144 



POPULAR SCIENCE NEWS. 



[September, 1888. 



during several hours of languid locomotion; the 

 varied and frequent movements of the head, com- 

 monly in an upward direction; and the similar and 

 equal restlessness of eyes, whose focus of vision 

 shifts at every turn, as a new object presents it- 

 self, — form a combined series of forces more pow- 

 erful in this respect than the sunlight and frequent 

 changes of mental interest and attention by which 

 they are accompanied. The muscular strain im- 

 plied in these movements is necessarily very con- 

 siderable: it affects, more or less, every member 

 of the body. But the distant localization of tlie 

 resulting ache has probably much to do with the 

 unusual activity of the cervical extensor and ro- 

 tator muscles, and of the muscles which move the 

 eyeball. Whatever the minor influences at work, 

 therefore, there can be little doubt that mere 

 fatigue is primarily accountable for this most 

 general form of headache, and that rest and nour- 

 ishment are most reliable antidotes. The utility 

 of stimulants for this purpose is necessarily tem- 

 porary and deceptive. One improvement on ex- 

 isting arrangements ought to be of real assistance 

 to the suffering sightseer, if more generally in- 

 troduced by responsible authorities. The com- 

 parative scarcity of seats in many places of 

 amusement has often been noticed. It would be 

 much to the public advantage if this want were 

 supplied. For the attendants at exhibition stalls, 

 a chair for occasional use is an absolute necessity. 

 — Lancet. 



SOME ANSWERS IN PHYSIOLOGY. 



As an additional contribution to answers, we give 

 the following, taken by the writer from the note- 

 books of pupils of one of the high-schools of this 

 country : — 



" Anatomy is dissecting of bodies generally life- 

 less." " Anatomy is study of parts of the body, 

 physiology study of action of parts, hygiene is appli- 

 cation oi these parts " (Italics are ours). "Kinds 

 of bathing, adapted to the age, quantity, cjuality, 

 and health of the person." " Supernator are the 

 muscles about the back." " The hygiene of a muscle 

 should have proper rest and exercise." " Hygiene 

 is the study of the time and manner of the action 

 of the muscles and large blood-vessels." " The 

 mouth is the commencement of the alimentary 

 canal, and it extends through the throat, oesoph- 

 agus into the stomach." " The extent of the mouth 

 helps the digestion of food." " Nervous system a 

 decided part of the body." " A young person who 

 goes to parties and has great excitement has gen- 

 erally some brain trouble, such as St. Vitus dance." 

 "It is far more reliable to drive out the fire of a 

 room and put on extra clothing than it is to put on 

 no clotliing and sit in front of a burning fire." 

 " Soap is important in carrying off the fat of the 

 body." " What is eaten by the body has some- 

 times been taken as food." " The third cavity is 

 the pelvis, which contains tlie vital organs." " In a 

 diet of twenty-four hours a man should eat some of 

 all the nutritious articles." — From " Teaching 

 Phgsiology in the Public Schools,^' in the Popular 

 Science Monthlv for August. 



MEDICAL MEMORANDA. 

 Taking the Thermometer, and Losing the 

 Temperature. — An Italian patient in one of 

 Dr. Shrady's wards in St. Francis IIo.spital, delib- 

 erately chewed a fever-thermometer, and swal- 

 lowed the greater part of it before he was made to 

 understand that the instrument was not intended 

 as a medicine. Luckily, he has had no subsequent 

 increase of temperature, which would make it 

 necessary to risk another thermometer in that way. 

 The rectum will be the next choice. 



Photographs of the Eye. — Dr. Claude du 

 Bois-Reymond and Professor Cohn have obtained 

 photographs of the eye by means of the lightning 

 illumination. The illumination is so sudden and 

 fleeting, that when it occurs in a chamber in pre- 

 vious absolute darkness, the pupil has not time to 

 contract, and thus the maximal dilatation can be 

 represented on photographs. It is hoped that by 

 appropriate arrangements the retina can thus be 

 photographed during life. 



Detection of Typhoid Bacilli. — Dr. Vic- 

 tor C. Vaughan, director of the laboratory of hy- 

 giene at the University of ^Michigan, thus describes 

 how he detected the germs of typhoid-fever in the 

 air taken from the sewer: " A quart bottle was filled 

 with boiling water. This destroyed any germs 

 that might be present in the bottle. After cooling, 

 the bottle was held in the sewer with one hand; 

 the space about the arm being closed, in order to 

 prevent the gas coming up into the face. With 

 the thumb and finger the cork was removed from 

 the bottle. Of course the water passed out, and 

 the sewer-gas passed in. The stopper was replaced 

 while the bottle was still in the sewer. Some days 

 later a half-ounce of sterilized water was poured into 

 the bottle, shaken, and cultures made with this 

 showed the presence of the typhoid bacillus." 



An Automatic Apothecary. — An American 

 manufacturer of sugar-coated pills added to the 

 attractions of an exhibit of his product in Lon- 

 don an ingenious piece of mechanism, which 

 might have been intended to represent the phar- 

 macist of the future. It was in the form of a 

 cabinet, provided with a series of knobs or buttons, 

 each inscribed with the name of some malady for 

 which a remedy might be asked. The customer 

 puts a coin into a slit, and presses the button call- 

 ing for the remedy hei requires, when immediately 

 a drawer flies out containing the article .sought. 

