Amador ledger., 1910-11-04

Growing Old -Simplifed Telephoto-
graphy-Automatic Pumping Intel.
lect and Evolution Mushroom Anti
toxin-The Earth's Temperature
Forcing Metals Into Glass Primitive
Telegraphy-To Make a Mouser.
That we die before 80 or 100, or
have disease, is mainly our own fault
we are told by new work of DIR. A.
Loraud, of Carlsbad, who shows that
old age does not begin with failure of
the arteries, but with degeneration of
one or all of the ductless glands -es-
pecially the liver, the kidneys, the
thyroid, or the ardenals. These glands
govern the process of metabolism and
nutrition of the tissues and remove the
poisonous products introduced with
food and air or formed as waste.
After their degeneration, the processes
of metabolism, or cell building and
destruction, are diminished, and there
is an increase of fibrous tissue at the
expense of the more highly developed
structures. Degeneration may result
from various causes. These include
the use of alcohol and tobacco in ex.
cess, overwork and too little exercise,
and mental emotion, especially sorrow,
grief and anxiety. Following ordinary
hygienic rules lessons the burden on
these glands, tending to prevent pre-
mature old age and early death.
Not least of the advantages claimed
for the telephoto camera of Vautier
and Schaer, OF Geneva, is it's suit
ability for use on aeroplanes. The or
dinary long-distance camera, using
combination of lenses, absorbs so
much light that single longfocus lens
in an ordinary camera would give the
apparatus too cumbersome a length.
In the new camera, the image of the
distant object is reflected by one
mirror to a second, and then to
single long focus lens. This makes it
possible to use lens of 48 inches focus
in length of 16 inches, and very bril-
liant instantaneous views are obtained.
A novel household water system
without storage tanks has a rotary
pump, driven by electric motor, that
keeps the water in an air cylinder at a
certain pressure. Opening faucet
lowers the pressure, turning the start
ing SWITCH and the pressure switches
off the motor at the fixed point.
Man is no longer growing in mental
capacity, if the conclusions of a British
authority, Neville Chamberlain, are
correct. He makes a distinction be-
tween intellect, pure and simple, and
the qualities that together make up
what is called character, and finds it
doubtful if the races often regarded as
inferior are at any disadvantage in
pure intellect. 1t is unfair to decide
mental capacity by comparing those
who have had the benefits of education
giving the accumulated experience
of centuries with semi-savages who
have been brought up in the bush.
Two generations ago the Japanese
were thought TO be little better than
barbarians, of small intellect, and the
Babus of Bengal and the aborigines of
Australia were similarly regarded; but
now they take front rank in modern
universities, often eXceling Europeans
at examinations More important to
average success than great intellectual
ability are the qualities constituting
character such as courage, earnest
ness, determination, judgment and
sympathy. Even these traits must
be preserved and strengthened by the
same process of natural selection that
has so powerfully influenced physical
evolution, and the character OF the
individuals has made the character of
nations Anglo-Saxon success, past
and future, may be looked upon as a
result of national character, rather
than any fancied intellectual superior
ity.
The serum treatment of mushroom
poisoning has been shown to be posi-
BILE by Radias and Sartory, French
physicians. An extract of the toxic
principle of two of the most dangerous
varieties of mushrooms was made, and
injections of this virus were made into
rabbits in the usual manner for pre-.
pairing antitoXin serums, such as those
of diptheria and rabies. After -four
months the rabbits were so completely
immunzed that eating the most
poisonous mushrooms had no effect.