MISCELLANY. 



6^ 



are : variations of beat and cold, aud con- 

 stant inhalation of dust ; these causes pro- 

 duce chronic bronchitis and asthma. The 

 paralytic diseases are induced by lead ; of 

 these diseases the victims are the dippers 

 and the women who assist them. " Could 

 we," remarks Dr. Richardson, in conclu- 

 sion, "relieve the earthenware manufactur- 

 ers from the two grand causes of disease to 

 which they are exposed, dust and lead, 

 though some generations would be required 

 in order to restore them, as a community, 

 to perfect vitality, there is no reason why 

 their death-rate should not, at once, be re- 

 duced to at least half its present excess, 

 and the steady progress of their vital re- 

 generation be immediately commenced." 



Effects of Cold on Jlilk. The effect of 

 cold upon milk has been made a subject of 

 experiment by M. Eugene Tisserand, who 

 finds that if cow's milk is immediately, or 

 soon after being drawn, placed in vessels at 

 various temperatures between freezing-point 

 and 90 Fahr., and the initial temperature 

 maintained for twenty-four or thirty-six 

 hours, the nearer the temperature of the 

 milk is to freezing-point the more rapid is 

 the collection of cream, the more consider- 

 able is the quantity of cream, the amount 

 of butter is greater, and the skimmed milk, 

 the butter, and the cheese, are of better qual- 

 ity. These facts, he believes, may be ex- 

 plained by Pasteur's observations on fer- 

 ments. It is probable that the refrigeration 

 arrests the development of living organisms 

 and hinders the changes due to their growth. 

 The facts stated indicate room for great 

 improvement in the methods of storage and 

 preservation of milk. To keep milk at its 

 original quality, extreme cleanliness and a 

 low temperature are absolutely necessary. 

 In the north of Europe the value of cold is 

 already recognized, and in warmer climates 

 the need of its assistance is greater. 



Coal-Gas as a Fuel. The use of coal-gas 

 in the place of gross fuel for the purposes 

 of heating and cooking is rapidly coming 

 into public favor in England. In this coun- 

 try the high price of gas is doubtless the 

 principal reason why this most convenient 

 form of fuel has not been more widely 

 adopted, in the place of coal. The advan- 



tages of. gas are manifold, and are clearly 

 set forth in a paper read by Mr. John Wal- 

 lace at a meeting of the London Society for 

 the Promotion of Scientific Industry. First, 

 we can absolutely control the amount of gas 

 consumed and the degree of heat produced. 

 In cooking, this control of the degree of 

 heat is of the utmost importance : too quick 

 or too slow a fire must result in bad cook- 

 ing. Now, the heat of a coal-fire is very 

 irregular, and is liable to be affected by so 

 many circumstances that constant attention 

 is required to keep it in the proper condi- 

 tion for delicate operations. Then, in point 

 of cleanliness and facility of application, 

 gas-stoves are far superior to coal-stoves. 

 " The increasing cost of household labor," 

 adds Mr. Wallace, " renders it highly prob- 

 able that the same measure of success 

 awaits the domestic application of gas as 

 has already established the sewing-machine 

 among our household gods. It is to be 

 hoped that among the numberless schemes 

 of gas-manufacture which have recently 

 been made public we may soon be provided 

 with a gas which shall be sufficiently cheap 

 and plentiful to be used not only for light- 

 ing and heating in private dwellings, but also 

 for trade and manufacturing purposes in 

 workshop and warehouse." 



Toxic Action of Putrid Blood The in- 

 fluence of various conditions upon the toxic 

 property of blood has been investigated by 

 V. Feltz, whose results, as communicated to 

 the Paris Academy of Sciences, are briefly 

 stated in the Lancet. He first determined 

 the effects on a healthy dog. The injection 

 of from one to three cubic centimetres 

 caused all the symptoms of intense blood- 

 poisoning in from three to eight days. Ex- 

 posure to the air for periods of 24 to 96 

 hours made no difference in the toxic prop- 

 erties of the blood ; exposure to compressed 

 air for 24 to 144 hours was also without ef- 

 fect. Exposure to oxygen had different re- 

 sults, according to the time of exposure. 

 Contact with oxygen for from 6 to 72 hours 

 had no effect. Animals injected with blood 

 which had been exposed to oxygen for 96 

 to 216 hours recovered after five or six days' 

 illness. The result was the same with blood 

 through which a continuous stream of oxy- 

 gen was passed. A ver.v similar effect was 



