The chemist and druggist, 15. September 1859

SCHOOLS Or CHEMISTUY. There probably never was a period when the spirit of competition in the commercial world existed to such an extent as at the present time. Invention follows invention, and there is scarcely a day that some new process or article of utility is not brought to light, or that those already in existence do not undergo some improvement, rendering them more adapted for the purposes for which they were originally intended. In the scientific world also, discoveries are matters of almost daily occurrence, and there is no branch of science that has experienced greater changes, or made more rapid progress within the last century, than that of chemistry. Formerly looked upon with suspicion, and somewhat of dread in the time of the alchemists, it has been gradually developing its hidden truths, until, in the present age, there is scarcely a change in nature, or process in the arts, in which chemistry does not play a most important part. Education has also been advancing with rapid strides, and much has been said and written upon the subject. The metropolis abounds with institutions and schools, where the languages are taught, and lectures delivered on scientific and other subjects ; and innumerable opportu- nities are afforded to those who arc willing to take advantage of them. Most of the metropolitan colleges have laboratories where practical chemistry is taught, assisted by courses of lectures by eminent professors. Of these, none have contributed more in raising the status of the Chemist and Druggist, and affording the means of improvement at a moderate outlay, than the Pharmaceutical Society ; and the exertions of this body have been as successful as could be expected, until invested with full authority by Government, On the younger branches of the trade the future status will much depend ; and by doing all they can to improve their education, by taking advantage of such opportunities of improvement as present themselves, they will not only benefit themselves, but assist in raising the status of the body to which they belong. GALVANO-ELECTRIC BRUSHES. Our readers will hardly require to be informed that electricity is by no means a newly-dis- covered power, nor indeed is its application to brushes altogether new. Griffiths, the inventor of the screw propeller, having patented it in 1852, although from various causes, principally its complications, he never practically carried out this patent. Herring, again, by placing a magnet at the back, has produced a magnetic brush which appears to have commanded a very large sale ; indeed, we perceive he has just renewed the patent (Sept. 7th). As that necessitates the payment of a further fee of £50, this adaptation of magnetism appears to have been very successful. Francis X. Kukla,* a Viennese chemist, has just invented a mode of applying this power to brushes, which, combining as it does, the necessary qualities of simplicity and effectiveness, is found to succeed; therefore we think that a few remarks on the subject of galvanism, and explanatory of its application to the brushes, which are patented as " Child's Galvano-clectric," will be acceptable at this moment, the more especially as they are now being introduced to the notice of the public, and our readers will doubtless find it advantageous when selling them, to be able to give some account of the principles on which their action depends. The Greek philosophers first discovered that by rubbing amber (succinum in Latin, EAe/crpov in Greek), a power was produced capable of attracting light bodies. From this Greek word electron, the term electricity is derived. In 1786, the now celebrated Galvany, then a professor in the university of Bologna, discovered that various metals when placed in contact with animal matter produced, to his great astonishment, visible electric shocks. It remained however for Volta, another Italian professor, to prove that what had astonished Galvany and his compeers, was nothing but the electricity produced by the contact of different metals. Volta and others, notably Wollaston, greatly developed the newly-found power, but our own countryman, Davy, was the first to produce a battery of sufficient power to decompose alkalies and earths in metals. Becquerel, Daniel, Smee, and others, by their experiments have since his day made further improvements, by the construction of double-fluid batteries—the use of the higher negative silver in the place of copper, &c« Later still, platinum, carbon, and antimony, all highly negative bodies, have superseded other negatives for double-fluid batteries, and are used in conjunction with the positive metal zinc. Meantime experiments, having medical purposes in view, were made with this powerful agent, and amongst other inventions in this direction, IViYermacher's chainsi for application to the body have been found to succeed in removing nervous and other similar' complaints. A great drawback, however, arose from the heat of the body causing these to become dry, the power depending upon their being kept moist—and it was an attempt on the part of Meinig to * Chemist to the Bank of Austria, at present residing in this country.