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Laminated resin and R-B-M
Sept., I933.]
CURRENT TOPICS.
413
A Different Comple~don.--(Science Service.) The day Science Service published a report on "argyria," a strange disease, some of the newspapers told the story of a West Indian negro who had turned white as the result of accepting treatment from his tribal "medicine man." This patient had constantly suffered from asthma and the prescriptions of regular physicians had done him no good. As a last resort, the sick man placed himself in the hands of the medicine man who gave him pills made from the seeds of a certain plant growing in that locality. As a preliminary, the patient went blind and his hair fell out. Gradually his sight returned and the black pigment of the skin completely disappeared. Incidentally, the asthma was cured. Practically nothing is known about the active principles contained in the seeds except that an organic cyanide, a derivative of prussic acid, is present. Although instances such as the above are extremely rare, cases where white people turn a greyish-blue color promise to be more plentiful. According to Science Service this phenomenon is called "argyria" and results from taking medicines containing silver salts over a long period of time. In the final stages this greyish-blue color is quite pronounced and if the victim is exposed to sunlight, his skin turns a very dark mahogany brown. These silver salt medicines are often given in the treatment of nose and throat ailments and in many cases their application is continued by the patient long after the physician has ceased to prescribe them. The blue discoloration makes its first appearance around the base of the nails and gives timely warning that the treatment must be discontinued. The blue color is produced by the precipitation of silver albuminate in the tissues and once the color is established, there is no satisfactory remedy for the condition. Although the health is not impaired, the disease is disturbingly disfiguring. C. Laminated Resin and R-B-M.--Not so very long ago the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research described a new material of construction bearing the name "Robertson Bonded-Metal." So far as we know this product consists of a metal sheet, probably of steel, to the surfaces of which non-metal materials such as fabrics or sheets of vegetable fiber are bonded by means of metal alloys having relatively low fusion points. Attention now is called to the growing popularity of laminated articles formed from sheets of resin-impregnated fabric or paper. These sheets are piled upon each other to give the desired thickness, then the pile is subjected to heat and pressure, so welding it into one solid piece.
414
CURRENT TOPICS.
[J. F. I.
The Institute points out the eminent suitability of t h e bondedmetal sheets as a component of these laminated resin objects. The metal serves to give rigidity to the panel while the attached fabric or porous fiber board aids in forming a very solid bond between the metal and the resin. Veneered steel panels presenting very attractive surface effects also may be obtained by selecting colored and printed fibrous layers for the R-B-M, saturating with resin varnish, drying and pressing to cure the resin and to secure the desired finish. C.
The Centenary of Gaston Plante.--The French Society of Electrical Engineers have begun preparations for celebrating the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Gaston Plante, a great French scientist and inventor of the storage battery. Plante's invention made available quantities of electrical energy at relatively high voltage and amperage and came at that period where high voltages and low currents were obtained from electrostatic machines and high currents but only low voltages were practicable with the galvanic piles. One of the simpler stunts performed by Plante with his accumulators was to charge them singly or a few together by means of the galvanic piles. Then by connecting these charged batteries in series he secured a tension of 600 volts at quite high amperages. Another scheme was to charge a battery of condensers in parallel by means of his accumulators. By connecting these charged condensers in series, a discharge of over ioo,ooo volts was obtained. Few are they who do not realize or appreciate the importance of storage batteries in the present-day development of electrical apparatus and machinery. The development of Plante's invention has been far reaching, the applications are legion, the inventor has justly merited the honor and homage that are to be paid him by his grateful countrymen and appreciative scientists of other countries. C. The Scopometer.--A company, wellknown for the manufacture of optical instruments, has recently announced a new device for measuring the turbidity of liquids, the Exton Junior Scopometer. Although the instrument ranks high in accuracy, its chief importance probably lies in the ease and rapidity with which all turbidimetric determinations can be made. The criterion used is the matching of an illuminated line against a field of constant intensity. The match is brought about by adding to the density of the sample
CURRENT TOPICS.
