HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1952-03-06, Page 7Human Babies That
Animals Adopted
One morning in 1920 a native
missionary of Midnapore, India, .
was asked by his neighbours to rid
them of a "man -ghost" who in-
habited a near -by ant -hill,
Although frankly sceptical of
their stories, he agreed to accom-
pany them on a party to watch
over the ant -hill. At nightfall the
party saw three full-grown wolves
emerge from a tunnel into the hill,
closely followed by two strange -
looking creatures which loolcecl very
much like human beings.
The following day the cave was
ottava,ted, and huddled together
inside were two children, both girls.
The missionary took them to his
home, where he and his wife tried
to restore them' to the ways of civil-
ization.
Karnala and Amala, as he chris-
tened them; slowly responded.. But
in some ways they retrained com-
pletely savage.
They would not eat vegetable
foods ,they were incapable of
Standing erect, and they showed an
intense dislike of human company,
seeking instead the society of dogs
and goats. They were both making
gradual progress when, eleven
months after comnig to the mis-
sion, Amala died, and her sister
showed her first sign of human
emotion by weeping.
Slowly Kamala learned to walk
and developed a small vocabulary
of about forty words.
1.n the years that followed her
sister's death she appeared to be
developing into a lovable and obe-
dient child.
But she never completely recov-
ered from her loss, and at the age
of fourteen she, too, died.
The story of the wolf -girls prov-
ed beyond doubt that certain ani-
mals will adopt human children and
. rear them like their own offspring,
and many people began to review
previous stories of similar cases
that had been dismissed as fiction.
Tigers and leopards have both
been reputed •to act as foster -par-
ents, but the best mothers in the
animal kingdom. seem to be ba-
boons.
There are at least three cases o£
human children being brought up
by these animals, and of these the
best authenticated is the story of
the baboon -boy discovered in a
wild region of South •Africa.
He was found among a group of
apes by two officers of the Cape
Mounted Police, chattering and
jumping about on all fours.
They took him to the Mental
Hospital in Grahamstown, where
doctors said he was harmless but
mischievous. He knew no human
speech, and refused all food except
raw corn and cactus.
Later he was adopted by a farm-
er, and turned out to be a useful
labourer: But although he••lived to
•
be nearly fifty, he still had to be
called anew to each routine task.
All through life he retained cer-
tain mannerisms and a frightened
grin that spoke clearly of his early
association with the apes.
. Freshen Up That
Old 'Wallpaper
Dingy Dust
There are many wallpaper clean-
ers on the market, but you have
one of the best in your own bread
box.
You can buy an inexpensive
putty especially made for cleaning
wallpaper. Or you can work a fair-
sized mass of crustless bread in
your hands until it is warns and
pliable. Then rub the\.paper with
it from top to bottom, always in
the same direction.
Grease and Oil Spots
These spots, if fairly fresh, can
be removed by holding a piece of
clean blotting paper against the
spot with a warm iron. "Rayon"
temperature is safest, but turn it
down if the paper is old, as heat
darkens such paper.,
A stubborn spot responds to I ul-
ler's earth mixed with enough ben-
zine or carbon tetachloride to forth
a thick paste. Apply a thin coat
over the spot, let dry overnight,
chert brush off.
Clay Flower Pots Turn Decorative .in Bright, Plastic Jackets
;k 'ak k is tic
Macke aright Color Accents for Every Roorn
BY EDNA MIME,
Ordinary Plain -Jane red -clay flowerpots now can be
turned into decorative spots of bright color in a few seconds.
All you have to do is to dress them up in some of the clever
new jackets of vinylite plastic sheeting, made especially for
the purpose.
The jackets come in several shapes, some with two side
handles like jugs, some in "teapot" shape, with handle and Tl1ts wbisith -msnaii yket
simulated spout. Some are one-piece affairs into which you
just slide the flowerpot and some wrap around the pot and
close with decorative snap buttons. They come in solid
colors and patterns of yellow, red and blue, embossed in
three-dimensional textures.
The tear -resistant plastic is easy to clean and maintain
because all it needs is a few swabs with a damp sponge. The
material resists moisture from spilling while watering the
plants, chemical action from dissolved plant foods and
abrasion by gritty soil particles. The one-piece jackets have
strong, heat -sealed seams. They come in sizes to accommo-
date 3, 31/2, 4 and 41/2 -inch flowerpots.
Otte -Piece . Jacket in checks
simulates as decorative bowl.
wipe ofa damp sponge (left) cleans the Jackets. The one
at right has a "teapot" shape.
Ink Spots
Ink eradicator is your only re-
sort for ink spots, but it will prob-_
ably take off any pattern in your
wallpaper as well. If the spot is
small, it can be touched up with
water colors—if large, a patch may
be necessary.
Loose Seams, Bulges, and Tears
Stick down loose seams with
dabs of library paste at strategic
points. Use a clean blotter or wax-
ed paper to protect other areas.
