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OCTOBER

first of its kind in India and to be

so successful that the entire horse

service is now to be abolished.”

A Fair Hunt

“In the report of the Departmental

Committee which has been consid­

ering the protection of wild birds in

Great Britain, it is pointed out that

a novel danger to bird life has been

introduced, in shooting and bomb­

ing from aircraft. The Committee

recommends that the use of aircraft

against wild birds be prohibited.”

1869

Arsenic

Eaters

“Men of science who traversed

Styria, in Austria, have long report­

ed that there were people in Styria

who consumed arsenic. However,

this statement was denied by others,

who affirmed that the white miner­

al they ate was nothing but chalk.

Prompted by the importance of this

subject, the royal medical counsel,

Dr. Von Vest, issued a circular to the

physicians of Styria, requesting

them to communicate their experi­

ences with regard thereto. Seven­

teen reports were obtained. The

district of Hartberg counts not less

than forty individuals who indulge

1969

Bubble

Computers

“The Bell Telephone Laboratories

have disclosed a new way to build

electronic data­processing circuits

by manipulating the flow of tiny

magnetic ‘bubbles’—actually mag­

netic domains in the form of micro­

scopic cylinders embedded in thin

sheets of ferrite. The bubbles can

be moved around with less energy

than is needed to switch a transis­

tor and, being only a few wave­

lengths of light across, they can be

packed with a density of a million

or more to the square inch. The

bubbles can be created, erased and

shunted around to perform a vari­

ety of functions: logic, memory,

switching and counting. Data rates

of three million bits per second

have been demonstrated.”

the system was made obsolete by faster

semiconductor chips with more memory

density and efficient flash memory.

1919

Stalking Polio

“In the United States

we are becoming increasingly fa­

miliar with epidemics of polio

my elitis. Prior to 1907, infantile

paraly sis was a rare disease in this

coun try. Since then it has prevailed

fit fully every summer and autumn.

Fundamental knowledge of polio­

myelitis may be said to have grown

rapidly since Ivar Wickman’s epo ch ­

al clinical studies published in 1907.

We are today in possession of pre­

cise information with regard to the

nature of the inciting micro­organ­

ism, and the manner in which it

leaves the infected body within

the secretions of the nasopharynx

chiefly and gains access to another

human being by means of the cor­

responding mucous membranes,

and apparently in no other way.”

Less Horse Power

“The postmaster at Madras, India,

recently experimented with three

autos in the place of horse­drawn

vehicles for the conveyance of mail.

The experiment was said to be the

in that habit. From the various sorts

of arsenic, the white arsenic, or

ratsbane, is mostly taken, less so

the commercial yellow, and still less

the natural red arsenic. The arsenic

eaters begin with the dose of the

size of a millet, and increase this

quantity gradually. These doses are

either taken daily, or every other

day, or only once or twice a week. In

the district of Hartberg the custom

prevails to suspend this unwise us­

age at the time of the new moon.”

the question of whether humans

can acquire tolerance to this toxic

substance seems to be still open.

In Case of Fire

“Improved shelving provides means

whereby valuable stocks of goods,

books in public libraries and cab­

inets, letter cases in post offices,

etc., can be readily rescued in

case of fire. The accompanying en­

graving tells the whole story. The

shelving is made in sections which

can be closed with great rapidity,

and run out of a building without

moving goods or books. The sec­

tions are provided at the bottom

with rollers or wheels which rest

upon tracks. This improvement

merits general consideration.”

1869: Save the

stock! The duties

of a clerk during

a fire.

1969

1919

1869

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN,

VOL. XXI, NO. 14; OCTOBER 2, 1869