The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-12-02
What He Has to Say of
f, X Ray Tests.
Declares Sight Will Not Be
Restored to the Blind.
II is Cruel, He Says, TO Raise Hopes
On Such Slight Grounds.

New York. Dec. 1.-The Electrical Re-
view, New York. publishes today an ex-
haustive communication from Nikola
Tesla on his latest experiments with the
S-rays. which IL characterIzes as con-
veying wealth Of suggestion and most
Important and timely information. Tesla
states that the sunbeam effects noted by
so many expsrimenters are not due di-
rectly TO the rays. or Roentgen streams,
but TO the ozone generated by the rays
IN contact with the skin. He says:
Nitrous acid may also be responsible
TO small extent. The ozone, when
abundantly produced, attacks the skin
and many organic substances most
energetically, the action being no doubt
heightened by the heat and moisture OF
the skin. Owing TO this ! have always
taken the precaution, when getting i'm
piessions with the rays. 10 guard ths
person by a screen made of aluminium
wires. which Is connected TO the ground,
preferably through a condenser, The
radical means, however, OF preventing
such action is &c make impossible the ac-
cess Of the ssr TO the skin while exposing.
a., for instance. by immersing i'm OIL"
The inventor. in referring 10 the re.
Gently widely heralded experiment for
making the blind see by means of the
Roentgen rays. regretfully remarks:
"Is IL no. cruel TO raise such hopes when
there is so little ground for IL? For first
OF all the rays are not demonstrated TO
be transverse vibrations. II they were,
we would have TO find means for refract-
ing them To make possible the projec-
M n ri Iv INN
the retina. AS IL is, only a shadow OF
very small object can be projected.
What possible good can result from the
application of these rays to such pur-
poses? I cannot confirm some Of the ex-
periments reported. For instance, when
a hand is put before the closed eyes IL is
very easy 10 distinguish the shadow,
much the same as before the Light Of
candle; but when the tube is enclosed.
and all light from the same excluded.
fail to get such an Impression. The lat
ter is, therefore, chiefly due to ordinary
light"
Tesla points cut q possible and strik-
ingly unique method Of manufacturing
fertilizers by electricity in the follow
ing interesting language:
, with currents produced by perfected
electrical oscillators, such as were de-
scrioed in one of your recent issues, the
production OF he ozone is so abundant
that IL Is suil! mt TO merely turn on the
current for few seconds and ozon.ze
stront v the atmosphere of large hall.
These urrents are also capable OF bring
ing about chemical combinations, ot
which the chief is that of the nitrogen
with the oxygen Of the atmosphere. and
an immense possibility. which I bave
been following up for a long Slime. g
opened up, namely, the combination of
the Nitrogen of the atmosphere an an iH- !
dlstrial scale by practically no other |
means than mechanical power. II merely !
fertilizers OF the soil would be manufac-
tured In this manner the benefits TO hu- !
manity derived threfrom would be in
calculable."
The inventor concludes his latest con- |
tribution with the following account of |
his method OF making X-ray Impressions |
which Will be Of practical value 10 physi- |
clans and experimevers the world over.
The Roentgen screen is first applied |
to the body to be investigated. the pres |
sure at the terminals of the tube beine !
very much reduced. The pressure is |
then slowly and gradually raised. II will |
be- presently observed that. at certain /
pressure. the shadow of the object ex-
nmined is clearest. But as the vacuum |
Is Increasing the pressure generally rises. !
and the image gets blurred Ia spite of !
tho screen getting much brighter. just |
as soon as the clearness is slightly dimin- 1
fshed the experimenter should for a few |
moments reverse the current. lowering /
a little the vacuum IN this manner. The |
current being again given -lhe- -aireci iiaH=t
IL had at first namely. that which causes /
a slow and steady increase Of the ,
vacuum, the shadow gets again clear.
and by sucl easy manipulation the best /
result may be secured.
AN additional advantage, however, Is
gained, because the frequent revcrsals
produce brighter phosphorescence OF
the screen. When taking a photograph |
the bulb should be watched through the
screen and the switches manipulated in
the above manner.
To give a practical example Of the
effectiveness OF this procedure. | need |
only mention one Of the Instances which
have come 10 my notice. A few months
ago I investigated the case of Mr.. Cor
nelius Mack OF Watertown. Mass Mr..
Mack, while performing his duties MANY
years ago. was struck by bullet which
lodged somewhere In the chest and could
not be located. | applied the screen
vainly a number Of times, for although
tho streams penetrated the body
With such case as 10 make the
screen behind appear blush white,
and reveal all the bones OF the body, |
could not observe the missile then re-
sorted To the above indicated means. and
and easily the exact loca.
tion OF the proJectile, between the shoul.
der blade and one OF the ribs. was as.
certained, and the bullet successfully
extracted"