SCIENTIFIC NOTES.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 5737, 4 November 1905, Page 15

SCIENTIFIC NOTES.

4 STRANGE CURE FOR SNAKEBITE. “Tate a hair of the dog that bit you” is an old saw that, as a suggested remedy. lias loci many a man out of the frying-pan into tho fire, and it cannot certainly bo recommended as a euro suitable for modern times, when an antidote is more recommendablo. Dogs aro not, however, tho only animals whoso bite is to be feared; and those people whoso travels have led them to far lambs know that poisonous snakes aro much more to be dreaded. Though by far the greater proportion of those persons thus bitten die, there is a certain number who recover, thanks to prompt measures, and thanks also to tho administration of tho exact remedy which any particular snake-hito roquir s. Tho poison ejected by the tooth of asps and serpents varies as much as docs the poison from tho spoken words of the wicked; and it has lately been discovered —especially in Brazil, which seems to hold tho record for its variety of death-giving snakes—that tho serum with which those bitten aro treated should vary according to tho kind of snake. But this, though advantageous to know in theory, is of small nractioal use, since the traveller cannot bo sure of having exactly the right serum with him at the moment of the fatal bite. It has lately been reported that, on tho principle of the old adage mentioned above —which thus serves a turn—an almost certain cure for snakc-bito is the injection of a small portion of the bile of the reptile which has attacked any one, and which—tho snake being generally killed on tho spot—is naturally at hand. The gallbladder is extracted, its contents filtered, and tho fluid injected under tho skin. Tho method sounds somewhat complicated; but no snake-bitten person will complain if by this means ho escapes a rapid death. The experiments made have given the best results, those recovering from tho poisonous bito of the South African snake coming off with nothing worse than an- ..bcess at tho point of penetration of tho serpent’s tooth. ELEQTRO-MAGNETISM IN SURGERY. So much arrant nonsense has been written about tho possible applications of magnetism to the curing of at least some of tho ills which human flesh is heir to, that tho intelligent mind will at once evince much scepticism on perceiving Dio above title. However, no miraculous curative powers aro in this instance attributed to the magnet. Changes in the character of steels ■ used for the construction of mechanical appliances iiavo made it possible to drive lathes at a higher speed, and to this cause is tho fact that occasional particles fly off tho work in hand and enter tho lyorkinan’s eye at much greater velocity Dxan used to be tho cose under the cider conditions. Tho electromagnets which were formerly used to draw out these pernicious particles are not strong enough to extricate splinters of hard steel embedded deep in tho homy substance of the eyeball. A huge electro-magnet has recently been, constructed in America with a view to treating such cases. _lt is too heavy to lift about, arid is _ therefore bolted securely to the Boor in an upright position , The iron core is four feet high and has a diameter of six inches, and it is tapered to a point at its upper, end in order thnlt its effects may bo more easily watched by the oculist in charge. To work it to its full it capacity requires an. electric equal to that consumed by about sixty sixteen-candle-power lamps. Not onlv does it effectually perform its delicate work, hut it also in some cases obviates tho uso of tho surgeon’s knife. For instance, a portion of a hammerhead had. embedded itself in tho muscles of the upper arm, and in another case a piece of cold chisel had flown into the forearm and burrowed deep in to tho flesh. In each ease the moment the current was switched on the piece of metal was found adhereing to the ■pole-piece of tho magnet, having almost instantaneously loft its inconvenient rosting-placo by the route by which it had entered. It is suggested that this means of extricating from tho human body pieces of steel and iron which have no businessthere might be very usefully employed by array surgeons on tho field of battle. No doubt it would bo efficacious in tho case of splinters of steel _ shells, but upon tho leaden bullets it would of oourso have no effect. The huge magnet is also useful as a detector of steel or iron particles in tho body, for it is only necessary for tho patient to walk within the magnet_ radiations and tho pain of movement induced by tho attraction of tho magnet will at once reveal the exact position of tho splinter.

IMPROVED ELECTRIC LAMP.

Ono of the principal drawbacks in the electric light has hitherto been the impossibility of turning it up or down, as the occasion required, after the manner of gas, so that a “peep” may be left when the full glow is not required. This difficulty has now been overcome by the introduction of the “Economical Tum-down Lamp,” which is said to be used all over the United States and Canada, and is finding i + s way into Great Britain. The lamp contains two filiaments. one bright and the other dim; and these may bo brought into use as required, either by pulling the string or by turning the bulb to right or left, as a brighter a dim light is required. The thing is simplicity itself; and it is claimed for tho lamp that there is a saving of 80 per cent, of current when only the small filament is used, and that it has a combined life of four times that of an ordinary lamp.. OF course this has to be taken with a certain qualification, because users of the electric light are not long in finding out that it may either be an economical or extravagant illuminant in proportion as it is handled scientifically, so to speak, or clumsily, after tho manner of gas-burning. But there is no doubt at all that a practical “tum-down” lamp will bo of immense advantage to consumers generally, and will enable them to rid themselves of the reproach that a house lighted electrically is usually in darkness 1 Such a lamp, it is easily conceivable, will ho of groat advantage to theatres and places of 'amusement whore the lights have to bo turned down two or three times ,n tho course of an evening's performance although what is called a “dimmer” is in use at some such places already. A new type of this ingenious contrivance has just been introduced by Messrs Deities and Sons, the eminentlighting engineers, and will be installed on a somewhat extensive scale in the new theatre now being constructed for Messrs Maskelyne and Cook. It is claimed for this new form of “dimmer” that it avoids not only the risk of interruption to tho performance, but

also Cl fir's ; and it is a curious circum.si.anco that of tho entire oquipmo t of the ill-fated Iroquois Theatre at Chicago the only parts that_ romuinod uninjured were tho ‘A\ irt” dimmers, which are now operating in the new theatre. It uotild seem that with tho introduction of tlm new turndown lamp tho only objection to the froo use of the electric light in private dwellings is likely to disappear.— “Chambers’s Journal.”

THE NOTION LAMP. This lamp has been greatly improved of late, and tho patent rights therein have been acquired bp the Patrolito Company, who are placing it upon tho market in a great variety of different forms. Tho essential part of the lamp is a container filled with indestructible, porous, absorptive material which is cha-ged with tho ordinary petrol made familiar by motor-cars. Tho spirit is poured into tho container and all surplus liquid drained back again into tho can. The container, when it is charged, is than perfectly safo, for there is no loose liquid; and even if a match bo deliberately applied to it, it will burn quite quietly and in such a way that it can ho instantly extinguished. Tho lamp is n appearance very much like an ordinary paraffin-lamp ; but in place of tho dangerous and uncleanly paraffin reservoir there is a receptacle iu which the charged container is placed. Above it is an ordinary incandescent-gas mantle. A lighted match held for a moment inside tho chimney at the lower end crates a draught; air charged with petrol vapour is sucked up from tho container below and ignites at the burner exactly as if it were ordinary gas, and the flamo is regulated by means of a gas-tap. If tho lamp bo turned over it simply goes out, because tho draught is destroyed, and nothing further happens. It is believed that this lamp is far safer than an ordinary paraffinlamp, and tho only element of danger lies in the charging of tho container with petrol. That has now been reremoved by a new .and valuable device. A little connecting-piece is supplied, whereby the container can be screwed direct on to the collar of’tho ordinary petrol-can. Can and container are then inverted for • a moment or two and turned back into their original position. By this means there' is no fear whatever of spilling tho dangerous liquid, and there is no time for vapour to escape and find its way to a source of ignition.