SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 7399, 28 April 1891, Page 2

SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

ABimOIAIi SKULL SHAPING.

Astonishing success has attended the efforts of Dr Lannelongue, an eminent specialist of Paris,' to givo intelligence to a little idiot girl. Though four years old, the child could neither walk nor stand, and never Btniled nor took notice of anything. The doctor concluded that the abnormal narrowness of the head obstructed the growth of the brain, and in May lbsfc he made an incision in the centre of the skull and cut a piece of bone from the left side. The result was marvellous. Within less than a month the child could walk, and she has become quite bright — playing, smiling, and taking notice of everything around her.

PAIN-JOY.

A German anatomist has called the attention of his class to certain hysterical women who are affected with a kind of " pain-joy "" — not only experiencing no pain from surgical mutilation, but having a morbid desire to bear without anesthetics operations which should prove very painful. A young woman was introduced who had seriously injured her lower jaw during a paroxysm of hysteria, but who had insisted upon having the necessary removal of part of the jaw and ligature of two arteries performed without an antesthetic, and subsequently deolared that the operations had giyen her great pleasure.

THB HOOJf-WBATHBB PBOBLBH.

From tables made by the use of synoptic charts, eliminating local disturbances, Dr G. Meyer believes he has accomplished what other investigators have sought to do without success — shown an influence of the moon on the weather. The height of the barometer, in months of September to January, is lowered at the time of full moon and raised during tho first quarter. Mo effect can be traced for other months.

bleotbioallx-aimed cross.

In a new invention, a small dry battery, an electro-magnet and a circuit-closer of mercury are so arranged in the stock of a gun that the weapon can be discharged only when elevated to a pre-detormined angle. At other positions the trigger is looked and cannot be pulled. The device is cjaimed to ensure precision in range, and accuracy of firing at night when the range has been previously obtained.

another sin.

A substance having all the essential qualities of silk has boen made from wild "hemp by Nayemura Sakusaburo, of Hikone, Japan. The plant grows on moors and hillsides, and could be cultivated. The fibre is strong and glossy, and several silk factories are said to have found it to be in no way inferior to silk.

THE POTATO D168A38.

In Denmark, come interesting, and perhaps very valuable researches into the potato disease have been made by Professor J. L. Jenson. The disease is found to consist of a fungus, whose spores are carried by the wind, and which first attacks the foliage of the plants. It spreads to the tuber in about seven days by spores washed down from the stum and foliage. Considering these facts, it was thought that the tubers might be protected by moulding the soil into a broad ridge, 3 or 4 inches high, and 10 or 12 inchei wide, after the first weeding, and a further earthing up of one side only — causing the plants to bend so that the spores would fall away from the ridges— within seven days after the appearance of the disease on the foliage. Some ISO farmers are said to have experimented in this way, with these astonishing results : — Where no moulding or earthing up was done, the percentage of diseased potatoes was 44 ; where the moulding was imperfect, 12 ; and where the moulding was perfect, only 1. Infection during harvest was prevented by allowing the tubers to remain in the ground for a month after the withering of tho tops.

OOLD WAVES.

A cold wave is defined by Professor T. Buasell as a fall of temperature in twentyfour houraof 20 degrees over an area of 50,000 square miles, the temperature in some part of this area descending to 36 degrees. Between 1880 and 1890 no less than 691 cold waves were recorded in the United States. In tho great cold wave of January 17th, 1882, the fall of 20 degrees extended over an area of 1,101,000 square miles, and the fall of 10 degrees included 2,929,000 square miles. In six cold waves of the ten years the area of the fall of 20 degrees waa more than a million square miles. Cold waves follow a day after an area of low pressure, or occur to the south-east of an area of high pressure, reaching their greatest extent when both conditions are present.

NESTS TOE GEBMS.

The impurities that colleot under finger nails have ben investigated in tho bacteriological laboratories of Vienna. The matter obtained in 78 examinations was placed in culture solutions, and gave 36 kinds of micrococi, 18 of bacilli, and 3 of sarcinne. Cleanliness of the nails is especially necessary for all who come near a wound, and for those who live in a neighbourhood where an epidemic prevails.

A BEMABKABLE PRESERVATIVE.

A Belgian chemist has found that the green tar left after extracting the oil from the white bark of the birch will offectually preserve even the most delicate textures from decay. It yields neither acid nor alkaloid, is remarkably fluid in alcoholic solution, and when onco dried resists the action of alcohol.

A sew IDEA.

A recent contract provides for street lighting in Paris on a novel plan. Power is distributed by the compressed air system to a great number of small motors, each of which supplies electricity for a small number of lamps.

Mr Joseph Greenwood, who contested the 2den seat at the recent election, was found dead on his farm, at Mount Koskill (Auckland), yesterday. He went out with his gun in the morning, saying he was going to catch a horse, and was found shot through the head. Death was instantaneous.' He leaves a wife and ten children. He was chairman of the Mount Roskili Licensing Committee and also the Road Board,