The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-27
WONDERFUL X-RAY TESTS
a BLIND NAN SEES THRoUGH TEE
TOP OF HIS OWN HEAD M
Ht In Different from Ordinary sighA SutHt
Serves Soso OF the Purposes OF geeingra
Tho E~xperimenter's P~ersonalitrS

fects produced by the Roentgen X rays hnvo lea
TO experiments in several scientific directionk
not always with the expectation Of reaohfnr
definite results, but sometimes to Eimply me
v~estiRate what could be accomplished by their
use. Edison has suggested that, a. by these
rays solids can be rendered Transparent, they
might produce some effect in overcoming blind
moss. Perhaps he specially intended to apply
the experiment TO such persons as have boon
made blind by the Intervention OF q solid
medium, and who have known sight beforeAs
like people whose pupils became opaQuof IN
childhood or later life. But these experfs
ments have been extended and last Saturday
were applied to o person blind almost from
his birth, and one of such extraordinary
development OF brain and tho other senses
that the results reached are conclusive In
their way. And. while nothing like sight
was reawakened or produced. they were
none tho less astonishing and: si~gniicanttln
what they did reach.
One must begin by describing the subject
experimental on, for. without. that. 10 would
DO impossible to properly estimate the value OF
tho experiments. DR.. J. r. Cooke of Boston
ia. at present n man most thoroughly oonvorl
can't with medicine in all its various
DEPARTMENTS. and especially conversann
with the oldest as we'll as the most mod.
ern teachings and procedures In nerve diseased.
He has q very large practice in Boston, and
ac"omplishes an enormous mass of clinical aa
we'll as scientiho work. This man. when threo
weeks old. had his sight destroyed completely
by tho accidental application of an acid to the
eyes. Hs never has had a conception of Light
or OF the looks of thinRj. 1t would take q vo1S
ume to relate how. under this difficulty. his
other senses developed to an almost miracu<
lous acuteness. How he can touch o fabric
and tell the stripes or figures on It and their
color; how. by the slightest sound, he'correot1t
stimate the dimensions of a room; how, by,
the touch of the hand. he can at once recoRs
nize the person, and how. by slight feeling. tho
material, color. shape. and use of objects ara
known and described. And yet he has never
seen any Of these at ali. and one wonders I'm
what shape they present themselves to his own
slghtless mind.
II we add that this wonderful person. who A
the most amiable, the most lucid. and one Of the
most learned and most variously gifted mon
one can imagine, has written a number of suos
cessful novels, and Is at present composing q
comic opera full Of the brightest airs, the readS
er will probably doubt the veracity of tho ros
port. His musical constructiveness 10 suoh
that he simply dictates a score and It Is as Gins
ply read to him for correction. No touch on the
piano ns yet. Then, when IL Is played. IL II
found to be a good air in excellent HARMONIC
And this person. who earned his way through
college by testing tobacco for tho Lorillarda,
by touch for many years. and has helped him.
self up from nothing to an astonishing posi-
ton, without one of the most necessary senses,
Is the man who consented to be tested by the <
rays last Saturday. The X rays have opened Q
new door to him, and he enters in it with OF.
cited interest, not as promising personal benefit,
but as a study and field for ADMINISTRATION.
The experiments were conducted IN the prfp
vate laboratory of tho Boston University
School Of Medicine. and IN the presence Of O
number of physicians and professors of varioud
medical schools. The tube used was q spe-
cially constructed instrument. which gives the
most intense Roentgen raw of any tube hereto1
duced an electric current of nearly 100000
volts. DR.. Cooke at the beginning Of the ex-
ent from and more intense than any he had
previously experienced.
lowish green light. at a distance OF four fse g
DR.. Cooke held his bead down so that the rays
shfra'hh he o could Ini not not de sc n.s a c ests "a s esnsaainR
which Disappeared the moment the light was
cut of and was Instantly felt when tho tube
held half way between his head. bent down,
and the. glowing tube. He at once described
change of direction; when they were moved
dizzy and ordered it stopped. 1t made him
faint. These pliers we're tSo feet from his
lions were mathematical: that is. he said:
There are two lines, and their extremities,
p fae P or shs m iinas at TIN hS S nnSl?; A dre s esr lSSsss
When he was allowed TO touch the object, he
k H can At 0s sss T Fhess It tb mas; Tf oniv he feel Id tssI,
shadow. 1t ia just a sensation"
The next; a pair Of shears, we're held IN tho
each 1.-The handlesI. These were rapidly buS
He graspcd at it and cried: "On. don't!" He had
an attack Of vertigo, the result of the rapid.
mer was gently replaced in the same position
He exclaimed: Il know that. THAT'S tho
him with this at the X rays. and he instantly
m the impression. a screwdriveP
was , held ~ Tp now AL tle SS;eFi9sd that a. &
different angles. and he described these aeon
r21ely as AN angle of fifty degrees" or "of
4 hang was held up before him. He De,
Of the littlo and ring fingers 10 the rest. When
the hard wa. held horizontally he again de
described a. a large. short mass. OF course. he
only NOTICED the bones,-thc flesh was trauspar.
e endi recd hSl sG M II as sii suSS To- to t M"s sa 1hp hsad
Remember he has never "scen" any Of these
objects anu only Snew them by feeling.
Tin foil is OPAQUE to the \ rays, and now Lett
tiers cut In tin foil were held 10 two feet from
him toward the glowing, tube. The letter I
impression as the screw driver. The letter
G was also told; a curye, and the direction i9
WHICH, u "cnl- Hen lI4c pOSlIIOu WAS Cnh1ueQ
he detected 1t at once.
A bunch Of KEYS with one longer than the
was described as a dark mass with o
straight line in the centre and n circle above.
A loop of glass. which produces n light shad.
ow on the fiuorcSCrnt plate, and a loop of tin
foil OF the same shape. which produces a black
shadow, were successfully held up between
tie, head and the light, and the Impressions
of both we're infinitely and accurately do
scrihed. The same was tried toward tho side
Of the head and tho back Of the head, and SIM
ilar but weaker Impressions were described.
pr. Cooke tried 10 give an iaca OF the way in
which IN ,se objects impressed him. He said
thsy gave him The idea Of weight and Of ex-
tension. He lad n feeling of something
stretched out So long, and In such or such q
direction. and this something felt in his mind
like n defined heaviness or weight. When the
object was not held III a perfect position be-
tween him and the lighted tube he described
IT MS one sees il in The microscope, with longer
or shorter shadows.
AS DIR. Cooke was anxious to establish the
difference between the effect of the electricity
streaming upon him from the tube and the
effect of The shadow OF the objects cast upon
his brain. he had the Tesla coil disconnected
E@A .I- Il