Cooley's Cyclopaedia of Practical Receipts Volume I Part 67

In order to prevent the agate edges being worn away by constantly rubbing on the agate planes, the beam and the ends (DD) are supported by the bra.s.s arm (EE), when the balance is not in use, so that the agate surfaces are not in contact. The beam and pans are released when required by turning the handle (F). The movement of the bra.s.s arm (EE) is accompanied by means of a rod descending through the upright bra.s.s pillar, and resting on a simple eccentric, by the turning of which by the handle (F) it may be gradually raised or lowered. The substance to be weighed (held by a tube, watch gla.s.s, &c.) is placed in one of the pans, and weights added one by one in the other, until the beam is in equilibrium: this is ascertained by the long pointer(G) oscillating to an equal distance on each side of the central mark or index, this latter being subdivided into equal s.p.a.ces, so that the oscillations can be measured. A spirit level is also a necessary appendage to the instrument, since it enables the operator to place the beam on an exactly horizontal level.

The beam of the balance is generally graduated into decimals. This saves the trouble of placing a weight on the scale, since it enables the operator to weigh the milligramme and its fractions by suspending a centigramme rider or hook on or between the indicated points of a graduated line.

The balance is enclosed in a gla.s.s case, which serves not only to protect it from dust, but to allow of the weighing being carried on away from the outer air, in which the prevalence of draughts proves a source of considerable annoyance to the weigher. The front of the scale case generally consists of three parts, viz. a fixed centre piece and two lateral frames or doors, all of course of gla.s.s. It is of importance that the air inside the balance case should be perfectly dry, since a humid atmosphere would not only affect the weight of many hygroscopic substances when placed in the pans, but likewise be liable to attack the instrument itself. To guard against these casualties a small beaker containing oil of vitriol, or chloride of calcium, or freshly-burnt lime, should be kept in the case. A balance capable of weighing 70 or 80 grammes in each scale will be found to meet the needs of most chemists.

Fresenius says, "The ACCURACY of a balance depends upon the following conditions:

"_a._ The fulcrum must be placed above the centre of gravity of the beam.

"_b._ The suspension points of the scales must be on an exact level with the fulcrum.

"_c._ The beam must be sufficiently strong and inflexible to bear without bending the greatest weight that the construction of the balance admits of.

"_d._ The arms of the balance must be of equal length; _i.e._ the points of suspension must be equidistant from the fulcrum or point of support.

"The SENSIBILITY or DELICACY of a balance depends upon the following conditions:

"_a._ The friction of the edges upon their supports must be as slight as possible.

"_b._ The centre of gravity must be as near as possible to the fulcrum.

"_c._ The beam must be as light as possible."

The following are the tests given by the same authority for the accuracy and sensibility of a balance:

"1. The balance is in the first place accurately adjusted, if necessary, either by the regulating screws, or by means of tinfoil, and a milligramme weight is then placed in one of the scales. A good and practically useful balance must turn distinctly with this weight; a delicate chemical balance should indicate the one tenth of a milligramme with perfect distinctness.

"2. Both scales are loaded with the maximum weight the construction of the balance will admit of; the balance is then _accurately_ adjusted, and a milligramme added to the weight in one scale. This ought to cause the balance to turn to the same extent as in 1. In most balances, however, it shows somewhat less on the index.

"3. The balance is accurately adjusted should it be necessary to establish a perfect equilibrium between the scales by loading the one with a minute portion of tinfoil (this tinfoil must be left remaining upon the scale during the experiment); both scales are then equally loaded, say with about fifty grammes each, and if necessary the balance is again adjusted (by the addition of small weights, &c.). The load of the two scales is then interchanged, so as to transfer that of the right scale to the left, and _vice versa_. A balance with perfectly equal arms must maintain its absolute equilibrium upon the interchange of the weights of the two scales.

"4. The balance is accurately adjusted; it is then arrested, subsequently set in motion, and again allowed to recover its equilibrium; the same process should be repeated several times. A good balance must invariably rea.s.sume its original equilibrium.

"A balance of which the end edges afford too much play to the hook resting upon them, so as to allow the latter slightly to alter its position, will show perceptible differences in different trials. This fault, however, is possible only with balances of defective construction.

