The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-04-22

tro-therapeutist of Chicago is not his
old friend DR.. Pratt, the bacteriologist
| OF John Hopkins University-whom ne
| thought he was congratulaunG upon
what he claimed to have accomplished
he has kept silent.
This tranquility on two continents
comes about not because of any apathy
toward the future of the Rotengen light
or the killing of disease germs. Men
who have devoted their lives to science
simply cannot understand what Profs.
Pratt and Wightman have done 10 be
dragged so ruthlessly into public notice.
In brief, they say if the two Chicago
experimenters claim 10 have slain d.
sease germs by the mere light of the
Crookes tubes they are mistaken. Rea-
sons are given to back UP this state
ment. Crookes tubes are the same the
world over, they say, and bacilla have
been shot with X rays in all possible
attitudes, environments, and varia-
tons as TO doses, and not even one has
been induced to give up the ship.
at is not the school boy" said DR..
W. H. Wilder, No. 1902 Ellis avenue,
who first holds up his hand that can
solve the masters problem. OF course.
when new field is opened in science.
as when gold fields are discovered,
there is & mad rush for fame and for
tune. But true scientific progress has
been made only by men who dig, with
out rushing into print, and who do not
ask laurels until the world lays them at
their feet
Thus physicians smile as they talk
Of Mr.. Pratt's sanguine expectations.
He will know better, they aver, when
he has repeated his methods. 1t Is
but natural, they say, for students on
the threshold Of science to grow rap
turous over its possibilities, but it -
dangerous to give out snapshot deduc-
tons as great scientific feats.
IF the cultures of Pratt and Wight
man are really found to be dead" said
DR.. James BURY, who was the first
Chicagoan to try the Y ray for surgery
ana therapeutics, lit will be in order to
learn if some one is not playing jokes
in their laboratory. Some one may have
boiled those tubes. That would dam
age the liveliest colony.
81 am satisfied these gentlemen have
been misled somehow. 1 went over
the same ground as soon as IL was sug-
gested the new ray might affect bacilii.
Unable way, having the best facilities
in the west at hand, and got no evil
dence the ray ever phased them.
But knew all along il was not the
easiest thing in the world to raise good
colonies. Various errors will kill them.
Sometimes they die off mystsa .Ously. 1,
is not fair therefore, at one bound to
blame their demise upon the light of
Crookes tube"
DIR. Gehrmann, the city bacteriolo-
gist, has made Independent experiments
with disease germs and the x ray. He
sees nothing in the claim of Pratt and
Wightman to change the conclusions
resulting from his own research.
Several things argue against taking
these claims in dead earnest" said Dr.
Gehrmann. 1T takes quiet wait of
from two ID four weeks always 10 as
certain IL bacilli are dead. ApprecI-
able results cannot be obtained any
sooner in any single case 1t takes
many experiments, done over and over
with absolute accuracy and caution, to
put your finger on a single result. Even
then one is not warranted in broad de-
auctions until all conceivable tests have
been applied.
Now, Prof, Wightman and Prof
Pratt have not had time TO prove such
a result had they gotten uniform re-
suits from the week the idea of apply
ing X rays TO disease germs was first
suggested. Other experimenters the
world over-men of the most undoubt-
ed attachments and with marvellous IA
cilities for this work-started just as
soon If not earlier than they, and the
results have been uniformly that y
rays and bacteria have no antipathy.
81 shall doubt results on this line as a
matter of theory until scientific proof
is absolute. Whatever kills bacteria
is apt to kill live tissues. Steam and
bichloride of mercury will knock them.
but ii destroys flesh as greedily. Any
paralysis OF bacilli by Y rays would
be more from electrical force than from
light, presumably, and it Is reasonable
that life portoplasm is as sensitive as
bacteria"
Prof. Hugo Wightman called at the
Tribune Office yesterday and said he de-
sired 10 reply TO his critics, who were al
most as numerous as :he animaiculate
whose bones lie whitening in the Gull
ture tube sepulchers Of his laboratory |
Prof. Wightman wished il distinctly
understood that the European scien-
fists who declare the ray has no effect |
on disease germs are wrong. So are
all the American experimenters. So
are the other Chicago investigators.
incidentally Prof Wightman men
toned that he was right He also said
in passing that DR.. Pratt was right |
Prof. Wightman was not severe in his |
he passed upon his critics. He
was rather apologize Said he: 1T
IS because they do not have the same
conditions which we enjoy"