February, 1906.] 



KNOWLEDGE & SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



359 



the coronal radiation during the Total Solar Eclipse. Using 

 for comparison an Auer electric osmium lamp, the coronal 

 image given by a lens of I'ao metre focus was thrown on a 

 plate carrying a diaphragm, so that any part of the corona 

 could be examined at will and changes made quickly. The 

 aperture of the objective could also be rapidly altered. 



It was found that the intrinsic brightness of the corona at a 

 point 5' from the limb of the sun, in the direction of the 

 equator, was about 720 candle power. That of the full moon 

 was found to be 2600 of the same units, so that the intrinsic 

 intensity of the coronal light at the point indicated was about 

 0-28 that of the lunar surface. This is in good accord with the 

 previous determination by Turner in 1893, who, using a photo- 

 graphic method, obtained the value 0'25. 



Comparing these values with the measured brightness of the 

 sliy close to the sun during ordinary times, it is found that the 

 corona is probably about 2000 times less intense than the 

 bacliground of illuminated sky against which it is projected, 

 and this indicates the difficulty to be contended with in any 

 attempt to photograph or see the corona during ordinary sun- 

 light. It is possible that certain exceptional stations at high 

 altitudes, and with very dry climate, may offer the least dis- 

 couraging conditions. 



CHEMICAL. 



By C. AiNswoKTH Mitchell, B.A. (Oxon.), F.I.C. 



A Method of Rendering Phosphorxis 

 Ha.rnnless. 



A NEW process of treating ordinary yellow phosphorus has 

 been patented by M. Bals in France. The phosphorus is 

 mixed while in a melted condition, or as it condenses from the 

 vapour in its manufacture, with a salt which does not decom- 

 pose when melted, c.f;., sodium thiosulphate (" hypo "). The 

 process must be carried out in a vacuum or in an atmosphere 

 of inert gas such as carbon dioxide, so as to prevent contact 

 with the air, and it is also recommended to use a liquid such 

 as petroleum oil or turpentine in addition to the salt so as to 

 coat each fine particle of treated phosphorus with a protective 

 layer of substance that will prevent oxidation. It is claimed 

 that finely divided phosphorus thus treated can be transported 

 and used in the manufacture of matches without risk of injury 

 to the workman. 



The Toxine of Eel's Blood. 



A characteristic kind of poison is found in the blood serum 

 of the eel, conger, and certain allied species. It is formed as 

 a normal product during the life of the fish, and in this respect 

 resembles the venom of snakes, which has been shown to be 

 present in the blood as well as in the poison glands. The eel 

 toxine was discovered in 1889 by M. Mosso, who found that it 

 prevented the blood of poisoned animals from coagulating, 

 and since then its physiological properties have been 

 thoroughly studied, notably by Drs. Camus and Gley, and 

 more recently by Dr. Wendelstadt. The serum as obtained 

 from the eel has a slight yellowish-green colour, and retains 

 its toxic power for some time if protected from the light. 

 There is a great variation in the degree of toxicity of the sera 

 from different eels, the season of the year being a factor of 

 considerable importance. The toxine itself has not yet been 

 isolated in even an impure condition, although it has been 

 shown that it has the same general char.icteristics as all true 

 toxines as defined by Ehrlich (" Knowlkugh .\ni) Scientific 

 News," this vol., p. 317). Thus it is destroyed by heat and by 

 strong chemical agents, and can be obtained in solid form 

 without injury by evaporating the serum in a vacuum. It acts 

 upon the respiratory centre, which it paralyses, upon the heart, 

 and upon the nervous system, the general effects being very 

 similar to those produced by snake venoms. It has also an 

 active solvent effect upon the corpuscles of the blood. It is 

 said to resemble snake venom in being harmless when swal- 

 lowed, although Dr. Pennevaria records an instance of a man 

 being poisoned after eating eel's blood. The probable explana- 

 tion is that in that case there was some abrasion of the mucous 

 membrane of the mouth or stomach, by means of which the 

 toxine could gain access to the blood. Dogs are extremely 



sensitive to the action of the poison, whilst the hedgehog is 

 almost completely refractory. As is the case with all true 

 toxines, it is possible to produce an anti-toxine in the blood 

 serum of susceptible animals, and thus to render them immune 

 against enormous doses of the venom. Rabbits and goats are 

 easily immunised, but it is very difficult to produce immunity 

 in guinea-pigs. 



