The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1909-05-31
AGREAT INVENTOR.
Compared With Whom Even
Edison is a Mere Also Ran.
London Illustrated News.

Edison is a Mere Also Ran.
London Illustrated News.
A list of some of the mechan-
ical devices which nature intro
duced in the human body and
which man has been centuries Ill
finding out was printed in The
Sun not long ago. Here are
few more examples of the
genius of nature. 1t looks as If
the old party had Edison even
with his 700-or is it 7,0OO-in-
ventions, beaten to a finish.
The action of the valves of the
heart was the original of the
idea now in use in valves every
where, from those of a pump to
those of a steam engine. Their
purpose is to regulate the flow
of fluids or vapors in particular
directions and to prevent back
flow or reorganization.
The valve in the box of a
pump prevents the water we
have drawn up from returning
to the we'll so that the next
movement of the pump handle
will send it out of the spout. In
the case of the heart we have
two sets of valves, whose object
it is to prevent blood, pumped
out from each side of the heart,
from returning into the hearts
cavities.
There are certain beautiful
flap valves which fall back to let
blood enter but which float upon
the blood, meet in the middle
and form a perfect temporary
partition, preventing reflux.
Theseflaps areprovided withcords
which allow of their meeting to-
gether, and these cords attached
to the wall of the heart, pull
down against the force of the
blood which would cause them
to float up too far, and so the
fluid must pass away by the
proper channel.
Again we have pocket-like
valves, placed around the great
blood vessels into which blood
passes from the heart. Imagine
three pockets set in a circle
round the entrance to the vessel.
The mouths of the pocket open
away from the heart. They al
low blood easily to pass by them,
but when the tendency to back
flow occurs the pockets fill tense
ly and their edges meet, and sc
again there is found a temporary
barrier against reorganization.
The field here is very wide,
for animals and plants have
learned by experience and out
ward conditions acting on then
to adopt their structure to NEE
the eXigencies of their lives. L
was said that Brunei adopted the
plan of the toredo or ship worn
in his mode of constructing the
original Thames tunnel.
The toredo is a boring shell
| fish, which burrows into woo(
by means of the two shell:
which envelope it's head ex.
tremity. 1t lines it's burrov
with a limy secretion, and il
was this practice which is sale
to have given Brunei the idea O.
protecting it as he worked.
The tools of mankind hav,
been over and over again fore
Swallowed and anticipated b,
animals. Saws, files and lancet
are common among the insec
species, and eating birds recall
the grinding action of a mill, as
indeed does the duty of our owl
molars or back teeth.
The case of little wantor
boys swim on bladders" is req
resented by certain members O
the jellyfish class. The Physali;
or Portuguese man-of-war float
on the sea by the aid of a larg
bladder-like structure, to tn
under side of which the little an
imal colony is attached. Nea
by is the Velilla, which hoists
veritable sail on it's fiat disc an,
IS blown over the sea by the al
of the contrivance.
AS for building powers W.
have only to think of the won
derful nests of the termites, O
white ants, and those of tn
bees and wasps to come face t,
face with an exercise of skill il
home construction that is mar
Vicious to behold. Even tn
ventilation of these homes i
duly provided for, we might add
IN a far more perfect fashio
than is seen in mans ow
dwelling places.
1t we include domestic servic
in the list Of achievements the
the life of an ant or bee com
munity will supply US with ez
ampies of ordered organization
such as might we'll form an ides
to humanity itself. We hav
grades of society representa-
here.
Royalty and workers, nurse
and servants, and some ant
lnUnn knnr, 1aYr,,