The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-22
FLAMES PRODUCED BY KISSES.
A Scientific Study Suggested by Emma Alb
bolts Osculation-A Surprising Discovery.
National Republican,

A Scientific Study Suggested by Emma Abb
bolts OsculatiOn-A Surprising Discovery.
National Republican.
Emma Abbotts kiss always produces feelings
of ecstatic joy among those who witness it, but
these pleasurable sensations which come by OBJ
servation can, of course, only reach their max
ina when the witness becomes a participant in
the oscuatory act
The cases which produce these sensations have
been wondered at, and havefor some time engaged
the attention of scientists They are gem
orally attributed to the result of peculiar kind
of electricity, which shows its presence in the
form of light when kiss is bestowed and re-
turned. Every one will admit that there is con-
siderable fire, metaphoricay speaking, in the
act, but few are aware that as a fact, actual
fire has an existence, aud that a flame can be
| discerned. This has been proved by Reichen-
bachs experiments.
Forty years ago he made an elaborate series of
experiments in support of his claim that light
emanated from the end of magnets. He also
claimed that the same phenomena could be OBJ
served at the end of the fingers. These wonder
full sights were confined, however, to a small
class OF people called by the baron ''senstives. F"
He attributed the flames to the action of pecu-
liar force analogous to heat, electricity and mag
netism, but distinct from all, which he called
"odyle." This force he also assigned as the
cause of spontaneous somDambulism, or when
artifcially produced, as the mesmerc state He
found that the lips and tongue were markedly
foci of this inponderable power influence
which exists in the human body, and by which
one human being was able to produce in another
the mesmeric state. He says: Here we obtain
not altogether uninteresting explanation of the
true nature and significance of kiss; the lips
are one of the foei of 'odyle,' and the flames
which our poets describe as belonging to them
as a matter of fact actually play there"
The barons experiments were ridiculed and
deserted as absurd by the scientist of his day.
some even charging that his statements were
willfully false. Du Bots Raymond said his deduc.
tons were an absurd romance. The reply of
the baron was in effect that since the birth of
science, ignorance had assumed to sit in judg-
ment and condemn what it could not under
stand. 1t now seems probable that his reply
was a proper one, and that his experiments are
of the creates value. The Electrical Review Of
November says that one of the most interesting
achievements in its line is the recent photo
graphing of Reiehenbachs flames. In total
darkness a perforated blackened card was placed
one-eighth of an inch above permanent horse
shoe magnet, sensitive dry plate being set an
eighth of an inch above the card. After an ex-
posture of five minutes result was obtained,
and this was repeated many times. The most
remarkable thing was the discovery that there
was positive and sometimes negative image
found under precisely the same conditions.
This seems to establish the truth of the bar
on's experiments, so far as the magnets are CON
eerned and if this is true there seems to be no
reason for doubt that an OSCILLATION actually
produces flame. If it was found possible by
means of proper lens to bring to focus the
light of several magnets, it is therefore probable
by a similar arrangement to photograph the
fame or osculatory light as the resultant of sew
eral simultaneous kisses. OF course the light
| produced in this way is but feeble, and it is
hardly within the bounds of probability that it
will be used for the purpose of general illumi-
nation. If third party was allowed to be pres
ent in dark room where two others were en-
gagged in kissing the fame would be seen by
him The facts claimed by the baron as to
magnets are not at all wonderful, as it is we'll
| known that when steel or iron is magnetlzed its
| several molecules or particles are in state of
vibration-in other words, they are doing work.
AS the magnet acts as well through a vacuum as
through air. it must, therefore, be able to put
in motion particles of ether, and light is but the
vibrations of ether. A limited or definite source
of work must sooner or later become exhausted
and it is well known that magnet left without
its armature or keeper gradually loses its power
and this is shown to be the if it is exhaust
ing itself in doing work to produce light.
1t is not known, but presumed, that the odyle
in Emma is of positive character, as she comes
from the kissing ordeal without any signs of ex-
haustion, and even more bright and chippy than
when the scene began; consequently, there does
not seem to be any apparent loss of power by
the work she has performed and 1t must be in
ferred that as a magnet is strengthened and its
power increased by its armature keeper
Emma's power for kissing is increased every
time she INDUCES i'll it. Therefore the length of
the kissing scene is gradually increased to such
an extent that, if she lives for number of years
which it is hoped she may, it will require the
whole number of hours of an evenings perform
ance for the osculatory performance. The
length of time for the kiss depends entirely on
how long it requires the fame produced by the
positive and negative currents of odyle to be-
come exhausted, or in other words, die out. 1t
would be very interesting to have little Emmas
kiss photographed, but a dry plate sufficiently
large could not be found which would cover it.
The combustion however, would be most bril-
liant and fully compensate by its intensity for
the loss in the size of the fame.