The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1894-06-01
RED LIGHT AND SMALLPOX,
INTERVIEW WITH THE DISCOVER.
Err OF AN ODD REMEDY.
DIR. Finsen Says That the Red Room
is Only a Beginning of What May
BE Developed in the Future.

- = - ~ 1
his name famous, is practicing
physician in Copenhagen, Denmark.
He holds the Office of prosector or
demonstration in the anatomical sec
Eon of the University Medical School.
His discovery comes at time when
the whole world is agitated by sud
den recurrence of the half-forgotten
smallpox plague in alls climes and
lands.
The cause of this revival of one of
the worst enemies of mankind has not
yet been fixed, but the fact is beyond
question. The scientific explanation
is that hundred years of vaccination
and consequent immunity from small
pox had made the world forget danger
and precantion alike, and that it will
not again be safe until it has been
thoroughly revaccinated by the dis
ease or by the doctors.
Whether this be the true explana-
ton or not, there is enough of the
danger just now to give DR.. Finsens
discovery a general as well as scien-
tific interest. The doctor is a young
man of athletic fame, amiable and very
modest. Socially he may truly be said
to be we'll connected.
At his cosy home on Disadvantage
gade, DR.. Finsen told briefly and
modestly the story of his now famous
''red room"
''The history of the red room ?" he
said. 'There isn't much in it. To be
sure, in the Middle Ages they knew
something that had at least a sugges-
ton of it. The doctors wrapped small
pox patients in red blankets, put red
globes in the bed with them and hung
red curtains about the beds, explain
ing that all this red was to drive the
bad blood out of them, to act upon
the smallpox pretty much in the
contrary way to that of a red rag upon
a bull.
without doubt there was reason
for all this, only the doctors hadn't
got it right. Correct observation had
shown red to be of value, but the APP
plication was ridiculous enough to
make modern science overlook the
truth that was at the bottom of all
this nonsense. As far as / am con-
cerned l knew nothing of ituntil after
had made my own observations.
can Englishman noticed about
sixty years ago the hurtful influence
of the suns light upon smallpox.
Upon these observations, together
with my own experiments concerning
the effect of the sunlight upon the
skin, based my hypothesis. Every
body knows sunburn or tan, which is
simply an Inflammation; but it is not
the sun only that has this effect. Very
strong electric light is capable of IT.
ritating the skin. The source of the
mischief is the violet or so-called
chemical ray in the white light. That
has been settled beyond question.
Under certain circumstances the skin
becomes specially receptive.
Farmers know that COWS fed or
buckwheat become afflicted with a rasl
if taken out in the sunlight, while i
they remain in the stable where it il
always twilight, they are not so trou-
bled. On spotted cows the rasl
comes only on the light spots. The1
you have, too, the explanation of the
negro's color-it has been his protec.
tion against the hot tropical sun.
81 ascertained this by very sim
pie experiment. Imade black stripe
on my arm with India ink and exposed
it to the fierce sunlight. In time tn,
skin turned a deep red and became in
famed, except under the black stripe
l washed off the India ink, and unde
it the skin was white and unframed
When / again exposed my arm to tn,
strong sunlight ii was this white strip,
that was instantly attacked, while the
parts of the arm already tanned Dor,
it with much less discomfort.
1.-The skin of the smallpox patien
becomes as receptive as photogra
piers plate. Therefore l would hav
it protected as this latter is in the pho
tographer'S dark room. Red light i
the best for this, because it exclude
entirely the chemical rays. And tina
is the story of my red room.
CDR. Svendsen, of Bergen, Norway
! made the first attempt with it las
summer. He experimental with eigh
patients, among them two unvaccinat
ed children. The results were yer
' good. In one instance the doctor at
. tempted, after the pustules upon tn
I face and body of one of the patient
had dried up, to let him go out in tn
! sunlight, and 10 the pustules on tn
hands grew worse and deeper and LEI
, scars, while those on the face had not
v cit was unfortunately impossible 70
me to personally observe the results i
y Bergen. / could not leave this cit