413
A Different Comple~don.--(Science Service.) The day Science Service published a report on "argyria," a strange disease, some of the newspapers told the story of a West Indian negro who had turned white as the result of accepting treatment from his tribal "medicine man." This patient had constantly suffered from asthma and the prescriptions of regular physicians had done him no good. As a last resort, the sick man placed himself in the hands of the medicine man who gave him pills made from the seeds of a certain plant growing in that locality. As a preliminary, the patient went blind and his hair fell out. Gradually his sight returned and the black pigment of the skin completely disappeared. Incidentally, the asthma was cured. Practically nothing is known about the active principles contained in the seeds except that an organic cyanide, a derivative of prussic acid, is present. Although instances such as the above are extremely rare, cases where white people turn a greyish-blue color promise to be more plentiful. According to Science Service this phenomenon is called "argyria" and results from taking medicines containing silver salts over a long period of time. In the final stages this greyish-blue color is quite pronounced and if the victim is exposed to sunlight, his skin turns a very dark mahogany brown. These silver salt medicines are often given in the treatment of nose and throat ailments and in many cases their application is continued by the patient long after the physician has ceased to prescribe them. The blue discoloration makes its first appearance around the base of the nails and gives timely warning that the treatment must be discontinued. The blue color is produced by the precipitation of silver albuminate in the tissues and once the color is established, there is no satisfactory remedy for the condition. Although the health is not impaired, the disease is disturbingly disfiguring. C. Laminated Resin and R-B-M.--Not so very long ago the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research described a new material of construction bearing the name "Robertson Bonded-Metal." So far as we know this product consists of a metal sheet, probably of steel, to the surfaces of which non-metal materials such as fabrics or sheets of vegetable fiber are bonded by means of metal alloys having relatively low fusion points. Attention now is called to the growing popularity of laminated articles formed from sheets of resin-impregnated fabric or paper. These sheets are piled upon each other to give the desired thickness, then the pile is subjected to heat and pressure, so welding it into one solid piece.
414
CURRENT TOPICS.
[J. F. I.
The Institute points out the eminent suitability of t h e bondedmetal sheets as a component of these laminated resin objects. The metal serves to give rigidity to the panel while the attached fabric or porous fiber board aids in forming a very solid bond between the metal and the resin. Veneered steel panels presenting very attractive surface effects also may be obtained by selecting colored and printed fibrous layers for the R-B-M, saturating with resin varnish, drying and pressing to cure the resin and to secure the desired finish. C.
The Centenary of Gaston Plante.--The French Society of Electrical Engineers have begun preparations for celebrating the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Gaston Plante, a great French scientist and inventor of the storage battery. Plante's invention made available quantities of electrical energy at relatively high voltage and amperage and came at that period where high voltages and low currents were obtained from electrostatic machines and high currents but only low voltages were practicable with the galvanic piles. One of the simpler stunts performed by Plante with his accumulators was to charge them singly or a few together by means of the galvanic piles. Then by connecting these charged batteries in series he secured a tension of 600 volts at quite high amperages. Another scheme was to charge a battery of condensers in parallel by means of his accumulators. By connecting these charged condensers in series, a discharge of over ioo,ooo volts was obtained. Few are they who do not realize or appreciate the importance of storage batteries in the present-day development of electrical apparatus and machinery. The development of Plante's invention has been far reaching, the applications are legion, the inventor has justly merited the honor and homage that are to be paid him by his grateful countrymen and appreciative scientists of other countries. C. The Scopometer.--A company, wellknown for the manufacture of optical instruments, has recently announced a new device for measuring the turbidity of liquids, the Exton Junior Scopometer. Although the instrument ranks high in accuracy, its chief importance probably lies in the ease and rapidity with which all turbidimetric determinations can be made. The criterion used is the matching of an illuminated line against a field of constant intensity. The match is brought about by adding to the density of the sample