The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-12-27

physics. in en- - -
cheering and in fact in all the as
ISOLATED and correlated branches OF
science the American has been
dominant factor in the worlds pro.
gress. The year 1910 will not so
down i'm history as a period OF many
startling discoveries or the advance
ment of any sensational and icono.
elastic theories concerning the laws
of the natural world. but there has
ben a steady, a healthy and util;-
tartan growth along almost all scien-
tiflc lines.
The branch OF science which has
attracted the most spectacular inter
est during the last twelve months is
locomotion. and in the subdivisions
of this subject aeronautics bears on
the palm. The advancement in fly.
ing has been along lines which were
begun in previous years. and while
many records have been broken. both
in height and distance, there have
been no radical changes in the BIZ
planes and monoplanes. OF the 1908
and 1909 models. At the numerous
meets which have been held in this
country and in Europe. there have
been sensational achievements. The
Alps. conquered by Napoleon only af-
ter weeks of weary effort. were cross
ed by a young Brazilian in his aero
plane in an hour or two. On our own
territory. Ralph tombstone. rode gale
in biplane and captured an altitude
record after soaring 9.714 feet above
the earth. In the flights at Boston
the efficiency of the airship in times
Of war was demonstrated in the bomb
dropping contests, in which battle
ships, marked out on the ground
were made a target for the man
birds The further adaptability OF
the aero to the uses of war was
shown at Norfolk when Ely made the
worlds first flight from the deck of
battleship and landed safely some
miles distant. thus demonstrating the
possibility of scout airships for the
navy.
In rail locomotion great progress
has been made in the gyroscope car
OF the Brennan pattern. Brennan,
who is an English experimenter. sue
cessfully demonstrated his car carry
ing from twenty TO forty passengers
at aspeed of twenty miles. on mono
rail, around sharp curves. He also
showed the practicability of his con
trivance as freight vehicle, posses
sing the advantage of being adjust
able at almost any angle while at
rest, this being effected by manipu-
lation of the gyroscope. Advance
ment in the perfecting of the sus-
pended railways of Germany is also
to be noted, as we'll as very mater
ial progress in the storage battery
street car In this latter field
Thomas A. Edison carried on success
full experiments with his storage bat
terry car not only in East Orange,
New Jersey, but also in New York
City on a line handling large
amount of traffic His battery car
was found TO be economical in OPP
Grafton and admirably adapted TO mr.
ban passenger service.
III marine navigation one of tho
most interesting experiments of the
year was begun by the Hamburg
American line. which ordered the
construction of two 9,000-ton freight
steamers. TO be equipped with what
are known as Diesel engines. operat- !
ed by the internal combustion OF
petroleum. These ships will have no
tunnels and the space required for
the engines will be materially less
than that occupied by the ordinary
steam engines. II is predicted that
80 per cent Of the energy of the fuel
will be utilized as compared with Is
per cent in the present type of steam |
ers, and the cost Of the fuel will be !
rs per cent less.
In the realm of medicine and sur |
gerry two diseases have attracted an |
unusual amount of attention-infan !
tile paralysis and pellagrs. Both are |
maladies which have afflicted man |
kind for many years, but serious !,
epidemics of the former and the APP |
pearance of numerous cases of the |
latter. especially in the south, have |
focused scientific thought upon them. |
AS yet little. definite progress has |
been made, but such institutions as
the Rockefeller have taken up the |
research work in earnest and optl- |
mists believe that another twelve |
months will show great advance in |
the war upon these affections. Eng
land has also become excited over the /
ravages of pellagra and has sent a
special commission to Italy TO study
the disease in that land which has
beer cursed with Ii for many years.
7 here il has been attributed to moldy |
corn. but many scientists hold that
corn Is not the source or the germ.
Probably the finest compliment ever
paid to American science comes from
In connection with our in
vestigation of this disease. The state
ment has been made in London that
1T is lucky that pellagra has been
discovered in the United States as
hose fellows will not cease their eff
forts until they have worked 1t out "
In the unceasing battle against the
havoc wrought by
cancer the experiments OF DR.. Eugene
Hodenpyl of the Roosevelt hospital.
New York. are worthy of special
mention. Having learned of a case
where man had recovered from a
malignant type OF can
,er. DR.. Hodenpyl concluded there
vas in this patients organism some
hing which was antagonistic to and
.ould overcome the cancer tissues or
,erm. He secured from this patient
he serum which he desired and
reated mice which had been inoculat-
d with cancer. Soon disintegra-
ion OF the cancerous tumors was OBJ.
erved in the mice and i'm some cases
he sore passed away entirely. Hav-
ne made this experiment, DR. HOd. |