Zht Popular Science ^tto0 
AND 
BOSTON JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY. 
Volume XXIV. 
BOSTON, AUGUST, 1890. 
Number S. 
CONTENTS. 
Familiar Science. — A Pre-Uistoric Giant . 113 
A Curious Experiment in Pneumatics . . 113 
Arithmetical Calculations Among the An- 
cient Greeks and Romans 114 
Sixth Centennial of University of Montpellier 1 14 
Flies of Prey 115 
(jrass of Parnassus 116 
Scientific Breveties . 116 
Practical Chemistry and the Arts. — An 
Ancient Chemical Laboratory . . . . 116 
Our Common Pigments 117 
Different Kinds of Lightning 117 
Industrial Memoranda 118 
The Out-Door World.— Better Than Was 
Promised iiS 
The Agassiz Association Attacked . . . . iiS 
New York City Assembly Annual Report . 119 
Original Observations by Members of A. A. 119 
Chapter Addresses, New and Revised . . . 120 
Photography Abroad 120 
Wild Roses 120 
Curious Facts 120 
Editorial. — Limitations of Electricity . . . 122 
The Water- Ways of New Mexico . . . . 122 
Premonitiens of Autumn 123 
Paris Letter 123 
Meteorology for June, 1890 124 
Astronomical Phenomena for August, 1890 . 124 
Questions and Answers 125 
Literary Notes 125 
Medicine and Pharmacy. — Autographism . 125 
State Regulation of Medicine 126 
Some Old Patent Medicines 126 
Monthly Summary of Medical Progress . . 127 
Medical Miscellany 128 
Publishers' Column 128 
Fanjiliar Scieijce. 
A PRE-HISTORIC GIANT. 
The legends of all races tell of a time 
when mankind were of giant stature, doubt- 
less arising, in many cases, from the discovery 
of the fossil bones of ancient animals of large 
size, such as the elephant, mammoth, etc. 
But, as far as we know, there is no proof 
whatever that the human race was ever pos- 
sessed of a greater average stature than at 
present. In fact, the tendency seems to be 
in the opposite direction, the men of the 
present time slightly exceeding their ances- 
tors in size — a result doubtless due to the 
improved conditions of existence in these 
latter days. 
Occasional instances of unusual stature are, 
however, not uncommon, and can be seen in 
almost any dime museum ; and that there 
were giants even in the Stone Age seems to 
be proved by a discovery made near Mont- 
pellier, in France, by M.'Lapouge, and 
communicated by him to La Nature. At 
Castelnau, near the above town, is a pre- 
historic cemetery, dating, from the ages 
of polished stone and bronze. A large 
number of human bones were found, includ- 
ing about forty skulls, one of which formerly 
belonged to an individual about eighteen 
years old, who, judging from the size of his 
skull, must have baen over six feet in height. 
But the most remarkable "finds" of M. 
Lapouge were three pieces of bone, illus- 
trated in the engraving, which must formerly 
have belonged to some pre-historic giant 
of extraordinary size. The first piece, shown 
on the left of the engraving, is a part of a 
femur, or thigh-bone, and the one on the 
right a part of a tibia, or shin-bone. In the 
middle is represented a humerus, or bone of the 
upper arm , from the same ancient cemetery, but 
of normal size. At the bottom is represented 
a small fragment, which may be either a piece 
of a femur or a humerus ; if the latter, then 
it must also have formerly made up part 
of the skeleton of the giant, as can be seen 
by comparison with the normal humerus 
above it. 
If we judge of the height of this neolithic 
giant by the usual proportion of the parts 
of the skeleton to each other, he must have 
been between ten and eleven feet high. The 
question remains whether this excessive 
growth was a normal one, or due to a dis- 
eased condition resulting in a general hyper- 
trophy of the osseous system. On this point 
the authorities differ, one professor of the 
University of Montpellier holding that the 
bones are normal in every respect, while 
another finds evidence of a diseased condi- 
tion. In either case the giant of Castelnau 
must have been a source of wonder, if not 
of terror, to the savage men of those times, 
and was doubtless treated with all the honor 
which in these modern days is bestowed upon 
a successful prize-fighter. 
There has been an old tradition among the 
peasants of the vicinity that a cavern in the 
valley was, in olden times, occupied by a 
giant ; and it would be curious if the discov- 
ery of M. Lapouge should show it to be 
founded on fact, and handed down from 
father to son during the centuries that have 
elapsed since the time when the ancient 
inhabitants of France knew of no other 
material for their implements and utensils 
than the stones which they so laboriously 
worked into the desired shapes. 
A CURIOUS EXPERIMENT IN PNEU- 
MATICS. 
Take a short tube, provided at one end 
with a funnel-shaped opening, (Fig. i), and 
a small ball of wood or other light material. 
Place one end of the tube in the mouth, 
and attempt to hold the ball against the 
other end by drawing in the breath. The 
attempt will be unsuccessful, as the ball will 
Fig. I. 
fall immediately to the ground ; but if one 
places the ball against the funnel and blows 
strongly outward, it will remain in position 
overcoming, apparently, both the attraction 
of gi-avitation, and the force of the current 
of air. 
This paradoxical result is explained by 
