a proper supply of water, and that such a supply of water can be furnished thereto at a cost not exceeding the water-rate authorised by any local Act in force within the district, or where there is not any local Act so in force, or at such other cost as the Local Government Board may, on the application of the local authority, determine under all the circumstances of the case to be reasonable, the local authority shall give notice in writing to the owner, requiring him, within a time therein specified, to obtain such supply, and to do all such works as may be necessary for that purpose. If such notice is not complied with within the time specified, the local authority may, if they think fit, do such works and obtain such supply, and for that purpose may enter into any contract with any water company supplying water within their district, and waterrates may be made and levied on the premises by the authority or company which furnishes the supply, and may be recovered as if the owner or occupier of the premises had demanded a supply of water and were willing to pay water-rates for the same, and the expenses incurred by the local authority in doing such works may be recovered in a summary manner from the owner of the premises, or may by order of the local authority be declared to be private improvement expenses.(P. H., s. 62.) Inches. mean time in the latitude of London, Relation of Measures to Weights. 1 minim is the measure of 1 fluid drachm is the measure of 1 pint 39-1393 Grains of 091 5468 1 oz or 457 3 1 25 lbs, or $,750 10 lbs. or 70,0000 Metrical System of Weights and Measures. Any water company may contract to supply Length of pendulum vibrating seconds of water or may lease their waterworks to any local authority; and the directors of any water company, in pursuance, in the case of a company registered under the Companies Act, 1862, of a special resolution of the members passed in manner provided by that Act, and in case of any other company of a resolution passed by three-fourths in number and value of the members present, either personally or by proxy, specially convened, with notice of the business to be transacted, may sell and transfer to any local authority, on such terms as may be agreed on between the company and the local authority, all the rights, powers, and privileges, and all or any of the waterworks and other property of the company; but subject to all liabilities to which the same are subject at the time of such purchase.(P. H., s. 63.) For the section of the Public Health Act relative to the alteration of water or gas pipes, see article GAS, p. 250. Districts may be united by a provisional order of the Local Government Board for the purpose of procuring a common supply of water. (P. H., s. 279.) See FIRES; GAS; RIVERS, POLLUTION OF; SEWAGE; WATER, SUPPLY OF; WELLS, &c. 1 gramme 1 decigramme 1 centigramme 1 milligramme = the thousandth part = 1000 grammes, or 1 myrialitre = = 10 cubic metres, or the measure of 10 milliers of water. 1 cubic metre, or the measure of 1 100 cubic decimetres, or the mea- discomfort. Were they capable of being easily assimilated, they would prove a valuable food, as they are certainly nutritious. Whey-The liquid portion of milk after the curd has been separated. It holds a little caseine in solution, as well as the sugar and saline matter of the milk. It is seldom employed in this country as a food, but is usually given to the pigs. Its nutritive value is very small. The Swiss credit it with possessing medicinal qualities, and believe it to be particularly valuable for the cure of chronic disorders of the abdominal organs. It is prepared by the addition of various agents to milk, such as rennet, white wine, cream of tartar, tamarinds, alum, &c. See MILK. Whisky-The term "whisky" is said to be a corruption of the Celtic word usquebaugh, water of life." It constitutes one of the corn spirits, and is usually made from malted grain. Inferior qualities of this spirit are prepared from barley, oats, or rye, a small portion only of which is malted, or from potatoes mashed with a portion of barley malt, the resulting wash being carelessly fermented and distilled, and purposely suffered to burn to impart the peculiar empyreumatic or smoky flavour so much relished by the lower orders of whisky-drinkers. The following figures will give an idea of the percentage of alcohol, &c., found in whisky : Specific gravity from 915 to 920. Measures. Alcohol from 15:432 Total extract, about 1 pint 15 oz. 2 drs. 11 m., or 15432-348 To reduce Grammes to Grains. Log. grammes + 1·188432 log. grains. Per cent. 50 to 60 0.6 trace 0.2 0.0 History. It is a remarkable fact that there | child, the latter suffering from whoopingis no evidence of a trustworthy character of the existence of whooping-cough earlier than the commencement of the sixteenth century; if it existed previous to that date, one can hardly imagine how such a very distinct and well-marked complaint could possibly have escaped description: it therefore