SCIENCE NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2206, 11 June 1896, Page 48

SCIENCE NOTES.

* . ' Many of the foreign military magazines,, when discussing the practicability of invading England, seem to assume (says a Home paper) tbat when once a landing is effected all will be over, owing to the great demoralisation that will ensue.. If the worst comes to the worst, our railways are fully prepared to concentrate 90,000 men well within 48 hours on any given line of defence. The plans for this truly wonderful feat were drawn up by the late Sir George Findlay, general manager of the London and North-Western Railway, who clearly demon-, strated their possibility, and they are now in the possession of the War Office. We venture to state that any invader will be disagreeably surprised by the celerity with which troops would b9 .brought down to meet him. There will be no " walk over." Oar railways, which are always mobilised, and are always on active service, so to speak, are one of the most efficient faotors in the scheme of national defence. •.•Among the clinical memoranda in a recent number of the American Medical News is a very interesting account of an imEoitaut cage, Tfcs report is JuraUbea fey.

Captain Bradley, assistant surgeon in the United States army. Tae patient was a trcoper who, by a fall from bis horse, f raotured hishumerup. Tbe fracture was an oblique one, and it was complicated fron the first by paralysis affecting the extensors of the forearm, giving rise to the characteristic wrist-drop, and no doubt duo to injury to the moscalo-splral nerve at the time of the accident. The fracture quickly healed, but the paralysis persisted in spite of treatment by massage and battery. The muscles of the forearm were atrophied, but still reacted to galvanism and to direot percussion. Operation was advised with a view of suturing the nerve if possible, but it was found, after a hard nodular enlargement -.involving the whole trunk had been removed, that the divided ends could not be brought together. A dog had previously been seemed and its sciatic nerve isolated under acsettbeda. A piece of thii, five centimetres in length, was taken and carefully sutured into position between the ends of the patient's mu;cnlospiral nerve, and the wound closed and dressed. Union took place by first intention. — Lancet.

■ . * The use of petroleum for consumption is not a new idea, as it was suggested come years ago by a French pbys'.oiao. Dr Peliissier of R umania was led to employ the crude oil in Ms practice by noting that workmen in pstroleum works at Oatnplna are never infected with pulmonary tuberculosis, and be has now reported the experience of two year*. The petroleum is simply freed from earthy matter by filtering through paper and enclosed in capsules to avoid orcatiog an aversion to it on account of its unpleasant odour. The results of the treatment are claimed to be surprising. The cough ceases, the sweats disappear, the appetite and sleep return, the lesions of the lungs reoover. The breath acquires the odour of petroleum, but digestion is not disturbed. Treatment through the Btomach is supplemented during the day by breathing air passed through the petroleum, a Turkish tobacco pipe being used for the purpose. Efforts to administer -the remedy by injootion were unsuccessful. ■ . * Although the greatest diamond mines in the world are in South Africa, Braeil exports more diamonds to that part than to anywhere else on earth. The explanation is easy. They are black diamonds, and are not of the kind üboS as jewellery. The place of their greatest utility is underground in the mines. South Africa doss cot produce them, but it could not get along well without them. Black diamond is the hardest substance known. J Its utility has only been realised for about 20 yean, and improvements are constantly beiog made in it. The rough stones are taken and split by machinery, in a way that was unknown until recently. The split must follow the grain. If it does not, half the stone will be wasted. Eaoh stone is split into cubes of different sizes. The oubes are then welded into mining drills, if they are to be used for boring. The steel is oast about the diamond so that it cannot get loose. la the same way nearly all i diamond saws are made. They are circular I saw?. Every tooth is a black diamond oube. It is fastened on when the steel portion of the instrument is in a molten state. The attempt to make these stones artificially has proved a failure iv every instance. Tbe cost is greater than the market price of the Brazilian diamond. Black diamonds weigh ordinarily less than 100 carate, ranging all the way down to half a carat. The largest in existence was found only a short time ago, its weight being 320 carats. The diamond was sold to a museum for £8000. ' . ' The Swedes have been trying to make coke from peat. They found a good deal of difficulty about it, but have succeeded ■ in making a fuel which is fairly good, although ! only partially cok*, by extracting first the more fibrous matter for textile purposes and carrying the remainder, after crushing, automatically through bJx pairs of cylinders heated by peat power, increasing the temperature to a white heat in the bottom cylinders. The coßt of this fuel is about eight ehillingg per ton. Japan possesses what is probably the oldest wooden structure in the world. It contains the art treasures of the Mikado, and is situated in Nara, which for some years was the imperial residence. The building is oblong in shape and is built of triangular logs of wood. It rests on piles. Tbe wood vied is of native growth and shows extraordinary lasting power, considering the trying climate which it had to endure for over 1200 years. A peculiar feature about tbe logs of which the building is constructed is that, in parts most exposed to tbe weather, the legi are thinner by several inches than those in a more sheltered position, the wood havirg gradually worn away. The treasures which tbe storehouse contains are of great antiquity; and have been seen by Europeans during only the last three years. They consist of rare and beautiful fabrics of Persian, Indian, Chinese, and Turkish manufacture, and ancient articles from all parts of the world. * . * We believe it may be laid down ss an unerring principle that where a crime is committed from wbioh no possible advantage — real or fancied — can accrue to the perpetrator, even by tbe gratification of some evil , impulse or momentary burst of passion, the case is one of true criminal mania, and the same may be assumed if the advantage to be derived from the crime is dependent on a complete - hallucination; but' where an ofjfoocfl fa ootomitled <wUQh/ hft» been

prompted by ilie deliberate purpose and «- peclaticn of direct personal benefit — Brett though that benefit be only the tatiifaatfon of utterly depraved Instinct!— l6 may be taken as certain that it is nab an Instance at criminal manis, but of simpla inbrad corrap* tion. Again, when a person committing a crime ia honestly convinced, by (ha delusion of a distorted moral cense, that «h« dead is in reality a virtuous action, he may justly ba sheltered under the aegis of criminal Insanity ; bat where the offender is perfectly aware o£ the oulpability of the act, and yet delibe* rately proceeds with it, we may' feel cerfeefd that he has no excuse in mental aberration-, however Inconsistent with his social position or antecedents tha crime may be.. — F. M. F. Skene, la The Hospital.