Slit a bulge with a razor blade and
work paste behind it with a knife
tip or thin brush. Then stick down
carefully. Torn paper and damage
spots • require patches.,
Patching
Taking an extra piece of the
same paper, match the pattern.
Then tear out a piece, larger than
the damaged spot, tearing from
the back so as to leave thin feathery
edges. Do not cut with scissors
as straight edges will show. Apply
the pasted patch to the wall, care-
fully working it into pattern while
the paste keeps paper pliable. If
faded paper is to be patched, let
patch first stand in strong sun-
light until it matches.
Protect New Wallpaper
With a spray gun and the new
wallpaper wax or lacquer, you can
protect newly -papered walls from
city grime and children's artistic
efforts. When the instructions are
carefully followed, a rubdown with
a damp cloth is enough to keep
your walls bright.
TIILL&RM IRONT
J0k
It's only natural for a boy, and
especially a boy on a farm, to want
a gun of some sort. But owning
a firearm and knowing how to
handle it, are not one and the same
thing, as the almost -daily news-
paper tale of accidents and fatalities
clearly testifies. So I don't have to
apologize for passing along some
sound advice on the subject from
a man who knows what he's talk-
ing about.
* w: *
"Almost every youngster has an
itch to handle firearms and to go •
shooting," says K. N. Morris, exe-
cutive director of the Canadiah
Civilian Association of Marksmen,
"and sooner or later the chances
are that he will. When this happens,
it is the responsibility of his par-
ents to make sure he knows enough
about guns to handle one safely.
* *
"The only realistic safeguard
against hunting accidents is proper
training in the care and handling
of firearms. Records maintained
over 20 years by the Canadian Civil-
ian Association of Marksmen and
the National Rifle Association of
America show that none of their
members — currently more than
300,000 — has ever been responsible
for a fatal hunting accident.
* * *
"When: choosing their son's first
gun, paretrts unfamiliar with fire-
---DY o
HAROLD
ARNETT
arms should talk the matter over
with someone who knows firearms
and shooting, and whose judgment
they respect, preferably a me:Abet
of an organized shooting club or
associatidi. Shooters are a friendly
lot. In almost every Canadian com-
munity there are marksmen who
will gladly give a youngster sound
advice and guidance.
* * *
"In return for understanding and
co-operation in providing a safe,
sensible outlet for a youngster's
natural interest in firearms, parents
will find their children gaining in
the development of such character
traits as self-reliance, carefulness,
good sportsmanship and co-opera-
tiveness. No other sport demands
these more."
Sea;:Variations for this re-
sistad re• -`at -e-• given by various re-
search w'o'rkers. One DDT resistant
fly strain was observed 'to have
thicker cuticle on the foot pad
which , may have reduced the ab-
sorption of DDT. Another strain
of flies was found to be larger and
more vigorous than normal flies
due to a longer larval period. In
several strains, resistance was as-
sociated with the ability of the flies
to convert DDT into less toxic
substances. This explanation ap-
pears to be the most advanced and
a search is now underway to find
an additive which will prevent flies
from changing DDT.
* * *
Where DDT -resistant flies are
present, other insecticides may be
used.. These include methoxychlor,
lindane, chlordane and other chlor-
inated hydrocarbons.
* * *
Though the modern refrigerator
using electricity or other means of
energy, is replacing the ice -box in
many rural areas, ice can still be
used to advantage when a source
of supply is readily available. And
it can be. stored without providing
an elaborate ice -house.
* *
Any unoccupied corner of a shed
will serve as a site for a rough -
board enclosure. An enclosure ten
feetssquare and eight feet high
"wrtftd:
enough, ice. torprovide 50
pound's a day for 130 days, after
allowing for a reasonable amount
of wastage.. The smaller the amount
stored, the greater the proportion
of wastage.
*
The bottom of the enclosure
should be covered with about one
foot of sawdust. If the soil beneath
is impervious clay it will be better
if there are a few inches of gravel
below the sawdust. In putting in
the ice the boards can be taken
away from one side and be re -
While many of us are tinder the
impression that resistance by flits
to DDT is a new trait developed
by insects in the• last few years,,
the fact is that resistance to pesti-
cides dates back more than Half a
century.
* * *
Strains resistant to certain insec-
ticides have been observed in many
insect species in different parts of
the world since 1900, writes J: A.
Oakley, prominent entomologist.
The San Jose scale developed a
resistance to lime-sulphu.r The
California Red scale and Black
scale„became immune to the lethal
powers -of hydrogen cyanide, the
codling moth to lead arsenate and
the Gladiolus thrips to tartar-
emetie. ”
* K•
The first instance of housd fly
resistance to . DDT occurred in
Italy in 1946, two years after DDT
was first introduced, Mr. Oakley
states. Three years later the first
authentic evidence of DDT resist-
ant strains in Canada carne as a
result of tests in certain areas of
Ontario and Quebec where control
of flies could not be obtained with
DDT.
placed when the ice is in position.
