Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-03-21
SHADOWGRAPHS IN SURGERY
Opinions of Two Prominent Members of the
- Medical Profession --s.--i
VIII X Rays Help the DOctors-NOt
fully Developed They May. t

Professor Bull, who occupies the chair Of
| surgery in the College Of Physicians and
Surgeons, New York city, in speaking of
the value 10 medicine and surgery of
RoentgeD's discovery. said: "As usual, the
entire civilized world has enthused over a
discovery, the beneficial results Of which to
humanity ERE Aow only presumed. / am,
however, Of the opinion that it will take
some time to develop this application of
* rays At present the results attained
do not promise anything of great value to
advanced surgery. Of,course, the shadow
| graphs of hands which are now exhibited
everywhere may ba made useful ia some
| branches Of the profession, but in COMPARE
son with the vast revelations which the
X-ray Impressions of the brain, thorax and
abdomen would effect, only the rudments
of the discovery have been reached thus
| far.
Take, for instance a case of appen-
dicitis. If l could get a Photographic i'm
preston exhibiting the exact state of in
| Illumination Of the little vermiform appen-
dix, also showing the situation of whatever
Intestinal adheslonS there might be, and
the quantity of pus in, the diseased APP
pendix. l should hes relieved from much
brain work and should feel more positi re
OF the minor details of gay diagnosis.
Applied to Internal concerns, If the diff
ferent density of certain conditions OF It's
sue should be manifested in the Impressions
to be puzzled in these cases; at present a
certain degree of uncertainty is unavoid-
abe Such seem tor he the remote posi-
bIiltles of the future development of Rocnt-
gen S discovery, and Ii all this is realized it
Will be the most important knowledge ever
placed at the disposal OF medical science.
II might then even be pronounced the first
Hs1ght into the hidden nys cries of life a
guide to the future solution"
DR.. Paul Gibier of 1ti.e New York Pasteur
Institute said that he had not as yet been
atIe to see practical de NOR ST ratiou of the
application of Rays to the human form
In diseased conditions.s at's'' "a
"Eut how about snhe possibilities@'i
asked. - ia . -
"Ah-the pcssibilites-well, 1 should saw
that they ar" very encouraging. l think
the new rays have in them a potency which
may revoiutionize medicine and surgery;
but the question is, VIII man be able to
master and direct them? That is the point
that must be demonstrated before a posi-
tive statement can be made by any con-
sentative scientific man. l admit that it is
quite likely that this invisible influence NAV
prove sufficiently potent to locaize tumors
and other equally dangerous foreign mat
tiers in the human Body; but the science is
In Its infancy, and doubtless must pass
through its seven ages the same as man
before 1t can command high honors from
the world. 1t must be developed.
1T is serious question in my mind as
to whether the relative density of the It's
sues will establish a sufficient distinc ton
between the different organs, when the ex-
periments arrive al the point where they
can obtain shadowgraphS of the body. OF
course, all dead matter or broken down It's
sue is denser than healthy matter and the
suggestion seems not impossible. AS re-
CARDS the possibility of locating bullets in
tie brain. l take this to be the most diff
cult of all. II the shadowgraphing of the
liver, heart or the spleen is demonstrated
to be merely a matter of a variation of
understanding, of course, that the body
may be shadowgraphed-then the same pre-
cess may be applied to the brain. It is
quite possible that even the two THO knesses
of bone to he penetrated in the latter in
stance may prove less obstructive than the
foreign body, and SO locate it. But even
in case this proves true it will be necessary
to make two shadowgraphs. One would
only locate the foreign matter from one
point of view, and a cross-section would
have to be made to get the exact position
of the bullet, which would be very ex-
hausting to the sufferer, unless it could be
done very quickly.
IF the efforts now In progress to force
this strange influence through the thicker
parts of the human form are crowned with
success it seems perfectly consistent to as
sumo that metallic substances could be
readily localized The introduction of the
rays at the front and side of the thorax. or
chest, should exhibit the point of intersec-
ton of the two lines of rays, giving accu-
rate measurements of location, which would
enable the surgeon to introduce the probe
and extract the foreign matter without
hesitation. At present he must search In
the dark, under an extreme needle in a
haystack' condition"