Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 27.djvu/152

140, in the light of an observation made by Professor Reynolds, that there must result a difference of pressure on the two sides of the vertical line through the center of gravity in the thin space between the box and the journal—the maximum being on one side or the other, according as the rotation is one way or the other; for, undoubtedly, the box and journal became adapted to each other for a certain direction of running, and when a reversal was made some time would elapse before a readaptation would be completed. This would explain why a new journal and box would always heat on first being run, however perfect they might be.

Deaths by Poisoning.—According to the English Registrar-General's reports, deaths by poisoning occur with alarming frequency in the ordinary course of events. In 1881, 569 deaths were recorded in England alone from this cause; in 1882, 599, or one in every 863 of the total deaths registered. Fully two fifths of the cases in the latter year were classified under the heading "accident and negligence"; the rest, 288, were suicides. Of the deaths through accident or negligence, 85 were occasioned by opium, laudanum, and morphia; 18 by lead compounds; 34 by the four stronger acids—hydrochloric, nitric, sulphuric, and carbolic; 14 by chloral; 11 by phosphorus; nine by arsenic; six by chlorodyne; four by chloroform; and four by soothing-sirup. How came the victims of these poisons to take them accidentally in fatal doses? The medical reports on the subject trace the mistakes to two principal causes—the giving or taking of overdoses of certain remedies containing poisons, and the substitution of one bottle or substance for another, as where bottles of all kinds of things are piled together in the cupboard, and, in the nervousness of haste or in carelessness, the wrong one is taken. The remedies for these dangers ought to be obvious. One is, never to give an infant an opiate or other powerful soothing remedy without first obtaining the sanction of a doctor. Another is, that no patient taking powerful remedies should be permitted, or should permit himself, to measure or repeat the dose himself. A third is, never to place bottles or packets containing poison alongside of or near anything that is to be taken internally. Fourth, never to put any poison into bottles, jugs, or cups which children or any other persons are apt to associate in their minds with substances not in themselves dangerous. The last remedy is sovereign. It is, not to keep strong remedies on hand.

Relation of Color and Flavor in Fruits and Vegetables.—Mr. Emmett S. Goff records in the "American Naturalist" some investigations he has made to determine whether there may not be a law of relation between the color and flavor in fruits and vegetables. He was led to his experiments by the observation that in several fruits and vegetables, such as onions, currants, tomatoes, and raspberries, a white or light-colored flesh is accompanied by a milder and more delicate flavor than exists in other varieties of the same fruit or vegetable having a dark-colored flesh; also that same vegetables are "blanched" to give them a more delicate flavor. The usual aim in improving the qualities of fruits and vegetables is to intensify the desirable qualities and eliminate the undesirable ones. It is evident, therefore, Mr. Goff says, that, if the color of the flesh has a direct relation to its flavor and tenderness, we have a valuable index in the work of selection. If by whitening the flesh of a fruit we can eliminate acid and solidity, or if by darkening the flesh of another fruit, already too tender and insipid, in the same way, we can heighten its characteristic flavor and increase its firmness, we have gained a new faculty in making the products of Nature subservient to our wants. Mr. Goff supports his view by the citation of a number of fruits and vegetables of peculiar qualities, and quotes descriptions by various authors, which appear to be in agreement with it.

The Harp-Seal in the St. Lawrence River.—It has been long known that the harp-seal (Phoca Groenlandica) was accustomed to visit the Gulf of St. Lawrence for bringing forth its young; but Dr. C. Hart Merriam has collected evidence that its existence in that river is far more general and fixed than had been supposed. Mr. Napoleon A. Comeau, who lives near the point