JONE 30, 1882.] 



KNOWLEDGE 



73 



platino-iridium ; or a thread of carbon, of which the " Swan " and 

 other modem lights are rival modifications. 



As far back as 1S4(J I was engaged in making apparatus and 

 experiments for the purpose of turning to practical account " King's 

 patent electric light," the actual inventor of which was a young 

 American, named Starr, who died in 1817, when about 25 years of 

 age, a victim of overwork and disappointment iu his efforts to per- 

 fect this invention and a magneto-electric machine, intended to 

 supply the power in accordance with some of the " latest improve- 

 ments" of 1881 and 1882. 



I had a share in this venture, and was very enthusiastic until 

 after I had become practically acquainted with the subject. We 

 had no difficulty in obtaining a splendid and perfectly steady light, 

 better than any that are shown at the Crystal Palace. 



We used platinum, and alloys of platinum and iridium, abandoned 

 them as Edison did more than thirt_v years later, and then tried 

 a multitude of forms of carbon, includnig that which constitutes the 

 last " discovery" of Mr. Edison, viz., burnt cane. Starr tried this 

 on theoretical grounds, because cane being coated witli silica, he 

 predicted that by charring it we should obtain a more compact 

 stick or tliread, as the fusion of the silica would hold the carbon 

 particles together. He finally abandoned this and all the rest in 

 favotir of the hard deposit of carbon which lines the inside of gas- 

 retorts, some specimens of which we found to be so hard that we 

 requii-ed a lapidary's wheel to cut them into the thin sticks. 



Our final wick was a piece of this of square section, and about 

 ^ of an inch across each way. It was mounted between two forceps 

 — one holding each end, and thus leaving a clear half-inch between. 

 The forceps were soldered to platinum wires, one of which passed 

 upwards through the top of the barometer tulje, expanded into a 

 lamp glass at its upper part. This wire was sealed to the glass 

 as it passed through. The lower wire passed down the middle of 

 the tube. 



The tube was filled with mercury and inverted over a cup of 

 mercury. Being 30 in. long up to the bottom of the expanded 

 portion, or lamj) globe, the mercury fell below this and left a Torri- 

 cellian vacuum there. One pole of the battery, or dj-namo-macbine, 

 ■was connected with the mercury in the cup, and the other with the 

 upper wire. The stick of carbon glowed brilliantly, and with 

 perfect steadiness. 



I subsequently exhibited this apparatus in the Town-hall of Bir- 

 mingham, and many times at the Midland Institute. The only 

 scientific difficulty connected with this arrangement was that duo 

 to a slight volatilisation of the carbon, and its deposition as a bro^^^l 

 film upon the lamp glass ; but this difficulty is not insuperable. 



A SURGEON'S TOOLS— CLEAN OR UNCLEAN? 



I HAVE told you one story out of our shop. Here is a second, 

 true as the first, quite. 

 The great master of British surgery, Sir Rusty Poyntz, and the 

 smaller (I 'm not going, sir, to say smallest), which was your 

 humble servant, met in consultation over a very sad and touching 

 case. It was that of a young Eton lad, a fellow of keen eye, deft 

 hands, and extra bright brains. His grand family house in a huge 

 Belgravian Sfiuare was but a golden cage for that handsome, sweet- 

 voiced skylark ; and, lark-Iikc, ho pressed his little heart against 

 the golden bars — now singing, now sighing for the blue air, the 

 Hashing rivers, the shout of the cricketers, the hum of the nine 

 liundred — save one — this one ! It was a case of abdominal dropsy j 

 and that were a hard, a hardest, heart which did not ache when 

 the bedclothes were put aside, and the great, wax-like, tumid trunk 

 disclosed to view, full to distension. It was to be tapped. 



As we went up the grand stairway. Sir llusty Poyntz opened his 

 pocket-case of tools, and picked out one adapted for that operation. 

 Mr. Smaller asked to look at it — previous experience having taught 

 him that Sir R. P.'s tools wanted a little looking to. Sure enough, 

 it was so now. The tool is called a trochai-. and consists of a split 

 tube, the canula fitting over a piecing, triangular, tapering, and 

 pointed end. Tho tube is slijiped down until it falls with a spring 

 click into a groove, thus keeping the edge of tho tube under cover 

 of the shoulder of tho stem, as the instrument is thrust into the 

 body. This done, the stem is withdrawn, leaving the canula beliind 

 to form a conduit, through which tho imprisoned licjuid of the 

 <lropsT rushes out. When in fine order, a more beautiful, simple, 

 painless instrument does not exist. But if the tapering point bo 

 dulled, its sides rusted, and tho edge of tho canula unprotected, it 

 were hard to find a more torturing instrument. And now, render, 

 hearken : that was the state of the tool in question, and that cruel, 

 crncl thing, was to bo thrust through the tender skin and tissues of 

 a sensitive and nervous boy, dull at its point, rust-coated down its 

 sides. 



