The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1907-09-28

CDrrspondaes BALTIMORE County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
Measuring Children for Education-Air-
1lectFinod Plant Hoots-Land Squeezed
By IIdoo-Our Common FeverB-Hign
Life Among Ants-Time for the Bind
Wood-SIlk for Walls-Eggs Supplied
The scientific training Of children adapting
education. mental and physical, to the individ-
ual-is q reform that Is becoming more and more
urgently needed. A step In the right direction
mas been made by Prof. Alfred Binet, Of the
psychological laboratory at the Sorbonne, Paris.
~ gre1tsnumber of measurements-including
Eeisht, width Of shoulders. memory. at
tentio%. suggestibility, the color sense. head
development. strength Of the hand, etc.,-tables
have been prepared showing the average devel-
opment for each age. and children differing
much from the average are to be specially con-
sidered as abnormal. The brilliant child is sep
arated from the dull one. the nervous and emo
tional from the calm and calculating. A begin
ming 1.-THE formation Of classes of the abnormal
oh 1fen has been made, and it is hoped that the
rk will continue until all pupils in the land
Nfo classified and taught according to capacity
and special requirements.
sss
In the new Swiss system OF electroculture de-
goribed BY Prof. Barde. two series OF metallic
conductors traverse the plant roots at depth
Of two feet IN the soil. each series forming an
electrode, one OF which is connected to sixty
foot lightning rod terminating In copper points.
while the other is attached to metal plate In
The ground. Tested two seasons on phylloxera-
infested vines. the atmospheric electricity de-
otroged ell Insects. while the vines showed ex-
trnordInary growth.
Many wells near tidal waters fnctuate with
hn. tldes. As some cannot be connected with
&isr<v believed that flood tide forces
er BY compression of the land
BED weight Of the ocean.
sss
1lng long fever as one having a temper
Ire above eoo continuously for at least two
weeks, Dr.. r. G. Cabot finds only three long
fovers common in New EngIand-a region where
malaria yields quickly to quinine and tropical
fevers are unknown. The three sre typhoid.
tnberoulosis and sepsis. At the Massachusetts,
General Hospital. where the proportion Of these
three Is lowered By the rule excluding pulmona-
~ tuberculosis except through mistake. 7s4
fever cases were investigated, and 5S6 proved to
be typhoid: "a tuberculosis and 70sepsis. making
eoper cent Of the whole. while of the long fevers
not common there were q cases Of meningitis,
10 OF influenza. of acute rheumatism, 5 OF luce
mia, Of cancer and 10 Of all others. Pains
taking physicians should distinguish between
the three common fevers, yet mistakes in dag
n6sis are understandings with fatal results
Typhoid IL q general poisoning of the blood by
bacteria and IL liable to be mistaken for tuber-
culosis when intestinal symptoms are absent. as
Il sometimes the condition. tuberculosis may
exist without cough, when the patient may Re
shuk up in q darkened room a victim of ty-
phoid-this being the worst possible treatment.
Bepsls includes all blood poisoning by pus, such
as Assesses, wounds, appendicitis and all hidden
alterations, and is most difficult to detect when
arising from assesses of the liver. as this organ
has no nerves to signal trouble. To the modern
educated physician there is no such thing as
simple continued fever" or "slow fever" or
slow fever" or "bilious fever" or gastric
fever.-
The abundance and variety of ants is striking
feature Of the animal life OF the southern slope
Of the Himalsyas. The snow line rises $500 feet
higher than in the Alps. and DIR. Forel has re-
corded four species at height of 1900 feet,
while of liz species known In these mountains
mot less than 30 are local. found only in the Him
-afayas
The novel watch for the blind invented by
0oUfWe meyer,
signed to supply reliable time-piece at much
more moderate cost than any Jet used by the
sightless. The dial has an ordinary minute
hand, while the hours are indicated by twelve
buttons In relief. each button sinking into the
dial In turn with the passage of the hours. To
find the time the fingers are passed over the
dial, when the depressed button makes known
the hour and the hand gives the minute by its
position. The dial covers circular plate which
takes the place of the ordinary hour hand, as its
circumference has notch into which each but
ton drops In turn as the movement of the works
causes the plate to revolve.
-
The artificial silk wall-pap called "Metaxin"
a German pt0duct-is made by laying upon
base OF paper. cotton cloth or other material q
fabric of wood-pulp threads having brilliancy
greater than that Of natural silk. The threads
are prepared by forcing the dissolved pulp
through fine pores and drying by special pro-
cess. The glossy silk facing is thick enough to
hide the base completely, and it resists the ac-
ton OF acids. alkaies and water. 1t takes any
color. The heating apparatus has little effect
upon 10, and 1t never backens, and offers no
place for germs to lodge.
AZ
A possible new food suggested by the British
Governments chief chemist is the eggs of the
spur dogfsh, each egg weighing 36 ounces and
being one-half water. one-quarter protein and
one-quarter fat while the hens egg contains "a
per cent. of water. Dog1sh are great pest to
fishermen on the southwest coast of England,
while there Is q strong prejudice-now often
svaded by deception-against eating their flesh.
IT re announced that wireless telegraph
service will shortly be opened between Clifton,
Ireland. and Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, with
charge of 5 cents per word for the public and
q cents for the government and press. Mes
sages have been passing successfully across the
Atlantic for some time according to consular
reports. Wireless telegraphy has reached q
stage where il must be reckoned with for gen.
eral purposes.
So MANY foreigners have lately been well
coined to the free shores of America that the
home folks find il little more difficult to get
congenial employment. Congress will have
Ito do some more tinkering with the immigra-
zion laws.
VICE PRESIDENT FAIRBANKS has delivered
speeches during the past summer on politics,
religion, irrigation and the by-products of the
dairy, and is now looking over the keyboard
~ for new note.
Col. BRYAN may not be the smartest man
In the Democratic party. but he seems to be
smart enough to hold the Presidential entries
from that side down to a single candidate.
CASTORIA