TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume XLVII, Issue 7523, 12 April 1890, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

'■■■*:■' ' ' - '• •- . i >h*hjjps the most reraarfc&k the Stanley expedition hta 88 only a limited amount of P abUfts t <* refer to the reported Scielwiflch, a Bavarian aate3&J» *• travelling with the expefflUon, « * wonderful " Metal Plant." One resting at a small village near th* *«£ Mount. Milosis, in the Umbo?* «*£j Frofeaeor Sohelwiecb. it i* to . , noticed a plant with a colorea foliage, aad on it was found that the film& / L growing like other plaaia P°* c * coil, was praotic&U/ v** 9 " iron. The leaves, though very wjj were bent with great difficulty* &a« twigs and branches resisted P^ 13 » force; about equal to the fiaaw *■*■* iron, andtoeecore a leaf *•• be neoeesaty to separata it ttoSk .r*Xls witkaflle. While he was the roots the natives came upu»»»» 4 great excitement. Wj*JJj gsve them a handftd of % & the eavagee dropped them in » W» •* base of the shrub. The PretajafiJ* party left the plant won the night, and re-vwited it m> morning. He wae astotiiahed to-«££ it changed color completely. » a & marvelloue mefcamorphosie b** place that we had better describe i» » narrator'jß own words. Ho s»y« •"" "Instead of being color, the etem, ieavea, an «JfX a posed o£ the roots P« 9oat !L fc^i> J of newly coined coppe* ejg glittered in the ™°' mA * .*S? it f olished gold. XTpoaexammsteoa* ■ Loertained tiiftt dnrme m etranffe plant Iwd absorbed SwefSiim, with the wfg^tf P letel7 changing » ta s o , lor '. A tfea "* of the coins in the hole ehowed wj wer? more than half «J»JJ < absorbed by the roots of th .©new , Not only was the color jj-gj^ « » r texture of the plaat bad «y d £j? Sre «« the thin eaaUy »Mmt awaad tl»e flsP" , '

given ttaei-aedwW-: cut with, an ordinary pair of ■ggSSSO* B,, _____ . -

'"•«.»Hse unfortunate that owing to the attitude of the natives, who :|Se r!*a that it was a fetich tree and that O p would bring ruin and *° ]!kon on the village, Professor fJjwißch *** nnable to eaaJ away *"* fSterful production with him. We however, that he succeeded in securing several branches iSfplsnti and was als* successful in J-'LjL a good pbotograph of it, all of **^^ c intends placing in the '*\a* Museoni' Further than this Bβ"* 0 ~ g e xpedition reached the ooaatry at the base of the 118 * " a perfect forest" was found, and this *. eaiabftD' 4,3,1 region no diificulty fee* 3 ? ia securing specimens to *** wick to Eagk" Some further J*! disoo**** 5 were made ** to the For instance, we property ar® *° --noas to know how fire would " BeUS * eintfl'k 116 of tQI3 species, prefor the test. Large parftttoaS * edt g ina d. wood waa procured, qaanWMj 1 j 0D g covering about. metal plante and a fire thirty « • eno. Stanley and fcindjea watclied tne experiment, lie of demonstrating biackeniag of the foliage thfik&**fjkj intenae beat to which tue been 51 **! had done lac** p,a,iit itself. Ac the ex- ®* 2 wa« found that toe tsfrSjeiuofeU all traces of the f*&& toe piques were apparently as

Koi&ua to eaj, Professor Schelwiech -was JL& tbu cv« deeirous to take specimens uUat to S*foptf, where it could not fail toe*** ttoixwuded curio»ufcy. to say the economic ueea which might aiad* of it A-cocdingly a very fine rajcioea «M *P d P^ 6 * a vLtet made of ieeU*,'6he soil in which it jyyi grown being ally packed around tbe iw* B * n taia wajr reached ■ V&nfoi where it was transferred to the jjidcirthe little steamer that was to conigy the party thruuga the lakes and down •feeKile to Cairo. Upon their arrival at gjiio a strange discovery was made, which Wβ mil again tell in the words. of the ■ arigiaal narrator, who says: — - Wbea an attempt wa& made to transfer U&pUaCfrom the iiold of the steamer it jsoted fruitless. Ail efiorts to raise the basket met with strong resistance. £b examination disclosed tae tact that the • itrssgd metal - absorbing plant had fastened its bivalvular roots upon every jxjlt or piece of metal within a radius of 4ft! Finding that it would be impossible to remote it without cutting ouc over tJuee square yards of the steamer's bottoa it was left there, and the strange .pj&nfe is still growing in the hold of the •Sterner.' ,

