and he concludes
that these ultra-atomic particles may make up
the inconceivably thin atmosphere of space.