Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1906-12-07

MISCELLANY
Reported weekly for the Ledger.

The First Life-A New Death Test
"A Fly Parasite of Rats-lrhe Gid
ing Boat-Cork from Cellulose-C Con-
sumptives That Grow Fat-A Family
with Many Teeth-Dissolved Gas
ronsoriaI Sanitat1on-A Needed In
vention.
The beginnings of life have been
lately studied by Miss Rina Month in
some of the newer lakes of the Alps
In the Lakes of the Sercas, which has
been formed within the memory OF
present inhabitants, only five species
of life are to be found, and these are
all plants, four being diatoms. In
Ong and TIgnaga, two older lakes,
animal forms-feedIng upon the dia
toms have begun to appear. The
observations make it evident that
life in a lake begins with diatoms
that absorb the aTbonic acid dis
solved in the water, aud that the next
stage is the development of simple an
imal organisms, like rhizopods, that
subsist on vegetable forms already
existing. Biologists have inferred
that the first life on earth began in
the ocean in this same way.
A newly suggested test of death
claimed to be nfallible-depends
upon the alleged fact that hydrogen
sulphide always forms in the lungs
within twelve to twenty-four hours
after death, and finds its way out of
the body through the air passages.
The presence of the gas is determined
by placing I'D the nostriI Of the sup
posed corpse a piece of absorbe
paper moistened with a solution of
lead acetate. The paper is bIackened
by any trace of the gas, but remains
unchanged if life still fingers in the
body.
The new fly of East Africa, describ-'
ed by W. Donitz as Cordylobia mu-
rum, was discovered by DIR. Robert
Koch as parasites in the skin of rats
suspected of plague. Flies Matched
from the maggots in just one month.
1t is supposed that the eggs are laid
in the earth, and that the larvae at
taeh themselves to the parts of the
rats touching the ground. Larvae OF
another fly of the same germ are
found in boiIs of railroad builders in
Guinea.
The new gliding boat made in Par is
by Levavasseur and Leip consist es-
sentially of light, pointed main sec
tion, which is connected by a light
wood platform two feet long to large
float tail thirty feet long. The tor
ward section contains the motor, from
which a shaft runs to the propeller
in the tail. The rear end OF the tail
is almost Submerged, while the for
ward end and the main boat float on
the surface, and are almost lifted out
of the water by the action of the pro-
peiIer. The new fifty horse power
eIght-cylinder Antolnette motor is
used. In calm weather the new form
of boat glides very rapidly on the sur
face OF the water, and in rough water
this being the special advantage
claimed over sliding and ordinary
boats-it is able to run at fair speed.
The artificial cork of recent French
patent is made of mixture of amor
phous celIulose (pith of rushes, pow
dered cocoanut shells or paper pulp,
fibrous ceIlulose thistle down, tex
tiles or esparto pulp and agglutinat
ing ceIlulose (solution OF nItIo-cellu
Iose.) Glass-Iined moulds with small
holes for the escape of vapors are used
to shape the pasty composition. The
volatile solvents of the nitro ce lIulose
are evaporated, the corks are removed
from the moulds, and the nitro -ceIIu-
lose is denitrated by a reducing
agent. The finished material is given
resistance to water by dipping into
tungstic acid.
Tubercufous patients that live and
grow fat are reported byDr Guilhaud,
a French physician. He has found
form of tuberculosis that remains. in
the condition of local Lesson, is usu-
ally associated with an excessive de-
posit of adipose tissue and is durable.
He believes it arises from lmplanting
attenuated Koch bacilIi in so-calIed
scrofulous persons.
While the average man is satisfied
with maximum of 80 teeth, Turk
near Baiburt. in Asia Minor, boasts
of 40, all perfect. He belongs to a
welltoothed family, his mother and a
sister each having the same NUN Der.
Acetylene is now carefully purified,
washed aud dried, and stored ID cyl
lnders in dissolved form, safety in US
ing the compressed gas being thus en-
curod (lUIiDdarS Of onu dacirod cIza