St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-12-29
MEDICAL KiNECoScOPES.
Recent Uses o! t!.e Invcntlon In the study
6f Disease.

Recent Cses Of t..e Iavent,on In the study
6f Disease.
The invention of the kinetoscopc,
which is ut present attracting n large
amount of popular interest. resembles
some of Mr. Edison's inventions in be-
ing really an improvement on or an
adaptation of discoveries of other men.
rhis in no way implies that the fame
IF the American inventor is unde-
served. On the contrary. it is due to
his genius that mere experiments OF
scientists have been converted into
things of real and lasting benefit to
civilization. Sir Humphrey Davy dis
covered that carbon could be rendered
incandescent in a current Of electric
ity. and that oxygen consumed the
carbon; but it remained for Edison to
exclude the oxygen and to give the
electric arc lignt to civilization. The
main essentials of the phcnOgraph
were in use before Edison conceived
the idea of making :. practical use Of
the machine. The Muybridge photo
graphs wore the forerunners Of the
kinetoscOpe.
1t has been proclaimed that the time
is now at hand when books and the.
aters will become rarities, and the
average citizen will be content to use
the photograph and the kinetoscope for
his pleasure. Such a prediction is over
sanguine. as yet, for the reason that
these inventions arc not yet perfect.
The beau>s, of concerted music or Of
rare singing is still marred by the
electric whir and the false sounds that
issue from the monographs dia-
phragm. The splendid color and daz-
zling luster of the operas stage are as
yet beyond the gasp of the kinetoscope.
Perhaps these things may come some
day, but they have not come yet. and
in the meantime the present generation
is concerned chiefly with the things of
to-day. The telephone, for instance. is
Of more immediate use to civilization
than are the phonograph and kineto-
scope combined.
Science has already found certain
uses for Mr.. Edison's later inventions,
however. The phonograph counter
feits permanently many sounds that
are useful to therapeutics; the normal
and 1nsound heart-beats. ''ralcs" in
the lungs. certain vocal sounds depend.
ing upon special conditions of the
throat or tonsils. 1t is of decided
benefit to science to have permanent
records that can always be easy of ac-
cess without recourse to q special
patient. In the same way the kineto-
scope promises to be of great utility to
medical science by reproducing physic-
al action that can be studied in detail
or comprehcnsively as the student de-
.sires. In this city some effort in that
direction has already been undertaken,
and more will be developed from time
to time. especially in nervous disorders
that bring on certain physical action
that is often SO violent and vigorous as
to battle any attempt at close study by
means of the unaided eye.
The Muybridgc photographs showed
some years ago that the eye was unre-
liable for the detection of the absolute
details of rapid animal motion. In.
Simultaneous photography alone gives .
correct representation of the different
attitudes taken by men or animals in
rapid action, and it is quite possible
that medical science may achieve fresh
discoveries by the help of the Eineto-
scope. Thus in studying the muscular
action that results from certain nerve
disorders, it may be possible to trace
the nerves which are affected. Even
in less complicated cases. like lame.
ness. a surgeon may be able to reach
conclusions with greater quickness apd
certainty by securing the details OF
muscular action of the affected limb,
as the speed of the kinctoscope may be
regulated ut will. Altogether. then,
while the reproduction of grand opera
for the multitude may be a matter o1
the remote future, the kaleidoscope is
something OF more use to civilization
than a mere ,icsorial toy.-Boston Ad-
vcrtiSer