The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-20
X RAY AS A CURE.
DISCOVERY THAT 1T Is DEADLY
FOE OF DIPHTHERIA AND
CHOLERA.
Disease Germs KfIIed-TubercuIOs
Pneumonia and Typhoid BaciIIi
ROuted-Test of Amazing Success.

ROuted-Test of Amazing Success.
From the Chicago Times-Herald.
Epidemics will be impossible. Asiatic
cholera is no more to be feared than ear
ache. Diphtheria and CHAMBERS and ty-
phoid have at last met power stronger
than their own malignancy. The threats
Of deadly baciln may bring less terror
than the sigh of an evening breeze, and
pneumonia and tuberculosis be more in
conveniences than pests. This is the fu-
lure of contagion. with the Roentgen ray
in the regular practice and companion
of saw and scalpel and lint, according to
two Chicago physicians.
Prof. w. P. Pratt and Prof. Hugh Wight
man. the Contemporaries and the bac-
teriologist of Bennett Medical college,
have practically proved this. They have
Jut the germs of eight of the most deadly
diseases through the test; A ", week r, mas
ed with the greatest care. Ihey nave rail-
cd TO propagate or spread, proving they
are dead or have been stunned. Diphthe-
ria was slain outright. There is no doubt
of the effect in this case. The same final
and positive verdict in the others IS re-
served for a few days that the Dacll may
have the best possible chance to revive
aud that every scientific requirement OF
the experiment may be fulfilled;
Ii is admitted by the two physicians VINO
have spent day and night in the labora-
tory, that they have been startled by the
discovery. They have worked with the
germs in test tubes. They maintain that
success, secured under this disadvantage,
predicts much more marvellous effects
when the same attack shall be made upon
these enemies located in the human body.
The method will be tried at once. They
will not be able@ to get patients with all
the diseases which they claim 10 have con-
Guered. hut reason that success in one
means success in all by varying the
strength of the cure.
This is the group upon which they made
the initial inves tigation:
]. Bacilli of cholera.
q Bacilli of diphtheria.
g. Bacilli of influenza.
4. Bacilli of glan6ers.
8 Bacfli of pneumonia
s. Bacili of typhoid:
T. Bacilli of tuberculosis.
s. Bacili of athrax.
The various germs were grown in tubes
in proper media. Magnetic lines of force
from the Crookes tube were passed
through them. The application lasted for
two hours. l..
have been wiped out entirely. Diphtheria
has been treated very tenderly and FAVOR
ably, but after eight days has. failed to
show the slightest signs OF lie. Ihere
has yet been no activity in the bacteria OF
the other classes. and, with certain modi-
fications. the distinguished doctors are now
ready TO announce that the ray properly
applied will destroy any form OF intectl-
Gus or contagious germ. This is indorsed
by the college faculty, and the entlfe eiec-
trical equipment, the best In the west,
will be turned over this week Tor future
proof of the discovery.
Prof. Pratt says the theory and reason
is easy and very practical. The magnetic
force from the X ray will pass directly
into the. affectec tissues EleotToiioe:s ISIS
will liberate oxygen, which will unite with
the free oxygen of the body ana make
ozone. Ozone will Kill every pacteria = tn ne
the experiment proves outright murder
in some instances and inability to work IN
Others. The effect in either case Will pc
DaIlenIt
tissues in the latter instance gaining new
strength and driving out the bacilh.
would have been less amazed had all the
tubes failed to show any killing powers
of the ray. There was certain crude
ness in the first apparatus. II was Tess
satisfactory to operate through the tubes
than by actual cases in the human BODY,
the glass in some cases in h n VIII evi
dence of activity in any OF the oeaoly coz COZ
lections of germs, he fears there may be
life which shall spread itself over the en-
tire mass. This has not appeared WITHIN
eight days. -, -.
from the Crookes tube is the single agency
that is fatal to all forms of bacteria.
Some are destroyed by cold and some by
heat, but they have all remained quiet for
a week under this destroyer The disease
producing ones thrive best In tempera-
ture of 100 degrees. The others multiply
at a much lower temperature, some propa-
eating best during the coolest weather.
Boiling water will wipe out some members
of the family, and freezing the others.
Daylight is fatal to most of them, but 1t
being impossible at present to project the
sun into the human system, the great dls-
covery of the German scientist makes an
invaluable substitute in the electric ray.
Drs. Pratt and Wightman are the frst
in the world to apply 1t.
The bacilli used were selected with the
greatest care. Each group was tested be-
fore preparation for the slaughter. They
were allowed to culture" as the book
language puts it. Small colonies were
put into tubes and with remarkable ra-
pidity the settlements could be seen with
naked eye to grow. The cholera aSsort-
ment was imported from Asia, taken from
the body of victim; the diphtheria from
the throat of fatal case. All this pre-
caution was made lest the experiment
be made upon germs which were not az
the hight Of their activity.
1t is the purpose of the two Chicago
scientists to put the remedy into actual
test. 1t will be first applied to a patient
with diphtheritic germs in the first stage.
They estimate that an exposure of half
an hour at the outside will effect a cure.
There is now being moved into the labor
atory the necessary machinery, and the
hope is that not only will the bacilli be
driven from their hiding and destroyed,
but that the college professors will be
able to watch the action of organs dur
ing the experiment. This proving sue
cessful, the next test will be on tubercu-
losis, and so on through the list The
new set Of tubes will be put under the
light at once. with better and more COM