It was just that which I had expected, and I showed tho defective 

 instrument to the great surgeon. Ho had none better, and the 

 operation being of pressing imjjortancc, there was not time to pro- 

 cure another. " It don't signify, you know," said the " Great " ; 

 •'But it is a cruelly hurtful instrument in its present state," said 

 the " Smaller." Halting a little, I got some of the rust off, and 

 I slightly sharpened the cutting point and edges. How I longed 

 for my lovely Turkish stone and its persuasive oil. Well, the savage 

 tool rent its ragged way, and the brave lad, pulling himself together 

 — for you must remember that skinny, weazened little fellow had a 

 hero's gallant blood in him — and with a few half-stifled groans, and 

 one long-drawn sigh, the thing was done. A surprising quantity 

 of fluid rushed through the canula, the lad found immense relief 

 and ease of breath, and, with all of a boy's elasticity, in an hour 

 or two he lay smiling on his couch, his cunning fingers harJ at 

 work toy-making — the cruel hurt, the operation, and the Big and 

 the Little Surgeon "alike forgot." 



But these things ought not so to be, and what is worse — rather 

 is better— they need not to bo so — for the suffering might not have 

 been inflicted, had Sir R. P. only imitated that wise and celebrated 

 boar, who used to keep his weapons always keen for service. 

 Besides, who in this day of small things— the air pregnant with 

 the beginnings of life — the earth steaming forth and the waters 

 laden with the potentialities for evil — who, I say, can tell but that 

 the unclean surfaces of a surgeon's weapons may not (I believe 

 they do) poison the tissues through which they are thrust. Reader, 

 despise not. thou, these prophe-'vings, and if by evil fortune thou 

 needest the surgeon, make Sir Rusty Poyntz see to his blade. Wliy, 

 there is one of our craft, a canny Scot is he, who not only keeps 

 a cutting edge on his instmraents, but actually dips the keen blade 

 into a " germ "-slaying solution before ever he lays open tho 

 million little mouths beneath the skin. I, mys»lf, over and oyer 

 again, after washing my cut surfaces with zinc chloride solution 

 (weak), have pressed them together again, varnishing the wound 

 with a film of blood, and then covering it over with a thick layer 

 of cotton wool (the filtration-power of which is now known to every 

 one), and exercising a masterly inactivity for a week or ten days, I 

 have then gently taken off the wool, with the sure joy of finding 

 the ugly gash healed from end to end. I cut out a hideous cancer 

 from a lady's breast, making one single cut more than 10 in. long, 

 and so treating it, found it strongly knit together throughout ^in 

 eight days. For why ? Because I cut with the very keenest of 

 edges— thus not tearing up the tender tissues, and also becanse 

 no " germ " of mischief could pass through my armour of cotton 

 wool. 



Here's a lot of sack, Mr. Learned Editor, but I must have my 

 pennyworth of bread also devoured— and an important mouthful it 

 is. i had great searchings of thought concerning my little sufferer, 

 and the cruel instrument used ; and on this wise— What is tho 

 figure of least resistance to the dissevering part ? Docs it vary 

 with the nature of the substance to be severed, or is it similar in 

 all cases? and in the case of human skin, muscle, and other 

 tissues of tho bodv, what shape of instrument passes through most 

 easily ? I eanicstly seek a reply ; and on no other page than that 

 of Knowledok couid I have tho chance of obtaining an answer. 

 And — now 'tis vour turn to blush, sir — of no other man in England 

 could I hope for a right, well-reasoned, and well-demonstratod reply 

 as of you. I have made a good many human "cuts" in my 

 surgeon's life ; and, like another more distinguished gentleman in 

 the art of shedding blood, I have earned my diploma. " Ho mnet 

 shed much more blood, and become worse to make his title good." 

 But I have always tried to opernto as painlessly ns 1 knew how. 

 Pray, it it be possible, come over and help us and our followers; 

 andean the iniiuiry be offered thus for solution? x ,, . 



Query : What is the mathematical form (I mean shnpt) of least 

 resistance ; say in the instance of a tool (as in thU case) which has 

 — fii-st, to penetrate, and second, to bisect a body composed of skm 

 ovcrlving muscle or other forms of tissue ? When that is answered, 

 tho a"nswcr-giver will have the pleasure to know that he will save 

 a mass of human suffering it wo succeed in getting our mstrumont- 

 makors to adopt tho formula. Ho has invonteil another crnmb : bo 

 not crusty over it, I pray. Please inform your twenty thourand 

 readers that tho astute, svmpathetic, and skilful Mr. iMuallor has. 

 for some time past, left tho field of the battle for life. «ml is now « 

 non-combatant. Thus, sir, you perceive I may now, willioiit tread- 

 ing on anybody's toes or wounding their delicate su.sceptibilitics, lot 

 on my littlo porch and crow, or moro appropriately chant, the 

 coming suuriso in, with " hculiug in His wings. ' RoBKRT ELLIS. 

 Haven Spring, Mitcham. 



FiBK Caised dv LionTNiNO.— Tho poor-house in tho small town 

 of Oesthamman, in Sweden, was set on firo by lightning and burnt 

 to tho ground on Juno 1. Out of fifty-two inmates, twenty pcnshed 

 in tho flames. 



