June 5, 1891.] 



SCIENCE. 



31' 



of sputa, and cessation of dyspnoea. It is claimed that the method 

 reduces the malady to a purely local lesion, all the general symp- 

 toms disappearing, even though rdles may persist. M. See related 

 the history of seven of his cases, all of which were relieved and 

 some actually cured. The treatment has been efficacious in fetid 

 bronchitis. 



The Physiology of Asphyxia. 



That the immediate cause of death from asphyxia, says a writer 

 in the Lancet, is the arrest of the pulmonary circulation appears 

 to be proved by the following facts: (1) When the chest of an 

 animal is opened immediately after death caused by ligature on 

 the trachea, the right cavities of the heart are found enormously 

 distended, while the left are comparatively empty. (3) When the 

 heart of an animal is exposed during the progress of asphyxia 

 the right cavities are seen to become distended, while the left cavi- 

 ties, which had been previously gorged, are found to be collapsed 

 and comparatively empty. (3) In the last stage of asphyxia there 

 is a continuous increase of pressure in the pulmonary artery, while 

 the systemic arterial pressure is falling. (4) That the arrest of the 

 circulation through the lungs is due to contraction of the pul- 

 monary arterioles appears to be proved by the influence of agents 

 which ai-e known to paralyze the arterioles, — e. g. , nitrite of amyl, 

 atropine, and an excessive dose of curare, the effect of which is 

 that deprivation of air is unattended by distension of the riglit 

 cavities of the heart, and other evidence of obstructed pulmonary 

 circulation, the life of the animal is prolonged for several minutes, . 

 and death ultimately results from the toxic action of venous blood 

 upon the cardiac and nervous tissues. (5) It is an acknowledged 

 fact that these paralyzing agents act alike upon the systemic and 

 the pulmonary arterioles, but the successive phenomena of asphyxia 

 are absolutely inconsistent with the idea that the distension of the 

 right side of the heart is a result of systemic arterial obstruction 

 acting backwards through the left cavities of the heart and the 

 lungs. 



The Effect of Strychnine on the Stomach. 



The effect of nitrate of strychnine on the functional activity of 

 the stomach has been recently made the subject of a careful re- 

 search by Dr. Gamper of St. Petersburg, who employed for the 

 purpose of his experiments four healthy young hospital assistants. 

 He found, as stated in the Lancet, that strychnine increased the 

 amount of gastric juice secreted, the general acidity, and the 

 quantity of free acid in the secretion. It also hastened the ab- 

 sorption from the stomach, and strengthened the mechanical move- 

 ments. Its effect, too, continued for some time after its adminis- 

 tration had been stopped. Like many other Russian observers, 

 Dr. Gamper seems to have been highly impressed by the value of 

 strychnine in chr-onic alcoholism, declaring that it is the most 

 effective of all drugs in such cases. The the?is contains a long 

 list of references to the literature of the stomach affections pub- 

 lished in six or seven languages during the last ten years. 



NOTES AND NEWS. 



The wonderful properties of nitrate of soda are just now 

 being strikingly exhibited at the Ohio Agricultural Experiment 

 Station, where wheat is being grown continuously under different 

 methods of fertilizing. Although the nitrate was not applied 

 until the middle of April, yet it has stimulated such a tremendous 

 growth that the plots which have received nitrate in large quan- 

 tity carry nearly twice as gi'eat a weight of vegetation as can be 

 found on those which have had no nitrate. 



— Four trials were conducted at the Wisconsin Agricultural 

 Experiment Station during the fall and winter of 1890-91, under 

 the direction of W. A. Henry, for the purpose of ascertaining the 

 value of sweet whey for pig feeding. The results of the trials 

 show: (1) That pigs can not be successfully maintained on whey 

 alone. (2) Pigs fed on corn-meal and shorts with water required 

 553 pounds of the mixture for 100 pounds of gain. (3) When 

 whey was added to the corn-meal and shorts mixture, it produced 

 a marked saving in the amount of grain required for good gains. 