A space of one foot should be left
between the stacked ice and the
side boards and this should be filled
with sawdust. The ice should also
be covered with sawdust.
* * *
It is the sawdust that keeps the
ice from melting, and the drier the
ice the longer it will keep.
enty-eight operating rowans, twl
ty-two delivery rooms and slxte
study. These units were selects.
as representative.
11 was established that an apes^
ating table can collect charge cad
9,000 static volts if a sheet is r*»
moved quickly from a rubber-covr»
ered mattress. Nine thosand volt
would cause only a slight sting,
but it could ignite an explosiv*
mixture, the bureau reported.
One person with rubber shoes,
walling on a linoleum floor, devel-
oped a potential of 1,500 volts --e
again enough to set off an exploa
sion.
Hazards in Fabrics
A doctor wearing a woolen suit
can create a dangerous charge by
rising from a stool covered with
artificial leather. Synthetic fabrics
(nylon or rayon), frequently used
in nurses' uniforms, have a strong
tendency to "manufacture" static
electricity, the bureau found,
The bureau suggested that floors,
shoes, covers and other materials
used be such that static chargee
will be dissipated, Cotton gowns
and uniforms avoid the danger` of
building up a charge. Simple ex-
pedients, such as spreading w e t
towels on the floor and touching
them to the bases of operating
tables and anesthesia machines,
were recommended to those work-
ing in old operating rooms.
Warns Hospitals
About Gas Dangers
The United States Bureau of
Mines has a long history of ex-
perience with explosive gaseous
mixtures. Most mine disasters have
been traced to an accumulation of
methane underground and an
igniting electrical spark. Last week
the bureau reported on a four-
year study of hospital operating
rooms. The point of the report Inas
this, in the bureau's words:
"There probably is no combina-
tion of equipment and activity any-
where more likely to produce
dangerous charges of static electri-
city than that found in the anesthe-
tizing areas of hospitals in the
nation.
"When conditions are favour-
able, the static sparks become in-
tense enough to ignite gases or
vapors escaping into the room air
—and anexplosion results. Many
of the mixtures used,;fop,anesthesia
are rich in oxygen and are easily
ignited by static sparks of low
energy."
Eisk of Explosion
The study began in 1948 after a
series of explosions in Eastern
hospitals killed several patients. In
an operating room the patient takes
• most of the risk of explosion (as
he does the risk of the operation)
because his lungs may be full of
the exploding mixture.
The bureau tested a total of sev-
NEW and
USEFUL
Outside from Inside
Wood -framed window has three
panes opening out like awnings.
You can wash both inside and out-
side from the inside.
* * *
Carpenter's Samaritan
A device for starting nails into
boards in difficult -to -reach places
fits on the side of any standard
claw hammer. Slots take anything
from shingle -nails to spikes.
*
Knife Holder
Holder requires no hooks, slots
or holes, is magnetized to hold
knives or small tools. Maker claims
blades and points stay sharp longer.
Available from 8 -in. lengths up.
0
Wise Vise
Thick, pliable rubber r i n g s
mounted against knobs of new
vise -handle -ends act as shock -ab-
sorbers and protect against finger
pinching.
* * 0
Kitchen cut-up
Tempered -steel knife is swivel -
mounted to a sturdy cutting board.
for shredding vegetables and fruits.
Knife can be reversed for using
blunt side to crack lobsters.
* * *
Short Permanent
New. kit can be used....w.ith both
bobby pins and curlers, is said to
considerably shorten itrne for home.
permanents. Contains instruction
book.
*
Magnetized Screw Driver
Screw driver has magnetizedl
shank, black tentite handle stores
three alternate insert bits. "Pull"
of shank's magnet not only holds
inserted bit, but energizes it toy
hold screws in position for driving,
the maker claims.
ca:'i'oo, aaMt., a,. �"Laao..,o �'�. ;:a�w>�r �V". \. ,.:.L.'s is ,w•w.w...:;;
,,All My Sons—Paul IKolenda, 59, of Detroit, heads up what is perhaps America's largest family buss-
nese partnership. He is seen "falling out his platoon" of 10 sons with the tools of their trade -homer
sanitation. None of Kofeitda'3 partners draws a salar,�, but each shares equally in the profits. Nine
of the sons and a daughter-in-law occupy the family home.
WELL. $ N T,TCN ME DOILY... aT'$
L TRk%NEP:CHIMPAHlE6,.LET% p1AtlE
A .,f';OOI t
A PORTAL LE 'AOF P ICE'o MAY 'JwASIL.Y Oa'
MADE BY OIVIDING••A SUITCASE INr�
G'EON HOLIES WrrH CORRUGATEr> CARODOi1P.t
OR, tHI N PLYWoop
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CALLING ALL St
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L'Aat CHDM.t-HZ9
NMASP 'JITTER!
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