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biologist to some interesting ideas.

‘We are coming,’ he says, ‘to the

time when it would seem impera­

tive to revise our ideas of the fixity

of sex, with the relativity of sex so

emphatically shown in hybrid pi­

geons, in hybrid moths, and in dif­

ferent species of Cladocera [water

flea].’ He cites the phenomena of

the ‘crowing hen’ and the ‘sitting

cock,’ the masculine woman and

the effeminate man, as merely con­

spicuous examples of sex inter­

grades, which refute the common

conception of maleness and female­

ness as complete, opposed and

mutually exclusive phenomena.”

Worst Airplane Ever

“With the death of Aviator Jolly a

few weeks ago, the Christmas ‘Bul­

let,’ or ‘strutless biplane,’ has two

victims as its record to date. The

day following the accident which

resulted in the death of Jolly, the

writer of these notes happened

to  be at one of the flying fields on

Long Island, where the unfortu­

nate airman was well known and

liked. Feeling was running rather

high among the airmen and me­

chanics, who criticized the design

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN,

VOL. XX, NO. 19; MAY 8, 1869

1969

Lead Poison­

ing Epidemic

“Though lead pigments were elim­

inated from interior paints in the

U.S. some 20 years ago, multiple

layers of lead­based paint still cov­

er the walls and woodwork in

many old houses and apart ments.

Therefore lead poisoning, once an

occupational hazard for painters,

is now primarily a disease of small

children: toddlers between one

and five who live in slum housing

and nibble steadily at the paint

that flakes off dilapidated walls

and can be gnawed off peeling

windowsills. At a conference at

Rockefeller University in March,

participants estimated that lead

poisoning in children is much

more prevalent than is generally

assumed, but they pointed out

that the ‘silent epidemic’ could be

eliminated by aggressive medical,

social and legal  action.”

Wartime Silver

“More than 2,100 tons of silver

worth $124 million have been re­

moved from the electromagnetic

separation plant at Oak Ridge,

Tenn., and returned to the Depart­

ment of the Treasury. The silver

was part of nearly 15,000 tons lent

to the Manhattan project in 1942 to

be converted into windings for the

huge magnets that were part of the

‘calutrons’ used to separate fission­

able uranium 235 from nonfission­

able uranium 238. The process was

beset by many technical difficulties

but helped to produce the highly

purified U­235 in the atomic bomb

that destroyed Hiroshima. The sil­

ver, then worth more than $400

million, was used as a substitute

for copper, then in short  supply.”

1919

Sex and

Intersex

“The elaborate investigations of sex

phenomena in various plants and

animals made by Dr. Arthur Man­

gun Banta, under the auspices of

the Carnegie Institution, lead that

of the William  W. Christmas canti­

lever plane. They pointed to the

previous collapse of the ‘Bullet.’

Jolly, so it seems, met with the

same kind of fate; in midair one

of  the wings broke off and he was

hurled to earth. They were agreed,

that this is a rather late day to ex­

periment with uncertain designs.”

1869

Infant

Walking Gear

“The device herewith represented

is intended to aid infants learning

to walk, to prevent them from get­

ting into danger and receiving

hurts, and to relieve the mother,

nurse, or attendant, from constant

care and anxiety. Around the in­

fant’s body is secured a cushioned

ring made to open on a hinge and

properly fastened. The base is sup­

ported on easily­working casters

that allow the contrivance to turn

or move in any direction over the

floor. Patented through the Scien­

tific American Patent Agency, June

12, 1866, by P.  Pallissard, who may

be addressed at Kankakee City,  Ill.”

Such walkers have since been proved

to increase the probability of injury and

may delay a child’s ability to walk.

Buffalo vs. Telegraph Pole

“The buffaloes found in the tele­

graph poles of the overland line

a  new source of delight on the tree­

less prairie—the novelty of having

something to scratch against. But

it  was expensive scratching for the

telegraph company, for the bison

shook down miles of wire daily.

A  bright idea struck somebody to

send to St. Louis and Chicago for

all  the brad­awls that could be pur­

chased, and these were driven into

the poles, with a view to wound the

animals and check their rubbing

propensity. Never was a greater mis­

take. The buffaloes were delighted.

For the first time they came to the

scratch sure of a sensation in their

thick hides that thrilled them from

horn to tail, until the brad­awl

broke or pole came  down.”

1969

1919

1869

1869: Baby walkers have always

seemed like such a great idea. But they’re not.

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