 This automatic dispenser, of course, makes no 

 mistakes. If the customer accidentally presses 

 the wrong button, he alone is responsible for the 

 error. 



HUMORS. 



An Ambiguous Compliment. — "If you use 

 my mixture once," said a patent-medicine man, 

 "I'm sure you will neveru.se any other." — " No," 

 was the reply, " I don't suppose I ever would." 



A Remarkahle Operation. — Reporter (to 

 eminent physician) : " Any thing new this morn- 

 ing, doctor? " 



Eminent Physician: "Oh — -urn — ah, yes: an 

 operation at the Cheek and Chin Hospital, one 

 of the most wonderful known to science. . I took 

 out a man's pericaidium, put three stitches in it, 

 and restored it. The patient lived twenty minutes. 

 A most rare and successful case." 



IIow TO HE Healthy. — All that one has to 

 do to maintain perfect health is to carry a buck- 

 eye and a potato in the pocket ; wear a lung, pad 

 a couple of porous plasters, and a magnetic belt; 

 go to bed at nine o'clock every night, and get up at 

 six in the morning, taking a cold-water bath, and 

 walking seven miles every day before breakfast; 

 abstain from the use of tobacco, tea, coffee, all 

 manner of intoxicant^, and rich food of every 

 description. By obeying the above simple rules, 

 your life may be made one continual round of 

 giddy health. — Texas Siflings. 



He couldn't afford it. — A mother was 

 urging her son to purchase an overcoat, and he was 

 insi-sting that he could not afford one. 



"Very well, then," said she, "you will get 

 pneumonia, see if you don't." 



" No," said he, " I won't get that either; I can't 

 afford any thing new." — New- York Sun. 



€f)e fDopuIac Science l^ctojef. 



rUBLISlIED MONTHLY BY TUE 



POPULAR SCIENCE NEWS COMPANY, 



19 Pearl Street, l!oston. 

 ONE DOLLAR A YEAR, IN ADVANCE. 



SETH C. BASSETT, 



Manageb. 



SPECIAL NOTICE. 



The Puhtistters of the NEWS emmeatty reqiieM that snbfuritters 

 iritl make their remittances either by draft on Boston or New 

 York, or by a postat order. If it is absotutely necessary to mail 

 money, it should be sent ONU IN A REQISTEHED LETTER. Tlie 

 publishers decline to assume the risk of money mailed in un- 

 registered tetters. 



Itemittanees wilt be duty credited on the printed address label 

 of the paper ; but if they are receieed after the ISth of the 

 mouth, tlie change in the label cannot be made nntlt a month 

 later. If a formal receipt is desired, a tiro-cent stamp or a 

 postal card should be enclosed with the remittance. 



PttbU6()trj(' Column. 



Save us from the critics, but bless tbe pen, espe- 

 cially it Esterbrook is stamped upon it. The stationers 

 furnisli tliem. 



Dr. W. C. Cavenagh, Memphis, Tenn., writes: 

 " For weak digestion, general debility, and want of 

 appetite, I cheerfully recommend ' Colden's Liquid 

 Beef Tonic' " 



— • — 



In 1879 a Boyle Ice Machine was erected at At- 

 lanta, on a new plan, making ice from distilled water; 

 and so carefully was it designed, tliat it proved a most 

 perfect success, and lias been the inoilel after which 

 all the Boyle ice machines liave been built since tlien. 



Although it has only been in the market for a short 

 time, tlie number of Sawyer Hot Water and Steaim 

 Heatkks in use is very large, and constantly increas- 

 ing. It is a most excellent apparatus, and worthy of 

 the attention of those intending to introduce a heating 

 system into their buildings. 



The success attained by the U. S. Gutta Percha 

 Paint Company of Providence, R.I., in the introduction 

 of their manufactures, is due to the fact that they have 

 from the tirst held firmly to the plan of supplying iirst- 

 class goods at reasonal)le prices. In addition to their 

 U. S Gutta Percha Paint and "H. P." Restorative 

 Oil, both of which they manufacture and control, they 

 have other valuable specialties in paints which our 

 readers will do well to inform themselves about. 



Dr. H. p. Atheuton, Great Harrington, Ma.ss., 

 says, "I have been using and prescribing your Acid 

 Phosphate for a number of years. The results have 

 been so satisfactory as to justify me in giving it my 

 unqualified indorsement. I have found it a refreshing 

 and exhilarating beverage during summer months. 

 In a case of reformed inebriety, I have observed its 

 restorative effect in toning up the system, and corract- 

 ing the nervous derangement, of the subject." 



It is a growing conviction, notwithstanding the 

 large number of fountain pens, stylographs, and simi- 

 lar writing devices, the majority of which are but 

 vanity and vexation of spirit, that nothing has yet 

 supplanted the old-fashioned lead pencil in etliciency 

 and reliability. The efficiency of the lead pencil, liow- 

 ever, depends very much upon the care bestowed in 

 its manufacture, the quality of the materials used, and 

 the attention given to the proper grading of the leads. 

 It is our pleasure to say that Dixon's " American 

 Graphite" pencils, made by the Joseph Dixon Cruci- 

 ble Co., Jersey City, N.J., fill all the requirements 

 of a perfect pencil. The workmanship is unexcelled 

 throughout: the wood is soft and easily cut; the leads 

 are tough, and smooth, and free from grit; and the ten 

 degrees of hardness in which they are made permits 

 the selecting of a pencil just suited to the work re- 

 quired of it. 



