The record-union., 1896-09-20
ROENTGEN'S CURSE.


adopted bacteriology and analytical
chemistry as my profession. But after
some years, part of which time was
spent in the service of the Indian Gov
ernment in the chase after the cholera
mlcrobe, 1 inherited some money, re-
turned to England, and married. we
mad lived some years a country hfe,
and had several children. / never alto
gether abandoned my favorite pursuit,
and had a laboratory built on to my
house. My wife painted fairly for an
amateur, and excelled in photography.
The interest took in her work led me
to the study of light and all the phe-
nomena connected with it, and this
study became more and more absorbing.
Nevertheless, a considerable portion of
my time was given to outdoor pursuits
and the society of my family and friends.
No one could accuse me of overwork-
Ing myself, or suspect me of yielding to
the deluSionS of imagination l trouble
the reader with this preface lest in the
statement | am about to make he should
suspect he was reading the fictionS OF
diseased brain.
1 was on the track of a great discov-
cry. I was sure of it. A little more
time, little more toll and the reward
would be mine. I, Herbert Newton,
should be hailed as the greatest bene-
factor of the human race in modern
times. 1t was about the time that Roent-
gen published the wonderful results OF
his experiments with what he called
the X rays, and the whole world of sci
entific men felt that they were on the
verge of a great event. Every magazine
had an article on the So-called photog-
raphy of the invisible, and every lecture
hall resounded with explanations OF
these extraordinary phenomena. TO
me, student in this same field, the pos
sibilities which underlay this discovery
seemed immeasurable. My excitement
became intense, and / threw all my
powers of mind and body into the work
of following the path of research 1ndl-
Gated by Roentgen. To my eager brain
there appeared no limit to the power
which might be acquired by one who
could make the X rays his servants,
and compel them to obey him. In one
science alone-that of medicine-what a
revolution might be effected, what pro-
gress made, if the physician could see
the working of the vital organs and
their condition. He could then no longer
be accused of pouring he knows not
what, into he knows not what, to cure
he knows not what. 1t was possible
even now, as Roentgen had proved, to
examine the skeleton. But so long as a
tedious process was necessary there
would be many cases to which the new
discovery could ont be applied, while
as yet only the skeleton, and not the in
terror organs, could be portrayed. L
was determined to go far beyond the
goal reached by Roentgen. / would not
rest until the physician should be able
to see and examine any part or the
human oragnism as the patient lay on
his bed, and to study the anatomy OF
the body in health or disease as if he
had the eye of the Creator. Other and
wider fields of ambition opened to me,
and pictured myself able to see into the
bowels of the earth or the depth of the
sea- The discovery of minerals and pre-
cious stones, the finding of lost trea-
cures, the laying bare of the secrets OF
ancient cities-these were but a few of
the vulgar applications of the power
sought to possess. Far and above and
beyond these rose the hope of snatching
from nature the secret of life itself, and
of making biology the supreme science.
Animated by these thoughts, redoubled
time to eat or sleep, would not spare
a moment for the ordinary duties of
life, and to my wife and children De-
came like one in trance.
Not without a hard struggle did my
wife let me fall into these ways. She
exhorted and implored me by my love
for her and the children. She urged
me to remember my duty to God and
man But / would hear nothing. l
was like the opium-eater or the drunk
ard / could not now resist the i'm
pulse that was hurrying me on. SO
the days went by. Nearer and nearer
/ seemed TO the desired end, and yet
more and more there was to do. More
laborious became the search, more close
and fatiguing the observation neceS-
sary, for / had brought my experiments
now to such a point that they We're
microscopic in their minuteness. AS
/ staggered to bed, generally at an hour
long past midnight 1 felt my head swim
and reel with the weariness of my
BRAIN Excitement and determination
reused me early in the morning to fresh
efforts Nature, however, did not leave
me without warning that l was trans
crossing her laws. / began to dread
that my strength would fail me, and
that / should break down before my
task was accomplished. Sometimes in
the midst of my studies a VEIL as ii
were, would come over my thoughts. All
of a sudden, Just as If some fairy had
touched me with an enchanted wand
nv thoughts would cease, my mind be-
come like an empty page, and the brain,
which a moment before had been full
of active movements, keen reasonings
and vivid perceptions of the conclu-
sions. would be dull and inert. 1t was
Just as if a damp sponge had been
passed over q slate. These were warn
ings. What were warnings to me? If
I must die for my work, l would die
But would die working.
At last it came. Not the ruin of my
mind, but the glory and pride of my
life. I had gone far beyond and away
from Roentgens experiments. His dis
coyeries had sufliced to show that nc
objects were in themselves Opaque OF
imperyious. There were rays of light OF
waves Of ether that could-and nc
doubt did-pass through every and any
substance But the retina of the hui
man eve did not respond to them. II
the invisible ultraviolet rays can be
made perceptible to the eye by means
of the fluorescence they excite in GER
tain substances, then why should not
other rays, such as Roentgen's X-rays
be made visible to the eye by some
chemical means?
AS no bodies are really Opaque. some
rays must pass through matter of every
kind. and some means can probably be
found of making these rays visible tc
n q n