6o8 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



[June 29, iS 



reference to the magnetic meridian? Is it a result of 

 changes of temperature ? 



Cosmic Actions upon Telegraph Wires. — There 

 exist on the surface of our globe electric and magnetic 

 currents, manifested by their influence upon telegraphic 

 lines, especially if submarine. It is suspected that these 

 currents pass through two maximum and two minimum 

 points within every twenty-four hours, and a connection 

 is supposed to exist between these currents and the 

 solar spots. We learn that during the eclipse of the sun 

 on August 1 2th last the electric currents in the line from 

 Vladinostak to Nagasaki were normal at the beginning 

 of the eclipse, increased twofold during its continuance, 

 and then returned to their normal condition. 



The Sense of Taste. — Messrs. Bailey and Nichols 

 (^Science and Revue Scientifique) have made interesting 

 researches on this sense, the delicacy of which differs 

 respectively in the two sexes. Women perceive the 

 presence of sulphate of quinine in a solution containing 

 I part in 456,000. Men recognise it only in a solution 

 of I part in 392,000. The same difference is perceived 

 in other cases, except for saline flavours. Women 

 detect sugar in solutions of i in 20, of acids in solutions 

 of I in 3,280, and of alkalies at i in 129. Men detect 

 these tastes respectively at the strengths of i in 199, i in 

 2,080, and I in 98. Saline tastes are detected by men 

 in solutions of i part in 2,240, whilst women require a 

 solution of I in 1,980. These values represent the means 

 of numerous experiments made upon 46 women and 82 

 men. The taste is evidently more sensitive for bitters 

 than for any other flavour. 



Novel Application of Portland Cement. — Mr. Wilson, 

 of West Thurrock, Essex, has succeeded in applying 

 Portland cement to a variety of novel and useful pur- 

 poses, by the simple expedient of allowing it to solidify 

 around a core of iron wire. In this manner he has suc- 

 ceeded in producing not merely slabs for sinks, urinals, 

 stair-treads, etc., but telegraph-poles. These have been 

 constructed of the length of 25 feet, and so free from 

 brittleness that they may be bent a foot out of the per- 

 pendicular without crumbling or breaking. For this use, 

 as well as for gate-posts, the uprights of fences, etc., this 

 material has the advantage of being proof against the 

 attacks of insects and fungi, dry rot and the like. As 

 the uprights can be made with holes at any height for 

 the insertion of the horizontal bars, fences on this prin- 

 ciple can be put up much more quickly and cheaply than 

 wooden fences. 



The Paris School of Mines. — The laboratory of this 

 school, which was characteristically suppressed during 

 the first French Revolution, and re-established on the 

 convalescence of the nation — has been exceedingly active 

 during the last twelve months. The number of samples 

 of ores and other industrial minerals established has 

 reached 989. We notice that some specimens of 

 mercury ore have come to hand from Tunis, and others 

 from the Sierra Nevada in Grenada, a locality 

 perfectly distinct from Almaden, which is at present the 

 chief source of mercury. 



Samples of chromium have been obtained from 

 Gravaha and Marmaritza, in Asia Minor; and 

 one specimen of cobalt from a place in the 



Caucasus bearing the unutterable name of Bkhseni. 

 Ores of bismuth have been examined from Leon, and 

 auriferous minerals from Spain, from Tonkin, Mexico, 

 Guatemala, Ecuador, Venezuela, Brazil and Patagonia. 



Testing the Ocean Currents. — The Royal mail 

 steamer Kinsemho, of the British and African line, 

 which has arrived at Liverpool from the West Coast of 

 Africa, is the bearer of an interesting message from the 

 sea. The message in question was contained in a bottle, 

 and had been drifting in the ocean since March last year. 

 It appears that the Deutsche Seewarte of Hamburg 

 arranged with various captains to despatch messages 

 from different points at sea in order to ascertain the 

 strength and direction of ocean currents. When the 

 Kinsemho was at Baffon Bay, on the West Coast of 

 Africa, a native Krooman handed Captain Hartje a piece 

 of paper which he had taken from a bottle washed 

 ashore on that part of the coast. The paper was in a 

 very good state of preservation, and had been thrown 

 overboard from the German barque Pcncho on 26th 

 March, 1887, in lat. 5.17 N., long. 30.37 W. The 

 Pencho was going from Hamburg to Pisagua. It re- 

 quested the finder to return the paper to the Deutsche 

 Seewarte, stating its condition and where found. The 

 bottle had drifted about 1,300 miles in a little over 

 twelve months, as it fell into the Krooman's hands on 2nd 

 April. The captain of the Kinsembo has forwarded the 

 message to Hamburg, in accordance with the request 

 mentioned in it. 



Vivisection. — A Parliamentary paper, issued by the 

 Home Office, was published recently containing a re- 

 port showing the number of experiments performed on 

 living animals during the year 1887, under license, dis- 

 tinguishing painless from painful experiments. The 

 total number of persons licensed to perform such opera- 

 tions in England and Scotland was 82, all (save one 

 foreign graduate) graduates of a British University or 

 Fellows or members of Royal colleges. Of these 64 

 exercised their right. The buildings where such ex- 

 periments are allowed to be made are 26 in number — 

 nine in London, nine in the provinces, eightin Scotland. 

 The number of experiments was 1,220, of which 582 

 were performed without anassthetics. These were, with 

 very few exceptions, simple inoculation experiments, 

 and were consequently painless. The experiments 

 were — physiological, 237 ; pathological, 703; and thera- 

 peutical, 280. The number of cases in which pain has 

 been unavoidably inflicted during experiments conducted 

 under certificates dispensing with anaesthetics, or with 

 the killing of the animal on recovery, was 71, two being 

 physiological, 21 pathological, and 48 therapeutical. 

 Comparatively few vivisections properly so called — that 

 is, involving a distinct surgical operation on a living 

 animal — were practised during the j'ear. In all cases in 

 which such experiments have been performed under the 

 certificate dispensing with the slaughter of the animal 

 before recovering consciousness, it has been made a con- 

 dition that the wound should be rendered painless by anti- 

 septic treatment, and, that failing, the animal should be de- 

 stroyed. This condition has, the inspector believes, been 

 faithfully fulfilled. The animals on which pain was in- 

 flicted were two cows, 12 calves, one cat, 32 rabbits, 

 and 24 frogs. In Ireland there are only four persons 

 licensed, and the experiments, 11 in number, were all 

 painless. 