"A balance to be perfectly useful for the purposes of quant.i.tative a.n.a.lysis _must_ stand the first, second, and last of these tests. A slight inequality of the arms is of no great consequence, since this may be readily and completely remedied by the manner of weighing." See WEIGHTS.

=Balance, Hydrostat'ic.= See SPECIFIC GRAVITY.

=Balance, Tor'sion.= A delicate instrument, invented by Coulomb, for measuring the intensities of the electrical and magnetic forces.

=BALD'NESS= (bawld'-). _Syn._ CAL'VITAS, CALVI"TIES (vish'-e-ez), L.; CALVITIE, CHAUVETe, Fr.; KAHLHEIT, KAHLKOPF, KAHLKoPFIGHEIT, Ger.

Primarily, absence or loss of any natural covering; appr., dest.i.tution or loss of hair, more especially of that of the top and fore-part of the head. In _botany_, absence of beard or awn.

Grey hair and baldness dependent on old age are natural consequences of man's infirmity, and must be regarded as evidence of failing vigour, rather than in the light of a disease. Premature loss of hair may be induced by various causes. It is common after severe fevers, and is frequently caused by external pressure, friction, or violence, and by such other local actions and conditions which, when long continued, interrupt the normal functions of the skin. Persons with a consumptive, s...o...b..tic, scrofulous, or syphilitic taint, or of a general bad habit of body, frequently lose their hair early. In these cases it probably arises from debility or paralysis of the cutaneous vessels, and the consequent insufficient nutrition of the hair-bulbs. When it occurs in persons under the middle age, and apparently enjoying good health, it may be often traced to the pernicious practice of constantly wearing a hard non-ventilating hat, or to disordered stomach, habitual smoking or hard drinking, irregular habits, or late hours. Excessive anxiety or grief, and intense study and thoughtfulness, also tend to promote the early decay of the hair. The natural baldness of the aged, and frequently the premature baldness of earlier years, arises from the gradual attenuation of the scalp, which ultimately becomes too thin to afford room for the performance of the functions of the hair-producing organs, and too scantily supplied with blood for their due nutrition and support.[104]

[Footnote 104: In such cases it will be found that, owing to this attenuation, the scalp covers a larger portion of the skull than previously; and that its sides have somewhat receded from the top of the head, so that the roots of the remaining hair descend lower towards the forehead, temples, and back of the neck, than when the parts were in vigorous health. This may be perceived by applying the open hand to the part, and then gently closing the fingers, when the scalp may be drawn into its original position, and will then appear loose and wrinkled over the occiput, &c.; and this in a manner very different to what occurs when the top of the head is covered, or well-covered, with hair.]

_Treatm._ The baldness of senility and that arising from the permanent injury or destruction of the hair-bulbs, admit of no cure, notwithstanding the daily a.s.surances of advertising impostors to the contrary. In other cases, when a disposition to baldness exists, shown by the hair falling off in large quant.i.ties, or ceasing to grow with its usual vigour and rapidity, the frequent but gentle use of the hair-brush, and of any bland stimulating oil, pomade, or wash, if adopted in time, will generally prove sufficient to arrest the progress of decay, and, very frequently, to restore the hair to its pristine condition. The head may be advantageously washed in cold water, at least once a day; or what is better, a shower bath may be taken on rising in the morning. Should this plan not succeed, the head, or the upper part of it, may be shaved, and a wig, or a scalp, adopted for a time. The effect of keeping the hair closely cropped or shaved is to make it grow thicker, stiffer, and stronger, and this often when all other means fail.

Among more active and less common remedies for baldness may be mentioned--mild streaming electricity, stimulant fomentations, cantharidised, ioduretted, phosph.o.r.etted, &c., oils and lotions, a night-cap that, without pressing injuriously on the head, lifts, as it were, the scalp into its natural position, &c., all of which are noticed elsewhere.

