Science.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XX, Issue 2026, 4 February 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

Science.

I Some Gut'os for Sea-Sickness- - a w«y I I remedy for -cn.sictaiess IS eli. ; "in-.1. !..n wh-lncr it .vis iiv simply benumbing I: >■ nerves -if tiir stomach, «r by reducing the vecptibility n[ tin- whole nervou;-; system, we do nut knew. At id! eveais. a passenger j may take thirty unties ur chloral at b.iver, full into a drowsy. ball conscious state, and lisul himself at Calais free from sickness. Sometimes on- or two drops of pare chloro(ona taken in a wine-glass of water will prove elfier.cimi?. Hypodermic injections of morphia are occasionally resorted to, but their use is not justhiable until other rente lies have been tried and failed. The substame known as petro'cum, mineral naphtha or rock oil, enjoys a high reputation in the treatment of sea-sickness. It should be taken on going on board, a drop or two on a small piece of sugar, and repeated every two or three hours. A pill containing three drops of creosote is another good remedy. Ipecacuanha wine, in drop doses, which proves so successful in the treatment of many kinds of vomiting, would probably succeed in sea-sickness, although wo are not anpiainled with the records of any eases in which it has been cried, llcccnt experiments seem to show that cocaine is a promising and harmless remedy against sea-sickness. An authority on the subject recommends that the drug be administered in doses of J to j, of a grain, dissolved in water (1 in 10) throe times a day, with a small piece of ice. A surgeon mi board one of the vessels of the White Star Hue recently informed us that in obstinate case? ho had often obtained relief by tire use of iced dry champagne. It is essential, lie says, that the wine should bo dry, for sweet champagne only makes matters worse. In the Levant the daily internal use of iron is a very common cure for sea-sickness. Sailors, when suffering from this complaint, obtain their iron in a very primitive manner, for they scrape off a portion of the rust adhering to the anchor-chain, and then swallow it in a little water.

The idea, says a mechanical writer, that it is possible to propel ships at the rate of forty knots an hour, or at some speed much higher than exists at present, is being discussed bot'n in America and in England. Professor Thurston, of the Sibley college, has recently taken up the subject, and concludes that it is possible. The reasoning of those who hold that I? miles is an attainable speed is based from beginning to end on what is done in torpedo-boats ; but it by no means follows that what is possible on a small scale is equally possible on a largo scale. It would be necessary in order to secure success to augment not only the dimensions of the moving parts, but the strength of the materials of which they are made without augmenting their weight in like manner, in a way which is not practicable. So far as can be seen, the limit has been very nearly reached at present in such ships as the Ontjm and the Atm rii-ii. If the power required augmented in any reasonable ratio with the speed, then great advances would be practicable. Vet even if doubling- the power doubled the speed it is not easy to see how double her present power could be got into the Amt-rim. This vessel has a displacement of 6,500 tons, and engines indicating 9.U00 horses. In smooth water she makes when driven nearly ‘id knots; but. unfortunately, to double’ her speed would require not less than SxU.non _■ 72.0U0 horse-power at least—probably .so.noo is nearer the mark—and this is quite out of the question. The only hope of success mast be sought in the discovery or invention of some type of engine, in fact, which will permit an extravagantly high piston speed to fee adopted, and even then the chance, that such a speed could bo made a paying speed is extremely problematical.

* Tha Sanitary World considers cicauiiness not only essential to goal health, but it is a mark of good breeding. The labourer, by clinging of dust to his perspiring person, becomes a tit subject for the bath, tub very frequently. Too frequent bathing is weakening. It may not bo advisable to take a bath morning and evening, as some medical journals advise, but a good washing frequently enough to keep the person clean. Warm baths will often prevent the most virulent diseases. A person who may be in fear of having received infection of any kind should take a warm bath, suffer perspiration to ensue, and then rub dry. Dress warmly to guard against taking cold. If the system has imbibed any infectious matter, it will be removed by resorting to this process, if done before the infection has time to spread over the system : and even it some time has elapsed, the drenching perspiration that may bo induced by hot water will bo very certain to remove it. In cases of congestion, bilious colic, inflammation, ike., there is no remedy more certain to give relief. In cases of obstinate constipation, also, wonderful cures have been wrought. For sore throat, diphtheria, and inflammation of the lungs, a hot compress is one of the most pgtent remedies. Chemical Nomenclature-Persons who undertake to gain through chemical literature a knowledge of what chemists are doing in and for the world encounter a discouraging nomenclature which repels them by its"apparent intricacy and its polysyllabic character. Their opinion of the terminology of an exact science is not enhanced when they learn that •• blaeklead" contains no lead.

copperas ” contains no copper, “ mosaic gold ” no gold, and “German silver ” no silver ” ; that “ carbolic acid ” is not an acid,

oil o£ vitriol ”is not an oil; that olive oil is a " salt,” but <- rock od" is neither oil nor salt; that some sugars are alcohols, ami some kinds of wax are ethers; that " cream, of tartar " has nothing in common with cream. milk of lime ” with milk, butter of antimony” with butter, "sugar of lead” with sugar,, nor " liver of sulphur ” with the animal organ from which it was named. Headers of chemical writings sometimes fail to appreciate the advantages of styling borax " dinieta-borax of sodium," or of calling alcohol ” methyl carbinoi.” and they ignore the euphony in such words as pentamethyldiainidothiodiphenylaniindiiodemethy]atD(a subject begotten and baptised by Dr. Albert Maascn.

The Xcii'/i/i/f j 1 imrk'an gives several ilj lustrations of the feet that in almost every line of business there are men who excel, because Cicero's declaration that " a poet is born, not made."applies to others than poets. A man whose business in a certain tool-shop was to temper springs, worked t't’.OOU consecutively. and of the whole number only six failed to pass the test; but, during his temporary illness, more than half the springs handled by his assistant, who had been under instruction a year, failed. In a large manufactory of sword blades one man does all the tempering, being called in from other employment at intervals, because, although he has always been willing to instruct others, ho has never had a pupil who could equal him in the work. There is a large scythe raannfncio y ina New England town, making I -1,000 dozen scytiies a year, and the president of the company has for years hardened and tempered every scythe that leaves the works, because no other man in the works can do it so well. Mr- Cloudman proposes to light the Atlantic ocean by (en stations, anchored in (he bottom of (he sea. along (he European- American rout-. the ends to be served by this bold conception would be to make meteorological observations, to communicate with ships, to signal, to help distressed vessels, and to give storm warnings. (If course, the el".■trie light would be employed, ea.-ii station 1-. tig rro-.TI.J with ila'chanxetensUe belli.