Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 88.djvu/727

 Popular Science Monthly

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��Washing Logs for Safety

WASHING logs for safety before they go to the sawmill is the novel method employed in a lumber camp in the West. As the photograph shows, the logs are carried in a V-shaped trough upon steel rollers which convey them between jets of water of great force. These jets strike the surface of the logs, scouring them thoroughly on all sides. The result is that the bits of broken stone or other hard material that might cling to the rough bark are removed, and danger to life as well as damage to property is averted, for if a swiftly rotating saw hits a rock or nail in a log it is likely to explode like a bomb and send fragments of steel in every direction. The washing of the logs before they go to the saw is thus a safety measure well worth while.

���Jets of water scour the log and remove broken stones — a safety measure for sawmills

Twitching Muscles by Means of the Electric Current

IX the treatment of certain ills it is often desirable to introduce exercise, but in cases of prolonged illness, the muscular effort is often beyond the power of the patient. To overcome this in- ability to exercise, numerous devices have been invented to provide automatic exercise. One of these, much used in sanatoria, where natural methods instead of drugs are relied upon, is the "sinu- soidal bath" with its many variations. The bath is comparatively simple in its operation. The unit tubs and warm water provide electrical contacts; the

��sinusoidal apparatus is attached to an ordinary light socket. The sinusoidal current, which is painless in its applica- tion, will produce muscular contractions,

���The man is taking a "sinusoidal bath." His arm and leg muscles are being twitched elec- trically to give them much -needed exercise

mild or violent at the will of the oper- ator. The length of the contraction is regulated by a clock which breaks the current. The current may be applied in the four units simultaneously, but as a rule, the curative quality is best trans- mitted by alternate application. A treatment usually lasts from twelve to fifteen minutes.

An Electrically-Lighted Clock

ANEW YORK manufacturer has recently brought out a compact electrically-lighted clock, provided with dry cells and a press button attached to the end of a cord long enough to reach from a nearby table or dresser to the bed. A small switch is fitted on the front side of the box con- taining the battery, so that the light can be burned con- t i n u o u s 1 y if desired.

����The long cord runs from the clock to your

bed. To find out the time without getting

up, press the button at your end of the

cord. The clock is illuminated at once

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