POPULAR MISCELLANY. 



283 



dangerous in the case of wood of large di- 

 mensions. A concentrated solution of phos- 

 phate of ammonia, although expensive, is 

 undoubtedly the best substance to apply by 

 injection. Certain substances, notably chlo- 

 ride of calcium, should be rigorously ex- 

 cluded, because they would keep the wood 

 constantly damp. This method may be ap- 

 plied to small articles by immersion, and the 

 solution should be hot. In the majority of 

 cases, including existing structures, applying 

 some coating with a brush is the only prac- 

 ticable treatment. The wood thus coated 

 should present a neat appearance, should be 

 capable of receiving a coat of ordinary paint, 

 nor should either coating deteriorate within 

 a moderate time. The best substances for 

 such application are cyanide of potassium 

 and asbestus paint. 



Tests of Eye-Sight, Band-Grip, and 

 Breathiug Capacity. — Some curious obser- 

 vations on men and women were reported 

 from the Anthropometric Laboratory at Man- 

 chester to the British Association. Of mem- 

 bers of the association who were tested at 

 the museum for keenness of eye-sight, the 

 men could see diamond type with their right 

 eye at a distance of 19"6 inches, and with 

 their left eye at a distance of 18'2 inches, 

 showing a distinct difference between right 

 and left. A similar difference was manifest- 

 ed among the women, who with their right 

 eye saw at a distance of 19'2 inches, and 

 with the left at a distance of IS'T inches. 

 The men averaged 41 "V years of age, and the 

 women were between 23 and 25 years. In 

 no case could one see (diamond type) more 

 than 34 inches with the right eye, but with 

 the left one could see beyond that distance. 

 Among 102 men and 98 women, the right 

 eye was equal to the left in 26 instances in 

 the men and 31 in the women ; in 35 in- 

 stances among the men and 28 among the 

 women the right eye could see further than 

 the left, and in 24 cases in the men and 28 

 in the women the right eye v/as worse than 

 the left. The strength of the squeeze showed 

 that it was not uncommon to find a difference 

 of 5 or 6, or even 10 pounds between the 

 squeezing power of the two hands. The aver- 

 age squeeze of the men was between 35 and 

 45 kilos, and that of the women about 25 

 kilos. The average weijrht of the men was 



between 11 and 12 stone, and that of the 

 women about two stone less ; the height of 

 the men 08 inches, and of the women 4 inch- 

 es less. Speaking of the effects of stays, 

 which Dr. Garson said interfere with the ab- 

 dominal respiration, Mrs. Stokes observed that 

 the statistics of the stay and corset makers 

 and sellers of London showed that the aver- 

 age size of the female waist had decreased 

 during the last twenty-five years by two inch- 

 es. Concerning the breathing capacity of 

 some who wore no stays. Dr. Wilberforce 

 Smith said that one woman 59 inches in 

 height, whose breathing capacity, according 

 to the usual average, should be 100, had an 

 actual capacity of 135; another, whose aver- 

 age should be 115, had actual 158 ; a third, 

 average 130, actual 150 ; a fourth, average 

 130, actual 200; a fifth, average 162, actual 

 195. In one person, in feeble health, the 

 actual was less than the average. 



The Chinese and their Limbs.— The Chi- 

 nese, according to the " North China Her- 

 ald," are opposed to having amputations 

 performed upon them, not because they are 

 afraid of the pain, but because they look 

 upon it as a duty to keep the body intact. 

 If they submit to it, they ask for the severed 

 member, and keep it in a box, to be buried, 

 in due time, with the owner. Sometimes 

 they will eat it, in the thought that it is 

 right that that which has been taken from 

 the body should be returned to it. So an 

 extracted tooth will be preserved, or ground 

 to powder and swallowed in water. They 

 also have a notion that a sick parent can 

 be cured by broth made from flesh cut from 

 a living child, and it is looked upon as a 

 sign of filial piety for a child to submit 

 himself to an operation for that purpose. 

 The child is supposed to be of the vital es- 

 sence of the parent, and it is thought that, 

 if a part of this essence is returned to the 

 fountain-head, the parent will be greatly 

 strengthened. 



Water-Storage at River-Heads.— Mr. J. 



Bailey Denton proposed, in the British Asso- 

 ciation, a plan for replenishing the subter- 

 ranean suppUes of the underground strata 

 by means of shafts to be sunk down to the 

 line of their saturation. He computes that 

 of the twenty-seven inches forming the mean 



