SCIENCE NOTES

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8367, 1 March 1913, Page 10

SCIENCE NOTES

"While brisht-eyed Science watches round-"

Lecturing in London a few weeks ago on tho invention of printing and its spread during tho fifteenth century, Mr it A. Peddio, who is an expert on the history of printing, and the librarian of tho technical library of tiio St. Bride Foundation, which contains the most complete collection of works of typography in the Kingdom, dealt with the claims of tho four towns which sought the distinction of having given birth to the art of printing. Mayenco had most evidence to show m the way of books and documents, but it had a close rival in Haarlem iu this respect. The first known printed volume bearing a date was printed at Mayonce in 1454. There was a calendar of which a facsimile was shown by means of a lantern, which was declared to have been printed in 1448, but this was very doubtful.

Tho first genuine specimen of Roman typo was printed certainly before 1470, and probably about 1405 or 1407. Iho first Greek type was used by some Italian printers in 1465. Previous to this the method of inserting Greek quotations in books had been somewhat curious. AVhere such a quotation was to occur a space was left, and the quotation was inserted, after printing, by a Greek scribe. The first book wholly printed iu Greek characters was Homer’s “Battle of the Frogs.’ An interesting facsimile was shown of ono of the earliest books printed in Slavonic type. It was printed in a little town in Montenegro, where existed tho only printing press to produce works in Slavonic characters during the fifteenth century.

For ten years after tho invention of printing them wore no books published with illustrations, as distinct from illuminations. Venice very shortly became tho centre for producing books with wood-cuts. Early printers were extremely economic in tho use of woodcuts. It was amusing to observe that an illustration which, on one • page, was described as a view of Constantinople, on the opposite page purported to be a pictorial representation of a small town at the mouth of the Tiber. Tho lecturer pointed out tho interesting fact that the British Museum possessed about one-third of the books printed in tho fifteenth century known to be still in existence, numbering about ten thousand.

The ,bulletless gun has at last made its appearance. It ia a German invention, and, instead of bullets," it shoots a gas which temporarily blinds and chokes a victim. The cartridge used contains several ingredients, which, when exploded, combine to form a vapour of a peculiar character; The gun itself differs very little in appearance and mechanism from the ordinary double-action' revolver. It holds five cartridges. Tho action of the vapour may best be imagined by considering the position of the person shot at. The appearance of the weapon, the report, and the flare of the powder combine to convince the victim that he has been shot at with an ordinary firearm. His eyes and mouth open in surprise, and the gases generated by the combination of tho chemicals envelop his head completely, penetrating his eyes and affecting his sight. For several minutes he is practically Blind. Simultaneously the mt(oous , membrane of the nose and throat are irritated, and the victim sneezes and chokes. For a minute or two the victim finds it almost impossible to breathe. It is obvious that no individual, even if he were as strong as Hercules, would bo in a position to put up much of a fight while in such a condition. The shotless gun is intended principally for the protection of tourists, commercial travellers, doctors, cyclists, automobilists, bank officials, cost men, watchmen, and policemen." No -me wants to kill a criminal unless it is absolutely necessary for one's own preservation, and this invention is intended to make such a course unnecessary.

In Germany many horses are being shod with shoes made of tarred ropes. The object is to prevent slipping on streets, covered with asphalt or paved blocks. In some of these shoes there is also a block of wood, into which stiff bristles have been This is an ■additional preventive against slipping, and strengthens the shoe. They are light and comfortable for tho horse, and deaden the sound of the hoof.

Professor Sir James Dewar, 'in a science lecture for children at tho Royal Institution, London, said the speed of meteorites oould not be approached by anything we know. Tho earth travelled at 18 miles a second in its orbit, a comet 36 miles a second, but the meteorite could not pass over 45 miles in that time, with a great “fire syringe’ in front of it, burning up the air.

In a report on the work of the University Observatory at Oxford by Dr. Turner, the Savilian professor of astronomy, who has arrived at the conclusions in conjunction with Mr H. 0. Plummer, Royal Astronomer of Ireland, it is suggested that the sun and its attendant planets form a single unit in a system of stars separated froin one another by vast distances, but having a “centre of gravity.’’ In response to the gravitation of the whole system, the stars in it appear to bo moving in paths which are not of an open or nearly circular character, like those described by the planets round tho sun, but may be compared with the oscillations of a pendulum. It is estimated that our sun takes 400 million years to describe its path, and that “it was near the centre less than a million years ago, perhaps as lately as 300,000 years, and is now outward bound.” ■

“Food kept in ultra-violet rays during the hot weather,” may he a shopkeepers’ announcement in the future, according to the “Lancet,” and it is further suggested that the filter may be superseded by tho silent electrical discharge. “There can bo little doubt that the study of tho action of ultraviolet rays, or of the silent discharge, is leading to interesting developments which may possess great practical importance,” says the writer. “The application of ultra-violet rays to the sterilisation of water supplies furnishes an example, although it appears probable that there is still room for improvements in this application in order to make the process a completely efficient ono. The extension of this nrinciple to the preservation of both liquid and solid foods is also foreshadowed, although here considerable difficulty is encountered owing to the opaqueness of the materials to the radiations’ A process of preserving perishable foods, independent of the use of chemicals, about the innocence of which there is doubt, would obviously ho a valuable discovery to the community.”