This was true for mixtures varying from two pounds of whey 

 to one of grain, up to ten pounds of whey to one of 

 grain. (4) It was found when using whey as a partial substi 

 tute for grain, that 760 pounds of whey effected a saving of 

 100 pounds of the corn-meal and shorts mixture. (5) Using these 

 figures, if corn meal and shorts are valued at twelve dollars per 

 ton, then whey is worth eight cents per hundred pounds ; at fif- 

 teen dollars per ton for the corn-meal and shorts, whey would be 

 worth ten cents per hundred pounds. (6) Shorts, pea-raeal, and 

 oil-meal, or like feeds, should be mixed with whey for growing 

 animals. Some corn may be fed at all times, the proportion in- 

 creasing as the animal approaches maturity. 



— On Feb. 15 there occurred at Glasgow, Scotland, says Fire 

 and Water, one of the most remarkable explosions of gas upon 

 record. The illuminating-gas plant of Glasgow is the property of 

 the municipality, and comprises three different stations. The 

 one in question, known as Dawsholni, is situated in a somewhat 

 isolated position outside the town, and includes three gas-holders 

 arranged in line, about twenty-five feet apart, but fortunately as 

 it turns out, at some little distance from the rest of the buildings 

 and plant. The three gas-holders are all similar in respect to 

 diameter, being 160 feet across. Two of these have lately been 

 enlarged by the addition of a third lift, which made them 90 feet 

 in height, and equal to containing more than 1,500,000 cubic feet 

 of gas each. The third remained a double lift, consequently about 

 60 feet high, and holding something over 1,000,000 cubic feet 

 of gas when full. At about 4.80 in the afternoon the outlet valve 

 of No. 1 was open for the supply of the district, No. 2 shut off, 

 and the inlet of No. 3 was open to receive the make of gag. The 

 valve man opened the inlet of No. 2, with a view, apparently, of 

 diverting the make from No. 3. At this time No. 1 was three 

 parts or more full. No. 2 a little less, but sufficient to cup the 

 lower lift, and No. 3 was not far from being full. Before the 

 man could complete his purpose by closing No. 3 inlet, a large 

 mass of flame was observed shooting high into the air, over the 

 roof of No. 2, the centre holder. It was accompanied by a loud 

 rumbling noise like the shock of an earthquake, together with a 

 concussion that caused windows to rattle violently, and greatly 

 alarmed the inhabitants of the neighboring part of the town. 

 This appears to have been caused by the bursting of the roof of 

 the gas-holder in all parts. It was quickly followed by the de- 

 struction, with a second concussion, of No. 1 holder, and in a few 

 minutes the whole structure of both holders lay in a confused 

 mass at the bottom of the tanks. Fortunately this was unattended 

 with loss of life or serious injury. Workmen who happened to be 

 in the vicinity were scorched, and some haystacks one hundred 

 yards off were set on fire; but the enormous volume of some 

 3,000,000 cubic feet of gas appears to have passed steadily up into 

 the air, and burnt away as fast as it could meet with sufficient 

 oxygen to support combustion. The whole affair was over in four 

 or five minutes. The experts report that they are satisfied that the 

 holders did not contain any explosive mixture, nor did they pos- 

 sess structural defects. But there were " indications of an explo- 

 sive material having been placed on the crown of No. 2." The 

 explosive power, striking inward, ruptured No. 2, and the concus- 

 sion was considered sufficient to account for the damage to No. 1. 

 The " indications" appear to be an irregular fracture, having the 

 edges bent inward, and corroded as if by the action of chemicals. 



— On Feb. 6 a discovery was made in the necropolis of Thebes 

 which the Academy considers second only in importance to the 

 discovery of the royal mummies at Dehr-el-Bahari by M. Maspero, 

 in 1881. About half a mile from Dehr-el-Bahari a pit has been 

 found containing several hundred magnificent mummies. These, 

 like the royal mummies, had evidently been removed from the 

 tombs and concealed in this receptacle, as a precaution, by the 

 servants of the priests, probably at the same time and for the 

 same reasons which caused the royal mummies to be placed in 

 the receptacle where they were found by M. Maspero. This re- 

 moval is believed by M. Maspero to have taken place in the reign 

 of Aauputh, son of Shasang, of the Twenty-second Dynasty. The 

 cofiins hitherto found all belong to the Twenty-first Dynasty, and 

 are those of the priests Ra Amun and their families. The pit is 