The So'Called Gold-Coated Teeth in 

 Sheep. 



Mr. A. Liversidge has investigated the nature of the "gold " 

 which has frequently been reported to have been found on the 

 teeth of sheep. The teeth of the lower jaw bone of a sheep 

 examined by him were encrusted with a yellow substance, 

 resembling iron pyrites, the thickness of the deposit being less 

 than ,'2 of an inch. The incrustation was brittle, and could be 

 removed in scales, leaving a black surface. When examined 

 under the microscope the scales were seen to consist of thin 

 translucent pale brown layers, but did not show any organic 

 structure. They were partially soluble in dilute hydrochloric 

 acid, and when heated turned black, leaving a residue consist- 

 ing chiefly of calcium phosphate. The incrustation thus ap- 

 pears to be a deposit of tartar, accompanied possibly by slight 

 decay of the surface of the tooth, and the metallic lustre is to 

 be attributed to the reflection of Hght from the different 

 surfaces of the films of the substance. 



Natural Gas in Western Australia. 



Prior to last year fire-damp was unknown in the mines of 

 Western Australia, and it then appeared, not in a coal mine, 

 but in a Kalgoorlie gold mine. In drilling a borehole there 

 was, at a depth of 687 feet, a rush of gas which took fire on 

 contact with a candle, and was not easily extinguished. The 

 emission of gas continued for a month and then ceased, safety 

 lamps being meanwhile used in the mine. Samples of this 

 gas ha\e been examined by Mr. E. Mann, the Government 

 Analyst, and found to consist, in the main, of marsh gas 

 (methane) and nitrogen, with from 5 to S per cent, of oxygen 

 and less than o'5 per cent, of carbon dioxide. It is suggested 

 that there may be some connection between the occurrence of 

 the gas and the presence of a band of graphite schist in the 

 geological formation. 



Radio-thorium : A New Element. 



Sir William Ramsay has added yet another element to the 

 long list of those already discovered by him. Radio-thorium, 

 as this new element is termed, was isolated from the radio- 

 active mineral, thorianite, from Ce)'lon {" Knowledge a.sd 

 SciEXTir-TC News," 1905, p. 22S). It is very similar to the rare 

 earth metals, and is distinguished from thorium by forming a 

 soluble sulphate, and from radium by the solubility of its 

 oxalate in ammonium oxalate solution. Its radioactivity is 

 500,000 greater than that of thorium. Sir William concludes 

 that the helium found in thorianite is derived from radio- 

 thorium, and suggests the following scheme as illustrative of 

 the relationship : Inactive thorium — > radio-thorium — > 

 thorium x — > emanation — > thorium A — > thorium B 

 — > ? — > helium. 



GEOLOGICAL. 



By Enw.vRD A. Maktix, F.G.S. 



CaLrboniferous R^ocks at Rush. 



Le.wing for the time being his researches into the geology of 

 Anglesea, Dr. C. .\. Matley has turned his attention to the 

 " Carboniferous Rocks at Rush (co. Dublin)," and has laid the 

 results gained before the Geological Society. Dr. A. Vaughan 

 has in the same connection dealt with the " Faunal succession 

 and correlation of the rocks," which extend for a distance of 

 five miles along the coast near Rush. The southern portion 

 of the tract consists of an exposure of about 2500 feet, the 

 range being from the upper Zaphrcntis to the upper Dihtino- 

 pliylliim zones. The Rush Slates are the lowest beds, and are 

 13S0 feet thick, the characteristic fossil being Zaphrcntis aff. 

 Phillipsi. Above these is the Rush conglomerate group, 500 

 feet thick. In these conglomerates are found Osdovician and 

 Silurian rock-fragments, together with many inclusions of 

 carboniferous limestone. Above the conglomerates are some 