The celebrated John Wesley recommended rubbing the part morning and evening with a raw onion until it became red, and then applying a little honey. The vendors of Rowland's 'Maca.s.sar Oil' recommend the head to be rubbed with a towel (or hair-brush), until somewhat red, each time before applying their nostrum; and the advice is certainly good, as independent of the stimulus thus given to the skin, and the increased flow of blood through the minute vessels of the scalp, it is rendered more absorbent and sensitive to the action of medicaments. At the same time the reader must be cautioned against placing any reliance on external applications, unless he a.s.sists their action by due attention to diet, exercise, ventilation, and such other matters as tend to promote the general health and vigour of the body.

The substances usually employed to medicate hair-cosmetics, the general management of the hair, and the formulae for various applications to promote its growth, preservation, and beauty, are noticed in the articles HAIR, HAIR-COSMETICS, POMADES, OILS, WASHES, &c., to which the reader is referred.

=BALEEN'= (-lene'). [Fr. _baleine._] The fisher's name for whalebone.

=BALL= (bawl). [Eng., Ger., Swed.] _Syn._ BALLE, BOULE, Fr.; BAL, BOL, Dau.; GLOB-U-LUS, PI'LA, L. In _commerce_, _veterinary medicine_, _perfumery_, &c., applied to various substances made up into a globular, spheroidal, or even a cylindrical form, as ash-b.a.l.l.s, horse-b.a.l.l.s, soap-b.a.l.l.s, &c.

=BALLOON'= (-loon'). _Syn._ BALLON, Fr., Ger. Any hollow spherical body of which the sides are extremely thin or attenuated in comparison with its diameter or bulk. In _aerostatics_, a machine or apparatus for elevating and sustaining bodies in the air. In _chemistry_, a globular gla.s.s-receiver, with either one or two necks (= GROS ReCIEIENT, FR.; GROSSE R., Ger.). In _pyrotechny_, a hollow case or ball of pasteboard filled with fire-works or combustibles, which explodes in the air on being fired from a mortar.

=Balloon.= In _aerostation_, a bag or hollow pear-shaped vessel, made of varnished silk or other light material, and inflated with some gas or vapour lighter than the air, as hydrogen, carburetted hydrogen, heated air, &c., so as to rise and float in the atmosphere. When filled with gas it is called by way of distinction an AIR-BALLOON (_aerostat_, &c., Fr., _lufball_, _luft-schiff_, &c., Ger.); when with heated air, a FIRE-BALLOON or MONTGOLFIER B. (_ballon a feu_, &c., Fr.).

In the early days of aerostation, and indeed for some years afterwards, balloons were inflated with hydrogen gas, obtained by the action of sulphuric acid and water on iron filings or small fragments of iron; but this method of filing them ultimately gave place to the cheaper and more convenient supply afforded by the gas-light companies. Of late years, the coal-gas furnished by the gas-works has been generally, if not solely, used for the inflation of balloons.

The principles of ballooning may be referred to the well-known difference in the specific gravity of bodies, and to the physical properties of the atmosphere. Pure hydrogen, weighed at the level of the sea, is about 16 times lighter than common air; but when prepared on the large scale, and containing water, and other impurities, it is only from 7 to 11 times lighter than the atmosphere. A globe of atmospheric air of 1 foot in diameter, under like circ.u.mstances, weighs 1/25 _lb._; a similar globe of hydrogen (reckoning it only as 6 times lighter than common air, will, therefore, have an ascensional force of 1/30 _lb._). Now, the weight of the body of air which a balloon displaces must exceed the gross weight of the balloon and all its appendages, in order for the latter to ascend in the atmosphere. The difference of the two weights expresses the ascensional force. The aerostatic power of balloons is proportional to their dimensions, in the ratio of the cubes of their diameters. Thus, it appears that a balloon of 60 feet diameter filled with common hydrogen will ascend with a weight of nearly 7000 _lbs._, besides the gas case; whilst one of only 1-1/2 foot in diameter will barely float, owing to the less proportionate volume of gas to the weight of the case containing it.

In round numbers the buoyancy of a balloon may be reckoned as equal to 1 _oz._ for every cubic foot of hydrogen it contains, _less_ the weight of the case and appendages. The carburetted hydrogen supplied by the gas-works is much heavier than hydrogen gas, and consequently much less buoyant, for which due allowance must be made. That which possesses the least illuminating power is the lightest, and consequently the best adapted for aerostation.

