The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-02-26
The New Photography.

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ence by the discovery in England, by
Lord Rayleigh and Professor Ramsay,
of two new and extraordinary elements,
argon and helium. The new year is
already made similarly notable by the
discovery by German physician, DR..
Roentgen, of strange properties of a
new sort of ether waves analogous to
light, which will pass without obstruc-
ton through may metals, and through
flesh, just as ordinary light passes
through glass or water. The first an.
nouncemer,t was of it's use in photo
graphing the bones OF the living body,
showing the skeleton, aud thus indicating
it's great probable usefulness for medical
and surgical diagnoses. A photograph
will very likely tell surgeon just what
internal parts are diseased, and will
save all exploration with the knife. 1t
would have located the bullet that killed
President Garfield, which the probe
could not find.
Of course the immediate uses of the
discovery were the first to attract at
tention, but these are not what we are
now concerned with. We are rather
interested to learn what is the meaning
of this new instrument of research, and
what information it has to give as to
the constitution of matter and force.
That was the chief importance of the
discovery of argon and helium, and this
new discovery will be of immense i'm
portance in the same way.
We have very little exact informa-
ton as yet, for the discovery was an
nounced as soon as made; but we are
told that the light is that of Crookes'
tubes. Crookes' tubes are a refined
and improved form of the Geissler
tubes which are very familiar to the
older students of electricity. They are
glass tubes out of which the air, or
other gas, has been exhausted 80 as to
leave a nearly perfect vacuum. An
electric current is passed through the
tube and pale, wavering light is seen
to fill it, as if the electricity passed
easily in diffused form through the
vacuum. Specially fine fuorescent eff
fects are produced if the tubes are of
uranium glass. This current of cleo
tricity, or light, may be DETECTED by
magnet. 1t has been even supposed
that atoms of the metallic poles are
carried through the lube. A peculiar
effect of the current is seen about the
cathode end, and the light has been
called the cathode rays. This light, or
current, it has been known for several
years, would pass through a very thin
plate of certain metals stretched as a
diaphragm across the tube; and one
form of the experiment has been to
make a window of aluminium in the
tube and see the light flame out through
it into the air.
Now it is said that it is the light of
these Crookes' tubes which is used in
the new form of photography. Yet
this light appears to work differently
from the so-called cathode rays. 1t
passes freely through thick masses as
well as thin plates of metal. The bub-
bles and flaws in casting are shown
photogrsphically, or the structure of a
welding Of steel 80 perfectly made that
the line of juncture cannot be discov-
cred with a microscope. The most ex-
traordinary state ment made about the
light is thai it is not refracted by lens,
a statement difficult to understand if
photographs are taken with it. We
are told that the movement of the
waves of this light which may be very
far ultraviolet, is longitudinal, like
those OF sound, and not like those of
ordinary light. But this again opens
new and very curious questions in the
nature of ether and its waves, and is
likely to give us new key to the
knowledge of the intimate constitution
of both ordinary matter and the lumi-
niferous ether.
One cannot help raising the question
whether this new force which will give
picture of a living mans skeleton,
which will photograph the contents of a
shut purse or closed chest, may not
have some sensitive effect on the
human body, and may not account for
certain curious phenomena, hitherto
treated with skepticism, but now COM
ing into the domain of investigation if
not of science. Probably not: but we
are now taught again that there may be
about US other powers and mysteries of
nature, the clew to which yet awaits
the fortunate and skilful student. No
Ona nan vat tall ma what ara ato,.,.