Jhsfc aa inestimable loss to science has Htm been incurred will be readily admitted. This is a sceptical age, however, aed there may be some people who re- ' qaire further proof as to the genuineness of Professor Schelwisch's alleged discovery. We sxe not sure whether persons who w6ald doubt the word of a Bavarian profeteor, especially with each a name, de> BOT6 to have any deference paid to their wisbes. However, we refer them to the Philadelphia Times, from whose columns' «« have transferred the statements herein set down. The reputation of the American. £regß for veracity, a3 well as enter* .prise* is so well known that we need say nothing more on the subject. Of coarse, if there is any one still seep- .&»!, we presume it ia quite open to him to make a journey to Cairo, where no doubt his curiosity would be folly satis*

Tsa Bonedin. Hospital Trnsteee have been getting opinions from medical men throughout the colony &a to whether male or female nurses are

'; preferable in hospital*. ' Some' of the xeplies are of an interesting character * Pot instance, Dr. Grace, of Wellington] Writes:— .". U sale attendants, as in her Majesty's - &ray, can be. kept tidy enough in their ■ persons and under sufficient discipline 1 they do well enough. My experience of - colonial male nurses is that they are for the most part broken-dowa, sickly, dis- ' ippointed men, who loathe neatness and- ■ order. One or two competent male dressers might be required. In the I)unedla Hospital medical students could take tkepl&oe of male dressers. When men are Biek there is no service too degraded for good women to perform—that is> humanity (6finobleß all service to suffering men. The diScglty is not to procure female nurses ifilliag to care for men suffering from the Ttteit diseases. The difficulty is to proet&lemaJp nurses willing to wait on the pwligste of their own sex. Women ere . »# afrequently harsh to their sick sisters, : «28d and un j asfc. There are women even fc&aly cruel to their fallen sisters, parti"caMy if they are good looking. Female eases require to be subjected to a rigid .ajsapUne. They are usually clever at CBssmhliag, and nothing short of the mesfc untiring scrutiny keeps them up to a - ctaseentious performance of their duties/* Qt the twenty nine replies received in »U (the Qtago Daily Times states) twentydx doctors expressed themselves as in fern of female nurses, and three were < Bs£QGed to them. Eighteen were in favor tf mala attendants for nursing ddirium - cases, or cases of temporary mania - and certain oiaer diseases,, and.four or five, ia ftdditloa to the three wio were opposed to female nursing, thought that a properly .egszused system of male nursing, aa in &c aray, might be equally aa efficient as Kaale narsing. Out of ten replies re.eafedfewn hospitale with regard to the an vere favor of female **%. The Ealaries of "charge" J» ranged from J84»5 to .£6O per those of matrons or lady (as at Napier) wjr** P* ,l aunum (aa in .Melbourne). 2^ S8Q *6 of these enquiries is that a antv! 6 **** P" ,l^ H m»de in the system ■-l&r Where male w^w^a s haire been em P l °y ed, The Board have a **sy rate appointed a Committee to pre.sWe *, report regarding the necessity of a Home for female nurses and & f 6 e3ira^^enes3 °f changing f* a °raiag system. Wβ have no ]"*w* they will find the change an The medical opinions »*feoßgly gi 7en m favorof female aurses* J&My embody what nine people out of ten 0 lave had any experience of sickness Men may have the strength, ?j* »»y easily acquire the skUl required; " til r Qe P a^^ence » which is one of to* of a good nurse, is more **tly to be found in women.