NOTES 301 



required about 21 lb. It is difficult to make a fair comparison between 

 the cost of heating by gas stove and by coal. Oven cookery costs about the 

 same by both, but hot-plate work is dearer with gas, and when large quantities 

 of hot water are required {e.g. for baths), or a continuous supply, no gas 

 appliance can be really economical. It appears that only one-third of the 

 heat supplied by the burning gas is used in a gas cooker, i.e. when the cost 

 of gas is one shilling per therm as supplied by the company, each therm of 

 heat actually used costs about three shillings — the rest is lost by inefficient 

 design of the cooker. It should be possible to improve this design so that half 

 the heat developed by the combustion of the gas is usefully employed. 



It is not generally known that Dr. E. H. Hankin, whose article on the 

 Mental Ability of Quakers and reply to criticism thereon are published in 

 this and a previous number of Science Progress, was the discoverer of a 

 method of dealing with cholera on the large scale which is now in fairly 

 general use in India and has probably saved a large number of lives. Many 

 years ago he found that the growth of cholera vibrios in wells can be checked 

 by destroying the organic matter in the well-water by throwing in a little 

 permanganate of potash. We believe that Dr. Hankin has had no sort of 

 recognition of any kind from any government or academical body for this fine 

 addition to the armoury of hygiene — except the Kaisar-i-Hind medal. He 

 is not a medical man, but as Government Analyst in the United Provinces 

 was one of the first to introduce bacteriology into India at a time when 

 that science was scorned by all the authorities of our Indian Empire, so 

 that even Koch's discovery of the cholera vibrio was utterly neglected. 

 Hankin' s work has been of greater importance to India than the work or 

 no-work of many persons who have received more honours and acknow- 

 ledgments. Really, in some respects the British remain barbarians to the 

 present day, and he should write an article on the mental ability of the 

 Indian Powers -that- Be ! 



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