152 



The Effect of Electricity and Music 

 on the Human Organism 



THE effect of music upon the human 

 organism, whether calming, exciting 

 or otherwise, can be reproduced in a re- 

 markable manner by means of electric 

 currents. Dr. M. Dupont is responsible 

 for much of the successful research in this 

 direction and has obtained results that 

 are not only interesting but of probable 

 educational and medicinal value. Music 

 consists of sound vibrations at certain regu- 

 lar intervals. For a high note the vibrations 

 are very rapid, while for a low note they 

 are slower. To produce musical effects by 

 electricity the alternating current is em- 

 ployed, made up of periods, the frequency 

 of which corresponds with the number of 

 vibrations of the sound; that is to say, 

 with the pitch. Upon passing the alternat- 

 ing current through the body in the form 

 of a mild shock an effect is produced similar 

 to the physical thrill of appreciation for a 

 musical performance. — H. J. Gray. 



Popular Science Monthly 



To Prevent the Ears from Perspiring 

 When Using Telephones 



NO doubt the wireless operator has often 

 had the annoying experience of per- 

 spiring ears. This inconvenience can be 

 easily overcome in the following manner: 

 Take a small piece of paper slightly larger 

 than the receiver and place it between 

 the receiver and the ear. I have found 

 this to stop all perspiration without im- 

 pairing the hearing.— W. T. Derr. 



A Rain Alarm Made of a Broken 

 Electric Globe 



HOW often the rain pours into a window 

 at night and we know nothing of it 

 until we awake and find the floor and carpet 

 damaged ! This can be avoided by installing 

 a simple rain alarm which will ring an 



The electric lamp socket on a wood base 

 and the connections with the binding posts 



electric bell. To construct such an alarm 

 proceed as follows: Remove the upper 

 part of a carbon filament lamp by winding 



a piece of cotton string around the lamp 

 just above where the platinum wires come 

 through the stem. Saturate the string 

 with kerosene, applying a lighted match, 

 and, while the glass is hot, dip it into water. 



Dilute H 2 S0 4 



Bell 



battery 



Switch 



^W^T 



Wiring diagram showing the alarm gage in- 

 stalled in a battery circuit for ringing bell 



Screw the lamp into a porcelain receptacle 

 mounted on a board. Make connections 

 with a bell and two dry cells, as shown. 

 Then place the lamp outside the window 

 and fill almost to the platinum tips with 

 dilute sulphuric acid. When a few drops 

 of rain fall into the lamp, the solution, which 

 is a good conductor, will cover the platinum 

 tips and form a circuit, and thus ring the 

 bell. The switch should be put near the 

 bed where it can be turned on and off 

 conveniently. — Wm. Warthen. 



Mounting Tinfoil on Glass Con- 

 denser Plates 



A GOOD shellac for fastening the foil 

 to the glass in transmitting condensers 

 may be made by dissolving as much pow- 

 dered rosin as possible in I oz. of turpentine 

 and thinning the mixture by the addition of 

 ^2 oz. of alcohol. Only a very small 

 amount of rosin will be needed. 



About three drops of shellac should be 

 put in the center of the surface of the glass 

 and rubbed around well. Place the foil on 

 the glass and roll it fast with a photo- 

 graphic print roller. The foil must be 

 placed on at once as the mixture dries 

 quickly. When this varnish is used the 

 plates may either be stacked or made into 

 an open rack condenser. If plain turpen- 

 tine is used the foil will not stick so well 

 and consequently the plates must always 

 be stacked. — Samuel W. Huff. 



