ALLEGED GREAT SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES.

Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 213, 20 September 1873, Page 3

ALLEGED GREAT SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES.

Tvs London lonc^pon lent of the Dundee Advertiser says : - For somo time Hut scientific world has not been startled and rejoiced by any very gi eat discovery, but at the present moment wo ai* 1 on the ove of the publication of one of the greatest scientific discoveries of tic present age. The happy man who has stiwek on «i new ami rich icm of scientific truth comes from tho <«iamlc City, and is a very distinguished alumnus of the University of Aberdeen. J)r Forrier, who was some time ago appointed successor to Dr Guy in the Chair of Forensic Medicine m King's College, London, has just ciowned the study of yeais by a most happy and brilliant series of experiments. Dr Ferrier was ,i successful student of philosophy, and gained the Feriruson seholaiship in Glasgow before he studied medicine. It was piobably his acquaintance with Professor Bain's psychology that led him to give special attention to the physiology of the biain, for which he obtained a gold nit dal, pro\ed that he had already entered on the study in which he is destined to acquire enduring fame. He lias in ver lost sight of the subject to which lie attached himhi If so early, and has been for a considerable tune tholoughly up to the most advanced knowledge. About a month Ago his plans were so far complete that he was lv^ly to begin his experiments with the Eastor holidays. y ny the imitation of Dr Cru-hton Brown ho went to * \\ aketield, aud was amply provided with cats, dogs, and oihcr animals for his c<peinnenls. The rc-.ults astonished himself, and it is not t.x> much to say that during the tast month more has been discovered regaiding tho attion of the biam than all the preccdinjt knowledge. Physiology is, therefore, ou the eve of an extraordinary advance. W hat Gall and Spurzheim groped after in a loose and cmpiiical fashion is now established on the sure grounds of expeiiments. The modus operand iw new and ingenious. The animal to be experimented on is first put under chloroform The next thing is to clear .way the skull and expose the biaia This, it will be understood, is a difficult and delicate operation, but is done, and the animal may live from three hours to four days. All this has been done often enough befoie, but the difficulty was to get some mode of rousing parts of the brain into activity without injuring the parts. Here Faraday comes in. buch is tho way of scientific discovenes—every step leads to the next. Without Simpson and chloroform the operation could not have been usefully attempted ; without Fora Jay the operation might have been performed a thousand times without leading to any result. The piocess employed by Dr Ferrier is what is known as Faradising. After uncovering the brain, he iipplies the point of an electrode to the convolutus of the biam. Its effect is to excite the functional activity of that part, and thereby to show what its real work is. One of the first expeiiments disclosed the part that is employed in wagging the tail. Soon after the centres engaged in supplying the limbs, the mouth, bead, &c., were discovered, and alieady Dr Furrier has succeeded in almost completing a map of the brain with all its organs, distinguished by the sure and vigorous test of experiment. .Nothing could surpass the interest of those experiments. On the table before you is the dog with its skull removed All seems, but for the bieatlung and movement of the buun, an ineit mass of dead matter. The doctor applies the electrode, and presently the tail begins to wag. All else is motionless. Another touch, and its foiepaw is -stretched out ; another, its head is erected ; another, and its mouth opens. Again the magic wand touches the brain, and the animal seems convulsed with fear and rage, and so on the experiments go. Once the divining rod has been discovered it is comparatively easy foi an expert vissicator to use it. This discovery, so simple once it is known, will eilect almost a revolution m physiology, llitherto it has been looked on as an axiom that you cannot experiment with tho brain — that it is too near the seat of life to be tampered with. Jfow experiment has been introduced into a legion where we had reconciled ourselves to the v i t ;uc and uncertain light of observation. There can be no doubt that we shall soon know the particular use of every convolution of the biain Phrenology from the ht.iLje of empirical observation will become a science. One of the other eh ef lesults attained by Dr Ferrier is the belief that each convolution is a separate organ, although occasionally several may be conjoined for common work, lie also finds that the gieat motion centres are collected in the front pait of the brain, a result which shows that phrenologists were nob far out in that quarter. It also has demonstrated that the nerves moving the muscles of tho jaw are just above the ear. where the phienrlogists place gustativrness. But other expeiiments make sad havoc with the locality of many of the bumps. The most singular of all the experiments is one proving that one of the main uses, if not the sole one, of ceiebellum is to supply the muscles of tho eye. This is an extraordinary confirmation of one of Professor Bain's most characteristics views. But the most important immediate effect of Dr Ferrier's discoveiy will be an improved treatment of diseases of the brain. It has found out why considerable portions of the brain may be diseased without int<-i fering with sanity, and why other slight lessons pioduce ! epilepsy. It has succeeded in artificially producing epi- ' lepsy in a dog. This is a most wonderful part of the dis- ' covery, [and proves the tiuth of the conjecture of Dr Wewlmgs Jackson, that epilepsy arises from a. lesion be- | tvveen two convolutions of the brain. Dr Ferrier has also i found out the origin of the chorea or St. Vitus' dance, < and has been able to make his jmimals show all the sym- • toms of the disease artificially. He has caused tutanus j .md [other peculiar and difficult states of the muscular ' system. Altogether the discovery opena a new path in the treatment of disease, and cannot fail to produce the most important benefits. It will also give us a leal scientific phrenology ; and, curiously enough, Dr Ferrier's discovery coincides with another almost essential to its practical success. Anatomists have warned phrenologists that they erred in taking the outward shape of the skull as indicating the shape of the brain. The skull varies considerably, and it is impossible to say of any paiticular part that the brain is such or such a distance below. Nevertheless, a young anatomist has recently shown that . theie is a l elation between the shape of the skull and of the brain, and that it is possible to know what is in the inside of the head without breaking it open. This is most opportune, for when Dr Ferner has mapped out the brain it will be possible to diagnose a man's faculties as easily as tell his shape We arc glad to hear that, at the instance of Professor Huxley, the R->yal Society has come handsomely forward and voted a grant to Dr Fcrriei to carry out hi 3 experiments on monkeys. The monkey is the nearest approach to man in the animal kingdom, and as it is of course out of tho question to experiment on men, the monkey will form an adequate substitute. Altogether it is likely that Dr Ferrier's discovery, beyond any discoveryof the present generation, will enlarge tho circle of human knowledge, and contubute to the happiness of mankind.

