MISCELLANY. 



253 



its own, even in the case of professional 

 watermen, but such evils are aggravated 

 for the university amateur, who has so often 

 to proceed from hard rowing to hard read- 



PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTION OF CAFFEINE. 



According to Prof. Aubert's estimate, 

 roasted coffee contains only about one-fourth 

 per cent, caffeine ; and, if so, it is not easy to 

 account for the exciting effect of the infusion. 

 The action of caffeine upon the spinal cord 

 is analogous to that of strychnine, but far 

 weaker. It notably augments palpitation 

 of the heart. Artificial respiration arrests its 

 mortal effects. Caffeine also produces tran- 

 sitory paralysis of the pneumogastric nerve. 

 Dr. Nasse supposes that the action of the 

 infusion of coffee is to be attributed, not to 

 the caffeine alone, but to empyreumatic mat- 

 ter. 



THE DEEPEST WELL. 



The Germans claim the deepest hole 

 that has ever yet been bored into the 

 earth. It is situated near a small village 

 about twenty-five miles from Berlin. The 

 boring was commenced in 1867, and stopped 

 last year, at a depth of 4,170 feet. The 

 diameter of the hole at the top is 15 \ inches. 

 For the first 281 feetthe drill passed through 

 solid gypsum, when a bed of quite pure rock- 

 salt was struck, the under side of which had 

 not been reached when the boring ceased. 

 Careful observations of the temperature at 

 various depths are now being made, which 

 will be placed before the public when com- 

 pleted. 



PHYSICAL CONDITION OF CENTENA- 

 RIANS. 



In a paper lately read before the Lon- 

 don Anthropological Society on the physical 

 condition of centenarians, Sir Duncan Gibb 

 gives an interesting account of the examina- 

 tion of six persons who had severally reached 

 the age of one hundred years. He found 

 the organs of circulation and respiration in 

 a condition more approaching to the prime 

 of life than old age. None of those changes 

 which usually mark the age of seventy 

 were observed ; and, in nearly all, the spe- 

 cial senses were unimpaired, and the intelli- 

 gence perfect, which shows at least tie 

 complete integrity of the nervous system. 



ARROW-HEADS IN NEW JERSEY. 



Dr. Charles G. Abbott, writing in the 

 American Naturalist on the " Stone Age in 

 New Jersey," states that stone arrow-points 

 of every variety are found at numerous 

 points throughout the State, and that a ref- 

 erence to the drawings of arrow-points in 

 Nilsson's " Stone Age in Scandanavia," and 

 Lubbock's " Prehistoric Times," shows that 

 whatever they have illustrated, either from 

 the north of Europe or Terra del Fuego, is 

 also to be met with in New Jersey. These 

 arrow-heads are shaped from a great, variety 

 of minerals, but those made of various forms 

 of quartz are the most abundant. 



HONORS TO PROF. DANA. 



At the meeting of the Geological Society 

 of London, for February 16th, the president, 

 Mr. Joseph Prestwich, presented for trans- 

 mission to Prof. Dana, of New Haven, what 

 is regarded as the highest honor the Society 

 can confer, namely, the Wollaston gold 

 medal, which had previously been voted by 

 the council to this distinguished scientist. 

 Prof. Dana's labors were spoken of in the 

 highest terms ; his numerous important con- 

 tributions to almost every branch of geo- 

 logical science being characterized as re- 

 markable, both for learning and skill of 

 presentation, 



COPPER IN ORGANIZED STRUCTURES. 



Besides its wide-spread diffusion in the 

 inorganic world, copper is also a frequent 

 constituent of plants and animals. It is 

 almost constantly found in flour, straw, hay, 

 meat, eggs, cheese, and other articles of 

 food, and also in sea-weed. In the animal 

 kingdom, it occurs in the blood of certain 

 mollusks and crustaceans, and is likewise 

 found in the blood and tissues of many of 

 the higher animals in proportionally large 

 quantity in the liver and kidneys. 



M. Duclaux has lately discovered it in 

 cacao-beans. The proportion is greatest in 

 the outer covering or husk, although the 

 inner parts, of which chocolate is made, 

 also contain a notable quantity. Dr. Craig, 

 of the Army Medical Museum, Washington, 

 has quite recently found traces of copper in 

 oysters ; not in sufficient amount, however, 

 to account for the green color which they 

 sometimes present. 