The fabric of which the cases of air-balloons are made is strong thin silk, covered with an elastic varnish of drying oil or india rubber, or, what is better, a solution of india rubber in either chloroform or bisulphide of carbon; the netting is of strong light silk or flaxen cord; and the car of basket-work. Fire-balloons, on the small scale, are generally made of silver-paper, and are inflated with the fumes of burning spirit of wine, by means of a sponge dipped in that liquid, and suspended just within the mouth of the apparatus.

Owing to the increasing rarity of the atmosphere as we ascend from the earth's surface, balloon cases are made very much larger than is required to contain the necessary quant.i.ty of gas, to allow for its expansion as it rises into a rarer medium. A cubical foot of gas measured at the level of the sea occupies a s.p.a.ce of two feet at an elevation of 3-1/2 miles.

The following _Table_ will prove useful to the amateur aeronaut or balloonist:--

TABLE _showing the relations between the diameters, surfaces, and capacities of spheres_.

--------------------------------------------- Diameters. Surfaces. Cubical contents. --------------------------------------------- 1 3141 523 2 12567 4188 3 28274 14137 4 50265 3351 5 7854 6545 10 314159 5236 15 7069 17671 20 12566 4189 25 19635 8181 30 2827 14137 40 5026 33510 ---------------------------------------------

See ATMOSPHERE, GAS, HYDROGEN, PARACHUTE, VARNISH, &c.

=BALLOON'ING.= _Syn._ BALLOON'RY*. The act, art, or practice of ascending or travelling in balloons; aerostation. A BALLOON'IST is an aeronaut (particularly an amateur or enthusiastic one).

=b.a.l.l.s.= The application of this term in _commerce_, _perfumery_, _veterinary medicine_, &c., has been already noticed. (See BALL.) The following may be inserted here:--

=b.a.l.l.s, Al'mond= (ah'-mund). _Syn._ BOULES D'AMANDE, Fr. _Prep._ 1.

Spermaceti, 4 _oz._; white wax (pure) 8 _oz._; oil of almonds, 1 pint; melt them together in a glazed earthenware-vessel, by the heat of a water bath, and when the mixture has cooled a little, add essential oil of almonds, and expressed oil of mace, of each 2 _dr._; stir a.s.siduously until it begins to cool, and then pour it into the moulds, which may be ounce-gallipots with smooth bottoms (very slightly warmed), when it will form beautiful hemispherical cakes. Very fine.

2. Hard clarified suet, 1-1/4 _lb._; white wax, 1/4 _lb._; ess. oil of almonds, 1-1/2 _dr._; oil of cloves (or of pimento), 1/2 _dr._; as before.

_Uses, &c._ To soften the skin, and in winter to prevent chaps and chilblains. Sometimes these b.a.l.l.s are coloured, which is done whilst the mixture is in the liquid state. A rich pink or red may be given by a little alkanet-root or dragon's blood; a yellow, by palm oil or annotta; a blue, by a little finely powdered indigo; and a green, with spinage (steeped in the oil before use), or a few grains of verdigris. The most appropriate tint for them is a pale yellow or amber.

=b.a.l.l.s, Bareges= (-razhe'). _Syn._ BOULES DE BAReGES, Fr. _Prep._ 1.

Extract of soap-wort, 3 _oz._; good glue or gelatin, 1-1/2 _oz._; water, 4 _oz._; dissolve with heat, and add of sulphide of calcium, 6 _oz._; common salt, 1 _oz._ (both in powder); mix thoroughly, and form the ma.s.s into b.a.l.l.s weighing 2-1/2 _oz._ each, adding a little powdered gum, if required, to thicken it, and using powdered starch to roll them in.

2. Gelatin, 8 _oz._; sulphide of calcium, 12 _oz._; common salt, 2 _oz._; water, q. s.; after solution and admixture, add carbonate of soda and Castile soap, of each (in powder), 2-1/2 _oz._ One ball is added to the water of a bath for an adult, to be used as a subst.i.tute for that of Bareges.

=b.a.l.l.s, Bitter.= _Prep._ 1. Powdered gentian, 2 _lbs._; extract of gentian, 1 _lb._; grains of paradise (ground), 1/2 _lb._ syrup, q. s.; mix with heat, and divide into half-pound rolls. For ALE.