June 17, 1887.] 



SCIENCE. 



591 



that the disturbances of equilibrium which I have 

 aboye attributed to concussion, are due to some 

 specific functional disturbance in the semicircular 

 canals; bat observations drawn from a study of a 

 large number having anomalies of the drum of 

 the ear, lead me to exclude that theory. It is true 

 of the aurally vertiginous just described, that they 

 represent chronic forms of ear-disease, and are usually 

 neuropathic subjects beyond middle life. But simi- 

 lar cerebral disturbances are not unusual at any 

 age in acute inflammation of the middle ear. Other 

 things being equal, elderly persons are less ob- 

 noxious to sea-sickness than the young, since the 

 latter are much more susceptible to impressions upon 

 the nervous system. A friend of the writer who has 

 made many ocean-voyages was always a great suf- 

 ferer in this regard in early life, but in after years 

 experienced but little inconvenience in the roughest 

 weather. On one occasion, however, a berth was as- 

 signed him in the after part of a vessel, when, after 

 experiencing for a short time the discomforting con- 

 cussions arising from the motions of the screw, he 

 became dreadfully sea-sick while lying in bed. The 

 distress becoming unbearable, he was removed to a 

 berth amidships, when recovery was almost immedi- 

 ate. It is well known that persons at the beginning 

 of a voyage may become quite sea-sick, and yet en- 

 tirely recover before landing, — an experience proba- 

 bly due to the bracing effect of sea-air. It will be 

 seen, that, regarded from the point of view afforded 

 by an aurist's clinical experience, nearly all of the 

 phenomena of sea-sickness may be said to occur on 

 shore, in consequence of cerebral (labyrinthine) con- 

 cussion, especially during a state of nervous exhaus- 

 tion. Sea-sickness would seem to be brought about 

 in most instances, irresjjective of aural defects, from 

 the agitation of the cerebro-spinal fluid caused by 

 the motions of a vessel at sea, as has already been 

 described by other writers. Of course, the con- 

 cussive impact from tossing upon the waves is usu- 

 ally very gentle, but its long continuance finally 

 overcomes the resisting power of the subject. The 

 effect may be to make one tired or sleepy only, but 

 too often nausea and dreadful depression are experi- 

 enced. As in auditory concussion, such symptoms 

 as a sense of constriction or of pain and great ten- 

 sion in the head characterize the more severe cases 

 arising at sea. It is seldom that the landsman ex- 

 periences the uninterrupted jarring of the brain 

 which must be endured at sea ; but the writer has 

 seen many cases where the despondency from the 

 concussion of sound even, as well as the other causes 

 before mentioned, was almost as great as could be 

 endured. 



Where so many conditions favor the occurrence of 

 sea-sickness, it is scarcely to be hoped that any spe- 

 cific cure will ever be found. In the writer's own 

 experience, the nitrite of amyl, properly employed, 

 has often been found to relieve some of the more 

 disagreeable symptoms, through its influence on the 

 vaso-motor system. Samuel Sexton. 



New York, June 8. 



T-wo balloon-voyages. 



The two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the 

 founding of the city of Providence, E.I., afforded an 

 opportunity for making meteorological observations 

 in the free air. Mr. Hazen of the signal office, Wash- 

 ington, D.C., volunteered his services, and was ac- 



cepted. On June 24, with a light east-north-east 

 breeze and a gentle rain, the balloon City of Boston 

 left Providence at 5.35 in the afternoon. There 

 were four persons on board, which made it a little 

 crowded ; but by leaning out of the basket it was 

 found possible to make the observations, which con- 

 sisted chiefly in readings of an aneroid laarometer, a 

 sling ijsychrometer, and a watch. The balloon passed 

 over Fishville, Hope, Coventry Centre, and West 

 Greenwich, E.I., and landed in the tree-tops of Volun- 

 town. Conn., at a little after 7.30. The temperature 

 on leaving the earth, was 60". 2, and at no joart of the 

 voyage did it reach a point below 56°. 7. The highest 

 point reached was 850 feet, at 6.43. An interesting 

 observation on this voyage was the continual rising 

 and falling of the balloon without the expenditure 

 of ballast. This was partly due to the following : 

 1. A momentixm acquired by the balloon was 

 checked when the drag-ro^De (about seven hundred 

 feet long) left the earth. Then the balloon began 

 to descend till sufficient weight of the rope on the 

 ground gave it enoiigh buoyancy to rise : this, in 

 turn, was counterbalanced as before. 2. A rise in 

 the balloon was accompanied by a slight fall in tem- 

 perature : this affected the gas, and gave it less 

 buoyancy. On the other hand, a fall brought the 

 balloon into warmer air, which had a tendency to 

 reverse the former effect. 



On June 25 the veteran aeronaut, James Allen of 

 Providence, E.I., and Mr. Hazen, made a voyage, 

 starting from the landing-place of the night previous! 

 The air was perfectly still, and while there was no 

 rain falling, yet the appearance of a heavy fog or 

 mist hung rather low on the hillsides. It was im- 

 possible to discern any motion in this mist or in 

 clouds above it. 



The start was made at 7.44 in the morning, the air 

 temperature being 61='.3. It was decided to make as 

 high an ascent as possible. The earth was lost sight 

 of at about 1,160 feet. The lowest temperature in 

 the cloud was 58°. 3, at 1,670 feet; and from this 

 point it rose rapidly to 65°. 6, at 2,450 feet. The 

 highest point reached was 9,780 feet, at 9.18, with a 

 temperature of 48°. Having been out of sight of 

 land more than an hour, and the proximity to sea 

 being rather close, it was deemed prudent at this 

 point to make a descent, which was done with great 

 rapidity ; the basket striking the earth with some 

 force, having fallen the 9,700 feet in thirteen min- 

 tites, or at the rate of twelve feet per second. The 

 balloon landed within about two and one-half miles 

 of the point from which the ascent of the previous 

 day was made. The temperature at landing was 

 64°. 2, with a gentle north-east wind. At a height of 

 about 8,400 feet the shadow of the balloon was seen 

 upon the clouds, with two rainbow-colored rings 

 about it. Besides the interesting observations of 

 temperature, indicating a rise of over eight degrees 

 in an ascent of eight hundred feet, and showing that 

 just at the top of the cloud the temperature was ab- 

 normally high, there were also observations on the 

 direction of the balloon above the clouds. It has 

 been usually considered that above the clouds it is 

 impossible to tell any directions. It was found, on 

 throwing over dried leaves, that they took a definite 

 direction as shown by the compass, and afterward 

 it was found that the balloon was moving in the 

 direction which was indicated by the observer, or 

 slower than the leaves. At the time this observation 

 was made, the balloon was slowly rising, and it 



