Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1908-01-24

The abrus plant, which grows wild
in Cuba and parts of India, has re.
putation in the tropics for sensitive
ness to weather changes. This at
tracted the attention of Baron No
wack, an Austrian naturalist, many
years ago, and he has continued since
then to study the curious properties
of the plant. lie now contends that
its behavior not only forecasts storms
and shows tire-damp in mines, but
also gives reliable warnings of the
approach OF earthquakes. In his
London garden, change of color by
the plant seems to come before
great earthquake, but the change
also seems to follow the appearance
of large spots on the sun. If the
abrus begins to change color as the
spot comes upon the sun, the infer
ence is believed to be justified that
issue in the earth is about to result.
This suggested theory recognizes
connection between sun spots and
earthquakes, and, in addition to the
new problem, again raises a question
that has been much disputed.
The new coast lighting service pro-
posed to the Kiel Nautical Society by
Corvette Captain Arenhold, retired
German officer, is designed to make
unnecessary the present expensive
lighthouses. Naval searchlight sig
nails, pr elected at an angle OF 45 de-
grees, are visible at a distance of so
nautical miles; and he believes that
a cone of light reflected perpendicul-
arly upward could be seen at least 80
nautical miles-much farther than
the more powerful horizontal pencil
of light from a tower 65 to 100 feet
high. The different beacons could be
made recognizable by different coIors
and different forms for the light
sheaf.
Nervous dyspepsia and chronic
gastritis, with nausea and vomiting,
are troubles now traced to eyestrain,
and durable by proper eyeglasses.
Cancer is durable without resort to
surgery, in the view of Dr. Robert
Bell. who has been senior physician
to the Glasgow hospital for women.
The theory that cancer is due to a
parasite has been abandoned, but
surgeons are incorrect in regarding
the origin as unknown, the disease
being really local manifestation of
general unhealthy conditions, which
are brought to focus at a point
where vitality has been reduced by
previous injury. OF the twenty five
billion cells of tho human body,
those at the affected part are aroused
to morbid activity and individuality.
In fifteen years Of surgical practice
DIR. Bell has had not a single success
with cancer, but he claims to have
found the disease amenable to Their
apeutic and dietetio measures, and to
have actually brought about complete
recovery by such treatment in many
cases, He considers it abundantIy
proven that the diseased cells can be
reclaimed and made to resume their
normal functions by promoting health
in the blood stream.
To determine when wire hosting
ropes have deprecated beyond the
limits of safety has been a difficulty
of mining engineers, and to avoid
risk-in the absence Of exact tests
many ropes have been doubtless dis
carded while still in fairly good con-
ditlon. The strength of the ropes is
now gagged by novel use of electric
induction. The ropes are passed
through coil of copper wire travers-
ed by an alternating electric current,
and the variations of induced current
which exactly correspond to changes
in the thickness of the rope-are re-
corded on suitable instrument.
Dangerous wear or broken strands
cause the indicator to give warning.
The society for physical therapy is
a new Vienna organization, which in
cludes medical men who have dis
carded drugs tor modern treatment
by strictly physical means, such as
hydrotherapy, electricity, radio
therapy, orthopaedio contrivances
and gymnastic exercises.
A new plan for storing gasoline or
petrol depends upon the tire-stopping
property of wire-gauze that gives
safety to the Davy mining lamp. A