appears likely that in this instance we have to do with a modern-a new disease. a Symptoms and Propagation of the Disease. -After a child or person, susceptible of the disease, has been exposed to the infection of whooping-cough, there is a period of incubation of unknown duration; it is probably from five to six days, but there is an almost insuperable obstacle to any great accuracy on this point, on account of the difficulty of diagnosing the disease in its earliest stage. Its first visible onset is almost invariably marked by slight fever and catarrh, to all appearance differing in no single respect from common cold. The catarrhal symptoms having lasted a variable time, the peculiar cough sets in, and the patient may in the intervals of the paroxysms be in the enjoyment of very fair health. The fits of coughing occur at variable intervals, and are generally very distressing to witness. The following is a brief outline of what may be noticed in a moderately severe paroxysm. The sufferer suddenly grasps at something with the violent energy of a person about to be suffocated by drowning, the countenance has a peculiar, anxious expression, and a series of rapid expirations succeed each other until the chest is entirely emptied of air, and the first symptoms of asphyxia commence, as seen by the swollen purple face and the turgid veins; at last, after some viscid mucus has been expectorated, the spasm relaxes and the breath is drawn shrilly in, causing the peculiar noise called the " whoop." These frequent paroxysms not unfrequently induce convulsions from the intense cerebral congestion, and they almost invariably damage-at all events, for the time-the respiratory apparatus; indeed, the fatality of whooping-cough is mainly due to complications, such as bronchitis, pneumonia, &c. Propagation of the Disease.-There is really nothing known as to what the physical nature is of the animal poison producing whoopingcough; that it is infectious, and capable of striking or infecting susceptible children or persons a considerable way off, is certain. Thus the present writer recently investigated an epidemic of whooping-cough in a workhouse, and found that at a time when it was not in the neighbourhood, a woman tramping the country came into the "house" with a cough. Both mother and child were separated for a long time from the rest, until one day some charitable person gave a treat to the inmates, and this child and mother partook of tea at the common table in an open field, the child being on the lap of its mother. In about a week, seven children who were seated at the same table, but not in contact with the child or mother, all simultaneously or nearly so became affected with whooping-cough. It is from seeing such cases as the one just related, that writers on the subject appear to favour the idea that the specific poison is of a volatile nature-a kind of vapour. But if this view were entirely corect, the poison would hardly be conveyed and retained so long by "fomites," for there are instances on record where it would appear tolerably certain that the disease has been conveyed by persons in their clothes, walking some considerable distance from one place to the other. Looking at the whole of the evidence, the most probable supposition is that the specific poison of whooping-cough consists of material particles of extreme lightness and tenuity, capable of being expelled by the cough for some distance as well as floating in the atmosphere. Pathology and Morbid Anatomy. — The morbid anatomy of the disease has hitherto done little to clear up its mystery, for children, as before said, die mainly from complications. It is therefore difficult to separate those changes induced by the poison itself from those which may be caused by, one may almost say, its mechanical effects. It is, however, probable that the morbific germ mainly determines to the vagus nerve, which is not unfrequently found either red, or dense in texture, or otherwise morbidly altered. The chief and most constant lesion, however, observed after death is collapse of the lung. Mortality. The mortality from whoopingcough in most years is between 500 and 600 in every million living persons. The mean number for the fifteen years, 1854-71, was 631 per million, the maximum and minimum being respectively 751 and 416. Ninety-five per cent. of the total deaths from whoopingcough occur in children under five years of age. Prevention of Whooping-Cough.-There are no known means to prevent the propagation of whooping-cough save strict isolation. The infection is of a most intense character, and unless the isolation is practically perfect, it is liable to spread. Disinfectants of any kind are not known to be of practical value. Wind-See ANEMOMETER, CLIMATE, &c. Wine-Wine has been very accurately defined by Dr. Dupré to be "the fermented juice of the grape, with such additions only as are essential to the stability or keeping quality of the wine." This definition admits as unadulterated those wines which require the addition of spirit in order to preserve them-as, for instance, those of Spain and Portugal-whilst it excludes, if similarly fortified, the wines of Spain, Portugal, and other southern countries which require no such addition. The principal constituents of wine may be gathered from the table on p. 652, which was drawn up by Dr. Hassall.