The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1913-03-26
In the World Of Science

Just how serious is the loss of an
eye, for a workingman-serious from
a dollars and cents point of view be-
cause of interference with working
power-is a question that has puzzled
many doctors and judges, and jurieS.
Superf1cially, at least, one-eyed per-
sons seem to get along about as we'll
as their normal bifocal brothers. Their
efficiency appears but slightly, If at
all impaired, and the ability to earn
living not interfered with.
Researches that have been carried
on for several years, particularly In
Germany, throw considerable doubt on
this seeming efficiency of the one
eyed. The several defects OF one-eyed
vision are as folloWsf The brightness
of objects seen is less, the distinctness
Of outline Is diminished, the exact
location of small things Is less accu-
rate, the diminished field of vision
seriously interferes with some kinds
| of work and loss OF the power to esti-
mate depth (the So-called Stereoscopic
vision), a power of great Importance
| in some callings, may seriously in
| capacitate the victim of such an ac-
| Cident. This loss Of the ability to esti-
mate depth accurately and rapidly ap-
pears to be one of the most serious
faults of monocular vision.
According to Zeeman, the tWo-eyed
workman, who can make the gross
estimate Of depth in one-two hun
| dredth of a second, has an enormous
advantage over the one-eyed man,
who requires at least one-half second
for the same reaction. Thus the one
| eyed workman may at first do as good
| work and as much Of IT as the normal
workman, but it is done at the ex-
! pense Of constant strain, and hence,
the formers staying power is much
| less. Zeeman suggests that the OBJ
scure symptoms of asthenopia (rapid
! tiring of the eyes, with impaired Wis
| ion, and more or less discomfort not
usually amounting to positive pain)
often. noted in one-eyed persons may
be largely due to this interference
with normal stereoscopic vision.
Color and LesibiIity.
The color relation of type to back
ground has a very important bearing
on legibility. Too little attention is
paid to this fact, by the makers of
books. In the case of street advertise
ments, the color scheme, so far as legi-
| bility is concerned, is q matter of mi
nor Importance perhaps, because in
1 spection Is made at such close quar-
terS that the ordinary display type
could not be misread, whatever its
color. But in the case of signs placed
high above the street, and on country
! color combinations are of practical
commercial interest. They are credit
/ ed by Cosmos to Le Courier du Livre.
| Beginning with the most legible COM
! binations. the tests gave the following
results: Q) black type on a yellow
ground; (2) green on white; (S) red
on white; 90 blue on white; )5) white
| n hi NI IaFe1r
low on black; (s} white on red; (9)
white on green; (10) white on black;
| CID red on yellow; (12l green on red; |;
! (13) red on green. 1t will be noted
that the two standard combinations
black on white and white on black
stand, respectively, sixth and tenth
from the top.
Age Of the Earth.
/ There are half a dozen-Inore or less
ways of estimating the age Of the
earth. No two give Identical results,
and between some Of them the differ
enees are enormous. Calculations bas-
ed on the amounts of helium and uran-
i ium in the ancient rocks indicate an
antiquity varying between 4O0, 1000, 900
and 1,500, 100000 years. A study of the
amount of sodium in the ocean at the
present time. and at the rate at which
the rivers are adding to this ecollec-
about 70,000,000 years. In a recent is
sue of lie Radium r. c.. Brown at
tempts to explain the enormous dis
Icrepancy of calculation. He suggests
that sodium is radioactive product
derived from osme substance insoluble
in water. II this were true, the sodium
in the soil would all be derived from
the decomposition OF some parent SUBJ
lstance. In the infancy of the earth the
soil content of sodium being small less
would be carried down to the ocean
/ and hence calculations based on the
present soil content OF sodium make
the earth seem much too young.
"Cleanns Up India.
i OF some interest in connection with
the proposal OF our legislators to ham
die state sanitation from q single
headquarters. instead of leaving each
community free to follow its own
whims in the matter Of public-01eaIth
work which is the present situation
lis an active row now under way in
i India over the question of country vs..
Il city sanitation. The Indian govern
lnef1t recently pron0aed a plan for a