Rensselaer Journal, Volume 10, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 April 1901 — SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL. [ARTICLE]

SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL.

The cause of the much-discussed, poisonous qualities of arsenical wall papers has been shown by an Italian chemist to be due to the evolution of a, gas, which is formed under the influ-j ence of a particular mold that thrives) on arsenic and develops on arsenical papers. The Chinese are not so far behind ns in the practice of medicine as has been supposed. While the yellow physicians are deficient In their knowledge of “anatomy, and therefore amount to nothing as surgeons, in their treatment of common ailments they are in some cases practically abreast of the most advanced practice in this country. General Lasserre, who has arrived in France from China, where he commanded the French artillery, says the fighting gave the French gunners the first real opportunity of testing the effect of melinite shells. It was very deadly. Nothing in the world equals it, and all the allied troops wore amazed at the terrible nature of the explosive. There has been a decided improvement in the machinery for cleaning and hulling rice during the past few months, and as a result between 50,000 and 100,000 additional acres of land will be devoted to rice culture in the South this year. Notwithstanding the large production in this country, nearly 1,500,000 bags of rice were brought to the United States last year from China and Japan. An Italian inventor named Bagnulo has devised a system of power transmission by the use of pipes filled with water. Force is applied first in one direction, then in the “other, to the water at the Initial pnd of the pipe, by means of a piston for instance, and this force, it can easily be seen, will be transmitted to the other end of the pipe, or the ends of any number of branch pipes, where by means of pistons or other devices the power can be utilized for any purpose. The Inventor claims that the loss of power will be much smaller than by the electrical system, but most authorities do not agree with him, as it Is believed that the friction of the moving water in the pipes would absorb a considerable percentage of the force applied, especially when power was to be transmitted long distances. Major Ross writes to Nature In reference to the doubts which several of its correspondents have expressed whether the mosquito theory of the propagation of malaria is broad enough to cover all cases of the fever. He point to the difficulty of determining in any given case the true source of .the infection and the liability of being mistaken on this point Some of the facts which have been cited to show that the germs of the fever may be borne in the air or may be contained In drinking water he questions. So far, at least, as water is concerned, his own experience in India was that even the worst jungle water might be drunk unboiled with impunity. He doubts, too, whether the prevalent belief that in certain localities the mere turning up of the soil is sure to result among those in the neighborhood Is supported by convincing evidence. He calls for a suspension of judgment until all the facts bearing or supposed to bear on the propagation of malaria have been submitted to a thorough investigation.