Phonographic rusociat ions appear to bo great! v on the increase in England, Sc >tland, and America. The Glasgow association recently held an influential meeting, at which the president mentioned that the society was in communication with 13,000 trachcrs of >outh, us one branch of its \ .tried operations. Mention is made of an ardent correspondent, who w rote 3000 pages of Pitman's phonograph} in two years. Interesting information respecting saving of time is furnished bj the Cincinnati institute; and the Columbia Daily Courier writes — " Mr Pitman's phonography is employed by nearly all the reporters in Washington and our northern cities, and taught in nearly all the principal northern colleges anil schools. In England the list of associations increases, the proceedings of which are reported weekly in the London Phonetic Journal. Tho family of the Hon John Bright are, it appears, among the students of this useful art. Phonography is evidently making great strides Nit, DE3PEEANDUM — No cloud so dark that thoro is not light behind. A wretched httlo 10-year old boy, ragged and almost bare-footed, drifting along Detroit streets one day last week, was asked whero his father was. "Dead," responded the young gentleman, amiably. "Where's your mother?" "Run away," lie answered His intorlooutor oxprcsbed sj nip ithy, and observed that ho must feel lonesome. Did this iiitciciting fluid wipe the eye of selfish sensibility at this speech ? No ; his nature ran in broader, more humanitarian and artistic channels. His youthful, noblo countenance glo"ed and brightened, and an exulting smile played upon his lips. Tlio purest, swoetest, dreams of his early years, and tender anticipations of the future, mingled in that smile. " Lonesome 9 Not a bit of it," exclaimed the brave boy, '' there's gom' to he tho biggest circus horo next month yer ever set eyes on'" There is a striking resemblance in character between this true-hearted youth and the British child, who on being told that his lather was 104 at sea, burst into tears remarking, " He had i>iy best jack-knife with him !" — Xnv York Tribune. Mr Woimersley, of thcCarrow Works, of Messrs Cole- ■ mil's gigantic mustard and starch business, has invented aid patented a piece of mechanism for improving and facilitating tho manufacture of small wooden boxes, vaiyin<* fioin nine lncheH to twenty-four inches in length, with a prr>poi tionate depth. Of such boxes an enormous number are requisite in the Carrow business. By tho new machine there is not only great saving m time and labour, but the box is much more finished and easily rendered .ur-tight The machine cuts transversely into a wooden hoard, of a width and length that vary for different sized boxes, three rather deep V grooves, and at tho same time hovels the rough ends of the board . This done, the board cm be folded or bent together until tho groove is close, with or without glue added, when there are produced the four sides of a b<>\, only a botHmi and a lid bein# wantid to complete it. Naih are knocked in crosgwiso at oach of tho mittud curnetH, a bottom and a lid are quickly nailed on, aid there is i umplitod a box without any gaping cracks at the corneis. The machine was made at Carrow, I>y Mr Koymer, uiidei Mr Wiirnunsley's duection, and wiil be exhibited hi tho London Inl-rjitiouil Exhibition.

