The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-07-26
Our Inner selves.


The Chinese sword swsllowers at the Paris ex.
Motion were extraordinary performers In their
way, but at this epoch Of progress they have soon
been tfstanced. Swallowing saber, at present,
y noibisg. The fashion now Is 10 swallow q
hghted lantern and brilliantly illuminate your
inner man. You then become living and walk
ing gaslight; that is all.
1t is evident that swallowing lantern is only
one remove in advance OF swallowing sword
Now. there happen to be little electric lanterns
which give light without burning. They are called
Gesser's tubes, and are small glass cylinders,
either empty or filed with azote, hydrogen or
carbonic acid gas, through which voltaic cur
rent is made to pass. The tubes become sutfi.
GENTLY luminous to allow you to read printed let
tiers held at several inches from them. When this
miniature lantern Is introduced into stomach the
skin is transparent enough to permit your seeing
The interior Of the animal. There is no need for
people to live in glass houses, for they hereby
transformed into glass houses themselves. Their
domestic secrets are rudely divuged, and Diogenes
would be delighted to find that, instead OF mere
superficial outside view Of bis much desiderated
honest man, be can now with the newly invented
lantern, look a person through and through.
The experiment, which may be considered ex-
ceediDgly curious until something still more
strange is started, is only an extended copy OF
what has been practiced in medical art for some
years past. For instance, there is the ophthslmo-
scope, or eye inspector, OF the German philoso-
pher Helmholtz, small instrument, by means of
which, the interior Of the eye being lighted up, il
portions of that intricate organ. Other instru.
ments assist in the examination of divers internal
parts of the human body. Not the least remark
able of these Dquistive apparatuses is the laryn.
goscope, invented by German physician named
Czermsk, for the inspection Of the respiratory
passages, and the mechanism which produces the
Voices
The vocal organ in man (Which DR.. Tyndall truly
describes as the most perfect Of reed instruments
is placed at the top of the windpipe, the head of
which is adjusted for the attachment OF certain
elastic bands called " vocal chords" which almost
close the aperture. When the air from the lungs
is forced through the slit which separates these
vocal chords, they are thrown into vibration. By
varying their tension, the rate of vibration is
varied and the sound changed in pitch. The
sweetness and smoOthness of the voice depend on
the perfect closure Of the slit Of the glettis at
regular intervals during the vibration.
The vocal chord may be illuminated and viewed
in a mirror placed suitably at the back OF the
mouth. DR.. Tyndall once attempted to project M.
Czermak's larynx upon screen 10 his lecture
room but with only partial success. The organ
may, however, be viewed directly in the laryngo.
scope. Its motions, both in singing, speaking and
coughing, being strikingly visible. The roughness
of the voice in colds is due, according to the
aforesaid Helmholtz, LEARNED in acoustins,) to
mucous focculi, which get into the slit of the glot-
It's, and which are seen by means Of the laryngo-
scope. The squeakiDg, falsettO voice with which
some persons are afflicted the same Hemholtz
thinks may be produced by the drawing aside OF
loads the vocal chords. Their edges thus become
sharper and their weight ess while their elasticity
| remaining the same, they are shaken into more
| rapid tTemors. The promptness and accuracy
with which the vocal chords can change their ten
siOn their form and the width of the slit between
them, render the voice the most perfect OF must
cal instruments.
| The order of the day, therefore, Is that we
should he able to see everything, without excep
| ton. If we can look an animalcule through and
| through by means of transmitted light; il, in the
same way, we can behold the blood circulating IL
the tail of tadpole or the foot of frog, with al
| the minute vessels thereto pertaining, why should
| we not do so with larger animals, with our OWL
proper selves? 1t is merely question of degree
| With sufficient intensity OF Illuminating power
| there is no knowing what may not become trans
| parent. And in fact, distinguished hygienst,
III. Foussagrives, of Montpelier, attempted to rem
der the interior viscera of our body visible by
transmitted light. They were TO be exhibited Il
bysisnders as animated and most interesting trans
| Iarences. Mr.. Bruk, German medical man
| followed up the same line of research. Finally
| at the medical congress Of 1861, Nj. Milliot,
French physician residing at Kiaw, gave an ap
proxmate solution of the problem.
His splancbDoscope Tor instrument intended
render the viscera externally visible) has bee
tried with success. II is in principle simply
Gessler's tube, or more strictly speaking, mOdit
cation of the apparatus described IN speciI
treatises under the title of Mindledovf's tube. A
one Of the meetings of the congress, Mr. Milhc
| introduced bis lantern INTO the stomach OF q 90
by means of an esOphagian probe. Through tn
skin, thus rendered transparent, the spectator
were able ID distinguish perfectly the interior Q
the dogs stomach in all Of its details. The ez
| pertinent was tried a second time on the person {
cot; and il has quite recently been repeated
| NJ Henri de Parvile's presence, the scientif
collaborateur OF the Constitutional. M. Milk
has likewise introduced a tube more than var
in length into a mans 9sophagus; and the intern
membrane of this deep seated organ became pei
fectly distinguishable.
Cui bono? What is the good Of all this? is
very natural question to ask; aud, in truth, i
utility Is not very apparent The system of \
ternsl lighting up having however, been Ii
vented its useful application will probably con
afterwards. Meanwhile, it viii decide whether q
sbsentminded cressmaker, while thinking wher
her Highland laddie has gone, has swallowe
, needles and pins instead of sauce piqusnte.
may settle the question whether Master Tommy
, the cat has empted all the pots Of strswberl
lam. tworst, il will be formidable rival
sword-swallowinga and Japanese fests of dexterit
Perhaps even next seasons pantomime will g'
US "pas brilliant" danced by human glo
worms, shining with all their might and main al
followed up by new edition Of the Feast
Lanterns, with effects which no chinese stage ma
sger ever dreamed of.
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