The San Francisco call., 1896-02-09
THE RoENTGEN "PHoroGRAPHY.. ).


Discoveries like that of Professor Roent-
gen, which, for want of better term, may
be approximately called photographing
the invisible, are startling because they
are such unexpected rriumphs in mans
perpetual struggle with the forces of
nature. Like a blast in a mine, which
blows out the rock wall and reveals new
and unsuspected vein, they not only add a
new resource to those already possessed,
but suggest the possibility of gaining many
more advantages which have hitherto
been considered absolutely impossible.
Unlike the successive discoveries of
serums and lymphs for the cure of dis
eases, which are only developments of
Jenner's discovery OF vaccination, Or the
recent addition of new element to the
three of which the air had been supposed
to consist, which was suspected long be-
fore it was found, Roentgen's discovery is
not only new in itself-for the few pre-
vious experiments in this direction cannot
be said TO have revealed it-but it deals
with an entirely new principle.
A new force has been found in nature.
1t proceeds by means of rays, but it is not
light, for it penetrates where light cannot;
nor heat, for it does not warm. It has
some connection with electricity, but it
has no influence on the most sensitive
calls the means by which it operates
"X rays" because he has no better name
for them. Other scientists call them
cathode rays" because they seem to
proceed from the cathode, or end by
which the current leaves galvanic CELL
Doubtless more will be known about the
new force in short time, for the best
students of electricity and kindred sciences
are now hard at work on it. As yet, it has
only been discovered; it has not been de-
veloped or described.
1t seems pretty certain, however, that
while it will enable US to see many things
hitherto invisible, such as the skull of a
living creature, or abnormal conditions in
various parts of the body, it will not
show them to US so clearly as to facil.
itate minute study of them. Strictly
speaking. it will not enable us to see the
actual objects at all, but only images
of them printed on a sensitive plate by
a process which is professionally called
photography, though it is not photogra-
ply, but only something analogous to it.
But these images are in the nature of
shadows, and shadows, though they may be
sharp in outline, are dim in details. They
are indefinite and vague, and, while it is
impossible, of course, to predict what will
be accomplished in the future, the nature
of the rays and the manner in which they
are said to work, by recording simply the
varied resistance of the different media
through which they pass, seem to pre-
clude the supposition that bright, well
defined picture can ever be obtained in
this way. Certainly, the reproductions of
the views already obtained are very shad-
owy and lacking in detail. If they were
offered as ordinary photographs they
woulo be rejected at once as unsatisfac-
tory.
A new principle in nature has been dis
covered, and it may lead to revelations of
which there is as yet no expectation or
even suspicion, but ii is best not to count
upon it too strongly at first. and to let the
scientists work out its problems before
calculating too closely upon its adaptations
to the various branches OF science.-Phila-
delphia Ledger.