Tut: Tukf: Its Fuauds and Ciiic\nkimks.— Thcro are two classes of races with which the public arc familiar, ono is tlio lmndicap, the other is tho weight -for h«c rate ;to the first category belong such r.mti i.ts a» th»< ' Oty mid Suburban Handicnp,' the '("V&im witch,' hml the ' Cuinbndgeslnre ; ' in tho second iatugorj,wc haw the 'TK rby,' t he 'St Leger,' the 'Two Tliouwind (lumen-.,' the '/ One Thousand Guineas,' and the 'Oaken,'- -the two hitter conic-its being restricted entirely lo f.llifh, winUif, horjea >>!' both hcvs may compete )n the olheis In w eight -for-agi* races there is not so much room for ilccejilion mid tho 'working of the oracle' as there ism b imlicaps The horses in weight-for-age contests always carry an equal weight, nnd run, therefore, on tho same terms! The honour of winning a Derb t > or a St Leger (not to epuak of tho great value of tho stukob) is esteomed so great thai/ almost every horso which stai ts may be assumed to be trying or to be aidnigjanother ono that is trying. Very little deception can, as a geneial rule, bo practised inn Derby or other wi>ighMor-ngi> race, bemuse the ' form ' of the horses on their previous public running is usually a good guide to their merits and, as many of them have run ;is two-year-olds, what they have done is known, nnd what they cniido is not difficult to estimate. It is not uncommon, oi cour-c, to find a ' dark ' hepe, that is un animal which hns ne\cr run before, trying with nil its might to wm tho blue riband of the turf, but, -peaking generally, the Derby is ofteuest won by horses of known public form. It will scarcely payun honest, straightforward owner to Imp a horse in his stable for two ye&r* on the chance of its -winning a Derby, when, as a two-year-old, it might possibly win i several valuable stakes, and thus help to recoup tho owner at n nearly (late for what, it cost him to purchase and keep it. Horses must be notified for entry in tho Derby Stakes and the other .vcigbt-for-ago races already mentioned, when they are jearlingu, and as only about a score of hor.-es out of the 250 that may bo entered m any given year go to the starting-post for the Derby, it will bo seen that a largo sum of money is expended to no purpose— except indeed the augmentation of the stakes to be run for. In fact, tho Derby is simply a lottery, to which somo two hundred gentlemen contribute a given sum for each horse they enter, and one man on the day of th>' race takes nearly tho whole amount, the allowaneo for tho second horse being only £300 ! A gentleman, or professional turf man, may outer seven or eight horses to contend for the Derby Stakos, or for the St Leger, and long before the day find out that not ono of his animals is worth sending to Epsom or Doncastor. Whon a man possesses a Derby favourite he has a sorrowful time of it; for the race-horoo being a most delicate animal, excossive care is required in its management. Besides, if the horse has been heavily backed, — so that the book-makers stand to loso large sums of money by its winning, tho owner and trainer are in constant fear of tho horse being ' got at,' or of some stable boy being bribed to ' nobble it,' or to render j it, by some foul means or other, incapable of winning the [ race. In speaking of the late Lord Zetland, wo said th.it his horses, so far as he could control them, ran straight enough, for in no walk of life is it more certain that a man has his price than in the business of the turf. We dare say Lord Zetland had very honest people about him, and we know many trainers of horses are sterling men, who cinnot be tempted from the path of duty, but we know equally well j that there have been trainers of whom thoir employers lncd in constant terror. Tho owner of a first favorite for the Derby or St Ledger knows not the moment at which he may recede in the betting, or becomo nfllirtcd with homo trouble that will fnistrite the cherished hopes of .\ earn He is afraid to trust his trainer, although he may ha\e told him that hi* bank account will bo swollen by a cheque for two thousand pounds the moment the horoo which he trains passes the winning-post. But what is an owner's two thousand when placed °agninst a bookmakers five thmuand? ami what signifies such u trifle as fire thousand pounds to a man who stands to pay away ten times that sum if the hone wins the race, wd to bag fifty thousand should it lose ? ' Uneasy,' it is siv : d, ' lies the head that we*rs a crown,' but still more uneasily lies the head of him who owns a favorite for the Derby. There is a very decided advantage in fermenting manure, provided it is done without loss. It converts the woody fibre of the straw into ulmic and hnmio acid and the nittogenious matter into ammonia. In other word?, it decomposes the manure and renders it soluble or aTailablc. Chemistry and experience agree on this point. Farmers nnd gardeners know that well rotted manure acts more quickly than fresh manure ; chemistrj tells us why, and also teaches us that there need bo no loss of ammonia during the process of fermentation. It is undoubtedly true that there is often great loss in kcoping manure. This arises principally from leachinn. The rain washes out the ■soluble matter. If t lie liquid u«s run on to a meadow or otherwise applied lo the land, Ihere would be little loss. But when it runs ol" into tho drains or ditches, we unquestionably loso much of the be?t | pi mt food of the manure. _____^____ _ ___—