118 



• KNOWLEDGE 



[Feb. 23, 1883. 



SATURN'S RINGS. 



THOSE of your readers who have followed the discus- 

 sion in Knowledgk on the chronology of discovery 

 on the details of Saturn's Ring, will be interested in the 

 valuable papers contributed by Professor Adams to the 

 January number of the R. A. S. Mdulhli/ Notic's. Like 

 everything done liy that most eminent mathematician, 

 the essay before me contains internal evidence that the 

 Lowndes Professor has spared neither pains nor trouble 

 in his efforts to unearth the facts in connection with the 

 subject under discussion in this case, that of Ball's claim — 

 or rather the claim made for him — to bo the discoverer of 

 the duplicity of Saturn's Rings ; and certainly he has con- 

 tributed some very interesting data towards the elucidation 

 of the question, mooted originally in the columns of the 

 Atheiiiriim by Mr. Lynn, and subsequently in these, in 

 connection with this. I venture, however, to think that 

 the matter is not even yet cleared up, and I propose, with 

 your permission, to show why. Professor Adams in 

 commencing his investigations rightly went to the 

 fountain-head, and examined the MSS. preserved in the 

 archives of the Royal Society. Among them he found a 

 letter in William Ball's own handwriting, dated April 14, 

 1666, containing, inter alia, a reference to his observations 

 of Saturn. In a postscript to this letter is a little sketch 

 of the planet as it appeared at that date ; and, says 

 Professor Adams, " In this figure, the external boundary 

 of the ring has the form of a regular oval, without any 

 notches or other irregularities." Moreover, Professor 

 Adams goes on to point out that the paper in the 

 " Philosophical Transactions " was not written by Ball 

 himself (this, however, is obvious, inasmuch as the entire 

 paragraph is in the third person), and contains a quotation 

 from a letter to a friend, who now seems to be almost 

 certainly identified as Sir Robert Moray, and not Wallis, 

 as erroneously stated by Breen. This quotation I repeat 

 here in full : — " The author (Wm. Ball) saith in his letter 

 to a friend, as follows : ' This appear'd to me the present 

 figure of Saturn, somewhat otherwise than I expected, 

 thinking it would have been decreasing, but I found 

 it as full as ever, and a little holloio above and below.'" 

 (The italics are mine.) Now, the original of this 

 letter is not preserved in the Royal Society's collection, 

 nor do they possess any drawing of the planet ; but there 

 is a paper cutting representing Saturn and its ring, as seen 

 October 13, 166.'), which Professor Adams believes to have 

 been the original of the engraving which you i-eproduced on 

 page 307 of your second volume. His theory of the notches 

 is that the paper was folded twice in directions at right 

 angles to each other, so that only a quadrant of the ellipse 

 had to be cut ; and that, while the cut started rightly in a 

 direction perpendicular to the major axis, through want of 

 care, when the cut reached the minor axis, its direction 

 formed a slightly obtuse angle with that axis instead of 

 being perpendicular to it. 'Thus, when the paper was un- 

 folded, shallow notches or depressions appeared at the 

 extremities of the minor axis. I am perfectly willing to con- 

 cede that this affords a plausible and consistent explanation 

 of the figure in the original plate in the " Philosophical 

 Transactions" ; but I confes.s that I do not place quite as much 

 confidence in Professor Adams's suggested interpretation of 

 the words I have italicised above, concerning which he says 

 that he " cannot help thinking that this clause has been 

 added or altered in some way to correspond with the given 

 figure." Certainly, if we are to regard the preceding sen- 

 tence as a verbatim quotation from a letter, there is nothing 

 whatever in this one to indicate that it has been modified 

 or altered in any way ■whatever, ily chief end, however, 



will have been answered if I induce every one who has so 

 fur followed this description to consult Professor Adams's 

 most interesting paper in the original. I may add, in con- 

 clusion, that he entirely repudiates any right or claim on 

 Ball's part to have been the discoverer of the chief division 

 in the Saturn's Ring. William Noble. 



CORPULENCE.* 



(Continued from p. 87.) 



11HE waters of certain mineral springs, especially those 

 of a cathartic nature, are sometimes employed with 

 good results. They are generally more successful if taken at 

 the spring, where the customs of the place favour exercise 

 and plain diet. Waters that contain iodides are also re- 

 commended, but are of doubtful efficiency. 



Another remedy, which seems less rational than any of 

 the above, is recommended in the London journals, namely, 

 the application of external pressure, whereby the dimensions 

 of the body are gradually reduced to normal proportions. 

 Several correspondents of these papers report that they 

 have tried it with success, while no failures have yet been 

 reported. One man, who had tried Bantingism without 

 success, reports that " tight lacing " accomplished the de- 

 sired result. Another gentleman reports that by the use 

 of an ordinary lady's corset he reduced his circumference 

 8 inches (from 42 to 34 inches), with great improvement in 

 bodily health. It is probable that tight lacing has a good 

 effect on immoderate eaters, and thus favours leanness and 

 (as some claim) cures dyspepsia, but we are unaVile to see 

 how it can have any other good effect. Another remarkable 

 fact is that men were the first to make the discovery that 

 tight lacing will cure corpulence, while the other sex, who 

 are supposed to have had more experience in the use of 

 corsets, never found it out. While we do not wish to dis- 

 credit the statements of so many witnesses, we cannot 

 believe that tight lacing is a universal cure for corpulence, 

 since it is well known that most corpulent women lace, 

 some few of them excessively, and yet they are not cured 

 of their chief infirmity thereby. Perhaps the effect is 

 different on men, for, being unused to tight clothing, the 

 corset proves a constant reminder of the necessity of 

 exercising moderation in eating and drinking, while even 

 the temporary reduction in size makes them more capable 

 of taking active exercise. Since oxygen in the blood is es- 

 sential to the consumption of the excess of carbon, whatever 

 prevents free breathing should tend to increase corpulence ; 

 hence the corsets must not lie worn too tight at first. With 

 this restriction, the remed}' is safe and worthy of a tr\al, 

 when other means have failed, or wherever circumstances 

 prevent the observance of Banting's rules. It is certainly 

 safer than anti-fat nostrums. 



Whatever course of treatment the man of Falstaffian 

 proportions would adopt, failure is sure to result unless 

 patience and perseverance are abundantly supplied. 



In the case of anaemic corpulence, where the number of 

 red blood corpuscles is insutiicient to oxidize the elements 

 of the food, the person will have a white, pasty, or doughy 

 look. The cause being different, none of the above modes 

 of treatment are applicable. The general health must be 

 attended to, ferruginous tonics can be tried, and every 

 means should be resorted to for oxygenating the blood. It 

 is probable, even, that exposure to increased atmospheric 

 pressure, as the workmen are in the Hudson River Tunnel, 

 might be beneficial in such cases. Exercise, properly taken, 

 is likewise beneficial. In general, however, such cases had 

 better be referred to a competent physician. 



* From the Scientific American. 



