The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-03-07
C0rrsspODdsncs Baltm0rs County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

C0rrssp0ndencs Baltim0Ts County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
Japanese Pills, Powders and PIasters-
Electricity IN the War with Rats-Re-
storing Mummies-Progress in Nitrogen
Fixing-X-Ray Burns Prevented-Elec-
trolytic Casein-A New Kind of Bone
Fracture-The Running Cure.
The land Of patent medicines seems to be
Japan-not the United States. The remarkable
report Of British-Consul W. NJ. Boyds shows
that the industry had its origin in the town of
Toyama, on the west coast, and that Prince
Seiho Mazda. born in 1919. is specially honored
as its chief patron. While Daymio of the prov
ince, his making of medicines for the poor at
tracted such attention that in 1882 Bandai Jokan,
a physician of Katakami, brought a supply Of
Han CONTAIN c'medicine that calls back the
the dead to life.") This was distributed from
door to door, to be paid for when convenient.
and from that time has been popular remedy.
The industry took root and fourished. Medi-
cines were distributed in the last century by
thousands of agents. who made collections once
q year, taking back unused supplies. In 1904
there were 3lO2 licensed patent medicine manu-
facturers, authorized to make s7S5 different
preparations, and their total annual product
was nearly 100000. The medicines-none be-
ing in liquid form-are usually given suggestive
Names like .'brain-healing pills. and heal
everything powders" Toyama has special
guild for loaning capital, a dealers club of 5000
members, patent medicine school, and patent
medicine magazine.
-
The electric rat-killer of A.. IF. Won Biederheim,
claimed to have been doing effective work In q
factory at Trieste, is designed for lowering into
drains or other infested places, and consists ofa
shallow tray with bottom lined with closely
spaced metal points alternately connected to
the positive and negative terminals of high
tension electric circuit. The animals are prompt
ly electrocuted as they step on the points in at
tempting to reach the bait. The apparatus de-
stroys only rats and similar vermin, and it is af
hrmed that there is no risk to cats and other
domestic animals.
To restore to natural plumpness and appear
ance the shrunken features of mummies Of the
Peruvians and cliff-dwellers, and even of the
ancient Pharaohs themselves, seems to be now
possible. Noticing the swelling in potash solu-
ton of embryos previously shrunken in alcohol,
Prof. H. H. Wilder. the Zoologist of Northhamp-
ton, Mass, was led to experiment with mummi-
fed human corpses, and has obtained really re-
markable and surprising results by soaking the
dried tissue in a solution of onethird of one per
cent. of caustic potash for IL to As hours and
then immersing in water for a certain time.
Care is necessary, as too long soaking in either
liquid tends to disintegration. In a Peruvian
mummy, the natural consistency of the tissues
and even to some extent the color of the skin
were brought out very strikingly, and heads Of
infant cliff jewellers, that had been dried in the
sun without embaIming substance, we're so
IL. .f4 tnF fam
became as distinct as in life. Eczema was even
made evident on the hairy skin of one child.
sFs
In fixing atmospheric nitrogen by forming
nitric acid, the electric spark method proved
too difficult and costly, and it was the improved
process of Birkeland and Eyde, using Flaming
Disc" that first became a commercial success.
An improved flaming disc method is now claimed
by /. Moscicki and others, of Fribourg, Switzer-
land. Two concentric ring electrodes are used,
and the arc passes across the space between
these in radial direction. and is so DETECTED by
magnet that the discharges travel around the
rings in a rapidly-moving zig-zag, showing as a
luminous circle between the two ring electrodes
The nitrogen and oxygen of the air are united
by these discharges more efficiently and eco
nomically, it is claimed, than by any other
method.
A shield, consisting of sheet Of silver foil
covered with cellulose, has been found by Prof.
R. Won jackson. of Vienna. to protect the skin
from the burning so common in using X-rays,
while it does not interfere with the usual exam
nations by means of these rays.
s"s
Even casein separation from milk is accom-
plished by electrical methods. In the new pro-
cess of NJ. Gateau, Partisan, the SKINNED milk
is first heated to sOo c. and is then poured into
large tank, where it immerses a porous pot
charged with five per cent. solution of caustic
soda. An iron cathode dips into the solution and
O carbon anode into the milk, the two being
separated about four inches. On passing suit
able current, phosphoric acid is set free in. the
milk, causing the casein TO precipftate, and the
entire amount of casen in 265 gallons of milk
can be secured in twenty minutes with current
of 100 amperes at II volts. The time can be
shortened one half, and larger and purer pro-
duct obtained, If whey from previous electro
lytic separation can be used for charging the
porous pot.
New occupations and recreations are known
to have developed variety of new diseases, and
now De Forest French surgeon, has called
attention to a form of accident peculiar to those
who use motor-bo The machinery often
starts suddenly and rapidly after hitch in its
working, at which time the handle of the heavy
balance wheel is very liable to strike the opera
tor before he can get out of the way. The result
is usually fracture of the bones of fingers wrist
or forearm, sometimes of the leg, and the blow
is so sudden and violent that the breaks are quite
unlike those from falls or other ordinary acct
dent, more resembling those from large calibre
projectiles without the penetrating effects. The
bone fractures at the point of impact instead of
at its weakest part.
"a
"Dromotherapy," just added by French ply
stefan to the rapidly growing list of "cures," is
a systematic running exercise, beginning with
slow pace and gradually increasing with the
patients training. The treatment already tried
-aap0n about 200 patients with great success. is
specially recommended for persons who are
weak and invalids without having any organic
disease.
CASTORIA