198 ANNUAL KECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



gradually diminished in intensity; the most persistent was 

 the effect upon the hearing. Second. In regard to the special 

 effects upon human organism, Schyrmnnski considers first the 

 change in the capacity of the lungs, or the quantity of expired 

 air. Having had considerable experience with the spirome- 

 ter, his observations appear worthy of full credit, and he con- 

 cludes that, in artificially rarefied air in the pneumatic appa- 

 ratus, the vital capacity of the lungs, or the quantity of ex- 

 pired air, diminishes. Its diminution during the process of 

 rarefaction and its subsequent increase appear to be quite reg- 

 ular; the average amount of the diminution is about 2 per 

 cent. He next considers the influence of rarefaction upon the 

 temperature, and finds that there is a slight increase, followed 

 by a steady diminution of the interior temperature of the body 

 a phenomenon which may, perhaps, be explained by the 

 changes in the circulation and respiration ; for at the begin- 

 ning there is an increase in the frequency of breathing and in 

 the pulse, and a rush of blood to the extremities, causing an in- 

 crease of temperature, which is soon followed by slow reaction. 

 From the inaugural dissertation from L. Stembo, on the 

 Physiological Effect of Compressed Air, we take the following 

 notes: After alluding to the contradictory opinions and re- 

 sults of observations of Knauthe, Vivenot, Panum, Lange, and 

 others, he states that his attention was first directed to the 

 vital capacity of the lungs as depending on the barometric 

 pressure. He finds a steady increase in the capacity while 

 the pressure increases, and, on the other hand, obtained a sim- 

 ilar result outside of the pneumatic cabinet. He then inves- 

 tigates any possible source of error affecting his observations, 

 and finds that the increase in lung-capacity is certainly con- 

 firmed. The explanation given by him leads to the conclu- 

 sion that compressed air will have a healing tendency in in- 

 flammations of the mucous membrane of the bronchial tubes; 

 also in acute catarrh of the smaller bronchia 1 , and in bron- 

 chial asthma. With reference to the temperature of the skin 

 under compressed air, he finds that with increasing pressure 

 the temperature invariably sinks. 



Ilypsometry. 



At the end of an investigation into the accuracy of his new 

 barometer (Zurich VierteljahrsscJirift,\o\. xx.,p. 385),Weilen* 



