The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-06-16
Co,xespmdeacs Baltimore County Ua!on.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
The Mix Antidcte for senility- Sweeten-
ing acknowledgements OF the Hands
Portraits in Dead Eyee-0errn- killing
Colors-DiaRnosis from Writing-Air-
Rolled Notwithstanding Excess boiler
Draught-Liquid Air.
Old age, according to Metchniko1's view is
allied to atrophy and is a disease resulting from
poisons produced by intestinal microbes, the
changes in tissue and bone being similar to those
from certain chemical poisons and disease bac-
teria The longevity Of birds is attributed to
absence Of any large intestine. The toxins
secreted by the intestinal parasites sometimes
destroy the red blood cells, sometimes poison
the nervous centers and sometimes cause ulcera-
ton of the intestinal mucous membrane. The
Tactic acid bacillus particularly variety OF
ferment found in Bulgaria. is the special foe OF
the intestinal germs. A cheese-like prepare
tion of milk is largely consumed by the Bulgar-
ians who are famed for their long life, and II is
urged that this milk preparation and its Tactic
acid fermcnt be extensively used in medicine.
They are specially valuable in formentive dys-
pepsia, fetid diarrhoeas. diabetes, cancer and
tuberculosis.
To make the taking of anesthetic agreeable
DIR. ]. I. Gwathmey administers q one-per-cent.
vapor of cologne or whiskey for two or three
minutes, gradually changing to vapor Of chloro-
form or of chloroform and ether. On the be-
ginning Of anesthesia, in about six minutes. he
substitutes water at 1902 F. for the cologne in
his third bottle, and passage over this gives his
anesthetic vapor blood temperature. The warm
ing lessons risk, while it further reduces the
after-efects
In all right handed persons, the strength of
the left hand is found by Prof. Caster. a French
psychologist, to be about nine-tenths of that Of
the right hand. Quite curiously. the movement
of supinHtion, OF turning the palm upward by
rotating the forearm, is more powerful than the
opposite pronation, or turning the palm down
by outward rotation.
The absurdity of the widespread notion that
the face of murderer may be sometimes photo
graphed on the eyes of his dead victim has been
pointed out by DIR. G. L. johnson, an English
physician. The belief seems to be based on ex-
periments by the late Prof. Kuehne. of Heidel-
berg. who, with great care and difficulty. sue
ceeded in getting picture of a window on the
eye Of a rabbit. and in fixing it in alum solution.
The detective who would show murder in the
dead mans eyes must have every one of these
movable in a dentists chair, bis eyelids held
apart. and the pupil dilated with drug; the
murderer also must be held motionless at the
proper distance and in strong light during the
entire ten minutes needed for exposure; suit
able spectacle lens must throw q sharp image
upon the victims retina; and at the instant of
complete exposure the eye must be removed in
n0n-actinic light, but in two, and the back half
placed In alum water. If even these conditions
should yield recognizable portrait. it would be
not more than an eighth Of an inch long and
would promptly fade IL light were used to en-
large It.
Distinction of our homes through the paints
employed is a new field of investigation that
promises useful results. number of expert
mentors have shown that paints have a distinct
germ killing effect. and that this varies greatly
with the color and character of the materials
used. In some cases powerful disease microbes
laid upon the paint were destroyed within
twenty-four hours. Discussing the cause of
the action, DR.. A. Cartez. French psychologist,
finds that the materials are more or less poison
GUS. but that much depends ubon the degree of
dryness of the layer color, illumination. venti-
lation, and porosity of the coat
"a
Graphology, the science of estimatngIperso-
nality from the handwriting. is proving an aid
to the physician. French medical men have
found that epilepsy, hysteria and other nervous
disorders have characteristic effects on the
writing, which in certain cases may even be the
only means of detecting disease.
A"s.
Bronze or metallic powders are produced by
M. Baer by novel method that has been paten-
ted in France. The melted metal or alloy is run
through a slot into sheet-iron box or cylinder
in which shaft with paddles in rapidly revolt
we'd. or into a chamber into which compressed
air is suitably injected. The violent movement
of the air converts the metallic rain into thin
leaves by the time it solidiHes. The thin
leaves may be reduced to powder by beating,
grinding or other means. Neutral gases-such
as a mixture of nitrogen and carbonic acid-may
be used to avoid the oxidizing action of the air.
s'a
An electric generator to be driven by the
draught of locomotive is curious recent in
vention. The entire apparatus comprises fan
motor placed in the smoke-stack, an electric
generator. and auxiliary flues near the bottom
of the boiler. The theory is that under certain
conditions the draught from the smoke box will
supply the fan with considerable power. This
will operate the generator. cause an electric
current to heat the auxiliary tubes and thus
deliver the excess of energy of the exhaust to
heat the water in the dead" space of the boiler
A*A
The production of liquid air is thus outlined:
Air is compressed to 1900 to 1000 pounds per
square inch ; passed into receptacles where it
is freed from moisture and other impurities
then into expansion chambers and through long
coils of pipe. Tt becomes intensely cold, reach
ing finally Sl2' below zero, at which point it be-
comes liquid. The liquid is drawn of into in
sulated vessels, and keeps for days, gradually
lessening until it is all evaporated.
-
Convincing evidence of the relative durability
of posts set in natural position and those in
verified has been given by Andrew Wilton, an
American mechanic. Posts set in Connecticut
in both positions were carefully marked, and
after nine years the inverted ones were found
to be practically sound while others were much