-(Food and Air, May 1874.) Besides the constituents enumerated in the table, wine contains glycerine, formic, succinic, malic, and other acids, oenanthic ether, colouring matters, and other principles. Natural wines contain from 6 to 12 per cent. of absolute ethylic alcohol by weight (7.5 to 146 by volume). In fortified wines the alcohol varies from 12 to 22 per cent. In all wines traces of other alcohols exist. The adulterations of wine are very numerous. Ports are fortified with brandy, coloured with jerupiga, elder-berry, and other matters, plastered with gypsum, and mixed with inferior wines. Salt of tartar is also often added to give it an appearance of age, alum to increase the brilliancy of its colour, and occasionally lead is found, which has been probably added to clear it. | which a large number of wines are examined, for it possesses the advantages of expedition, and is sufficiently accurate for all practical purposes. The specific gravity of the wine having been determined, 100 cubic centimetres are taken and the alcohol driven off by evaporation in an open porcelain dish; distilled water is then added until the original bulk is obtained; or if still greater accuracy be desired, Balling's modification of the process may be employed, which consists in weighing a certain quantity of wine, driving off the alcohol by evaporation, and then bringing the product up to the original weight by distilled water. In either case the percentage of alcohol may be found by the following formula: 2. Solid Residue. -The solid residue or amount of total solid constituents in wine may be estimated by two methods, the first of which is evaporating 10 or 20 cubic centimetres in a Sherries are plastered and fortified to a very porcelain or platinum dish to dryness, a progreat extent. Clarets, Madeira, Champagnes, are all subject to very similar adulterations. Analysis of Wine.-The analysis of wine, in order to detect adulterations, or to form an opinion as to its quality, should never be undertaken by any one unless he is thoroughly versed in the practical operations of chemistry. A complete analysis of wine embraces the following: 1. Determination of alcohol. 2. Percentage of solid residue. 3. Estimation of succinic acid and glycerine. 4. Estimation of volatile and fixed acids. 5. Estimation of ethers. 6. Estimation of sugar. cess at once tedious, uncertain, and inaccurate, as it has been proved conclusively that decomposition of the organic solids to some extent invariably takes place. The second method, which Dupré and Thudichum and most other chemists prefer, is simply to take the specific gravity of the dealcoholised wine, and to use the tables given under SUGAR, ESTIMATION OF; for Balling has shown that the specific gravity of solutions of malt extract is the same as that of solutions of cane-sugar, and if true for malt extract, it may be assumed true also for wine extract. In wines, however, containing much ash, as the mineral constituents of the ash seriously affect specific gravity, for in a given specific 7. Estimation of albuminous matters and gravity they contain about twice as much ammonia. 8. Estimation of tannin. 9. Estimation and analysis of ash. 1. Determination of Alcohol in Wine.-The percentage of alcohol may be determined by the processes described in article ALCOHOLOMETRY, or by Tabarie's method. The method of Tabarie is an indirect one, and is much used in those laboratories in substance in solution as a sugar solution of the same gravity, it is necessary to subtract from the percentage of extract thus estimated the percentage of ash found in the same wine; or if the amount of extract without the ash is required, twice the percentage of ash has to be subtracted from the percentage found. Dupré and Thudichum give the following examples (p. 653) :— (Thudichum) 217 538 1241 1337 2.180 0.310 079 182 025 031 *022 0190 0258 96.0 French white 992 2 10 84 435 169 999-8 10-44 374 137 634 1020 1.257 1.894 0.098 Greek white (Thudichum) 10042 11.24 377 185 710 0599 6 567 8.719 6.171 •23 '07 *348 *470 032 019 0304 0214 88.5 (Thudichum) 989-714-85 292 131 454 (Hassall) (Griffin) Dry sherries (Hassall) 9.82 42 ⚫17 *63 989 5 13:37 336 211 602 0525 1000 9 13:19 371 332 783 0700 992.4 12:12 710 140 885 995 9 12.60 790 146 992 379 045 435 none 1639 1938 0.183 4055 5:048 2·642 2:337 0 076 *058 2:020 0.042 *087 1.188 1.901 0.119 993-9 17:28 291 149 475 0187 3-098 4.078 1.796 992 9 17-89 390 055 458 16.91 *36 '11 50 988 0 16.98 0154 0379 726 ... : 88.7 275 047 334 5.352 4:483 •171 *023 *014 *026 0.869 Port 999 5 17 73 271 122 424 0150 4 234 6 607 3:332 *237 *067 024 010 '0294 0202 99.5 510 *024 0303 0239 86.9 |