METALS TIRE

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 74, 28 March 1931, Page 20

METALS TIRE

Sit Jagadis-Chandra Bosv, the 'East Indian scientist, -whoso experiments proved that plants havo "minds," recently concluded some interesting investigations on various metals which resulted in the discovery that they too nave a. "vital force," says an overseas paper. Metal, workers havo known for a long time past that metals can suffer from, "fatigue." Tho gtoel axle- of a railroad car may suddenly «*np, and it is found that the steel JJfcs become crystalline and brittle jfcrough continual jarring. , Sir Jagadis used the galvanometer to test the fatigue of metals. ' Diagrams from, galvanometer tests show that metal resembles muscle in that its sensitiveness grows less and loss under repeated irritation. More wonderful still, lie has shown that metals are affected by stimulants and by narcotics. A dose of bromide puts the human brain to sleep, and a dose of bromide of potassium, administered to a block of tin makes it lose much of its normal sensitiveness. The parallel between man and metals has been carried even further. A large j dose of opium deadens all the human , senses, but a small doso makes them! juoro active. Metals react, in the same way, and a small dose of a narcotic makes metal more, not less, irritable. Even more remarkable still, metals, like animals, can be "killed" by poison. A pieco oX metal in .1 healthy

REMARKABLE DISCOVERIES'

condition was taken and tested' aud shown by the galvanometer'to bo in full vigour. Then it was treated with a dose of a violent poison, oxalic, acid. At onee1 there was a spasmodic flutter, then "the signals thrown by tlic galvanometer grew more and more feeble, until they almost died away. A powerful antidoto was applied, and slowly tho metal began to recover and to record again.. A rest was given and, in a little time, the metal that had been poisoned returned to full activity. ' When tho. experiment was tried a, second time, the metal was kept in the bath of poison until the .signals thrown out ceased altogether. It was taken out and tho antidote used. It was no use. This pieco of metal had been "killed." Sir .Tagadis varied tho experiment by trying other metals, but in all cases the 'result was the same. The antidote, administered in time, revived the life of the metal, but if tho poisoning continued too long tho metal could not bo revived. It was dead!' It. appears that metals as used in knives, pens, motor-cars, and the like, are dead, or, at any rate, in a state of coma caused by tho sovcro treatment, tho enormous temperatures and pounding which they havo suffered. Tho experiments of Sir Jagadis open up a possibility that man may bo able to maku use of Uve toclals in now ways.