The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1896-06-06
MAGIC RAYS.
Wonderful Possibilities Of the
Ro4nt9en Invention.
It May Become OF Inestlmable Value In
the Medical Profession for the
Restoration Of Sight and
Hearing.

Hearing.
Medical and scientific men generally
have been studying more or less on the
workings of the x rays, as presented
to the world by Roentgen. So far. the
discovery has only been utilized in the
art of photography, but there are many
who believe that it can be made OF
great value in the commercial and med
ical world. One of the most ardent
believers N this idea is DR.. P. j. Glib
bons, who has devoted SO much of his
time to the study of electrical ques-
tions. The other morning when q rc-
porter called at his Office he was en-
gagged in preparing to make some ex-
periments.
In an interview with reporter, DR..
Gibbons said: II think that if there
was more work and less talking done
i'll connection with this discovery it
would be well for the scientific world.
To Roentgen belongs all the credit of
bringing this before the public. but
I believe that before many weeks have
elapsed Nicola Tesla will startle
the world with some of his discoveries
along the same line.
Il believe the cathode rays are pure
electricity, which has been abstracted
from the air or space and driven
through wires into 4 vacuum, and that
they are making efforts to gain back
from the vacuum into natures space
hn IN ca sr.1,<
line, instead of waves, as other light,
and makes acute changes in it's course
similar to those pursued by lightning
1t has a gravity which is heavier
than oxygen and tendency to fall
the same as lightning. 1t goes
to prove what advanced more
than year ago, that electricity has
gravity, and I believe that If we make
the vacuum of Crookes tubes out of
lead instead of glass that we can retain
electricity or X rays in the vacuum
and then we have tube Of pure cleo
tricity or X rays. l think that if this
vacuum is of large size that it will
increase its weight to slight degree,
showing that it has specific gravity.
II have been experimenting not SO
much on photography through the hui
man body as to make the discovery
useful for optical vision. I have for
many years in my practice thrown
lights into different parts Of the head
for the purpose of discovering foreign
substances. In this have used large
ly o small incandescent light. If you
hold your hand close to an ordinary in
candesccnt light and hold between the
light and your hand an opaque body,
as a spoon, or a knife, you viii see the
shadow of the metal object through
your fingers.
Zone Of the most useful places that
I believe the x rays can be used is in
the medical profession in the restoring
of sight aud hearing. As you are
aware, persons often lose their sight
either because the eyeball is destroyed
or when the eyeball is perfect, because.
the optic nerves become diseased and
are destroyed. 1t is the same way
with the ear. We lose hearing because
of the destroying of the ear proper, or,
where the ear is perfect, by the loss OF
the nerve of hearing. If the optic nerve
or the nerve of hearing is not de-
stroyed. but the eyeball or the ear
proper should be destroyed, believe
that we will be able in the near future
to make an artificial eye or an instru-
ment to take the place of the ear, by
which we con utilize the X rays in such
a manner that it will convey to the
nerves of sight or hearing the same i'm
preston that the normal organ does y,
present.
"The eye is a camera, and is through
the action of the X rays in the air that
we are able to have impressions car
ried to the retina. When the sight is
destroyed we must be able to discover
something to take it's place. The blind,
because of the X rays in the air, can
distinguish light from darkness, and
if powerful light is placed ia front OF
them they can easily tell 1t. because the
x rays penetrate the optic nerve or
center of sight in the brain. believe
that il we can make an artificial eye
which will be composed mostly OF chem
ical substances which have the. same
effect on the optic nerves with the aid
of the X rays that sight in such cases
will be restored.
II am convinced that in the COM
mercial world in very short time we
will be able to speak on the telephone
and see the person at the other end that
we are talking to, because OF the re-
production of the forms through
Crookes tubes by means of X rays
Syracuse IN. W Herald.
Poe's Manuscripts.
IL "a tho ironv of fate again that the