The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-09-15
LIVER AND x RAYS.
Roentgen's Discovery Useless
Where That Organ Is Involve ed.


Ferwood. OF the Uaitea
| = States Army.
! IF a man should have the misforaune
| 10 receive shot in the liver it would
! remain there unless found by the an
cient method of probe and knife. x
appliances devised by all the electrical
scientists Of the age, are powerless
| against the texture of the liver. Prac-
tical1y every other portion Of the human
anatomy viii yield to the penetrating
power Of the horoscope, but that liver
declines to do anything Of the kind.
At least this Is the decision reached
by DR.. William II. Forwood, of the
United States army. He declares that
he has been unable to locate anything
in or behind the liver when the rays
are sent upon the body from the front
They will not penetrate that organ.
DR.. Forwood is officially known as
lieutenant colonel and deputy surgeon
general. BE is on station at headquar-
tiers in Washington and the duties of
his Office leave him considerable leisure
time. This time he has used for many
years in the study of applied sciences
in the practice of his profession. He
is noted in the medical world as an ex-
perimentalist, and has produced some
results which have overturned precon-
ceived ideas. AS q medical officer Of
the army, and a ranking one at that,
he has the facilities at hand or attaina.
bic for anything which will assist in
making experiments. AS soon as Prof.
Roentgen made his discovery known,
DR.. Forwood began his experiments.
He secured all the appliances by requis-
ition, "for the good of the service" and
established Crookes tube laboratory
nnexcelled In the country.
Then he commenced his experiments.
He photographed his orderly from every
possible standpoint, causing that USE
full, but somewhat sensitive man to
feel a strong desire to get out of the
service. He practiced on the hospital
corps, and induced many of those who
are attached to the general headquarters
In the capital city to submit them
selves to the influence of the rays. He
assembled all of his pictures, but he
never touched liver. Then he went
cunning for livers, but SO far has not
been able to land one.
DIR. Forwood was a member Of the
army retiring board which adjourned
Friday morning after holding sessions
for several weeks at Gen. Merritt'a
headquarters in the Pullman building.
He is an enthusiast in medical matters,
and especially X rays. 1t is said that
he wanted to photograph the alleged
disability of every officer who appeared
before the board to be examined for
retirement If they were all right the
rays would show it. But somebody
suggested that one of the officers suf-
fered from chronic hillary deraago-
ment.
"Oh, WELL" said the deputy surgeon
general, "if that's the matter with him
1 can't get liver with the rays"
That started the investigation con-
corning the power of the rays. Several
of the officers detailed for duty on the
board knew Dr.. Forwood'sexperiments
with the rays, and they asked him to
tell what he had done and what the
reason is that the rays will not pierce
liver. TIE doctor agreed, but prefaced
his remarks by saying that he knew
no special reason why a liver should
resist the rays. He only knew that 1t
does.
Il have not given it up" he said. ''but
It is singular fact that / cannot get
through liver. 1 have succeeded in
drawing everything else, but this
battles me. The increasing of the power,
,r voltage, does not help. In some things
this does assist. For instance. you can
see through white man much easier |
than you can through p negro. When |
a darby is being experimental on you |
have to increase the power of the in.
etrument in marked degree. This Ii
due primarily, suppose, TO the pig. |
ments in the colored mans skin and the |
density of his covering. |
But this liver business gets me.
1.-THE annoying nature of this failurs
is shown when you figure the number
of fellows who get bullets in their livers
In a battle. 1t is hard TO hit man IL /
the trunk without involving one or both
lobes of the organ. Now, a wound In /
the liver may or may not be fatal. II /
is not necessarily fatal. II the surgeon
goes after the bullet and finds IT haA
the liver, as far as l car |
see, he will have TO trust TO luck, cut the
10 Lot q alma
1t may become encysted in that liver
and remain there for years, and theE
the surgeon, il he survives and rels-
lives do not interfere. may hold post Z
and extract il.
81 can find anything / want by cut,
ting, but what am looking for now il
a means of finding what want with
cut using the knife. II you slash
man sufficiently you can generally find
what it is that is hurting hirl. but this
new idea when perfected will, or ought
TO. enable field surgeons TO determine
or not there is any use OF fool.
InF with a wounded man But the liver
BE- sies me. / can see through the lungs
and bones and any other substance in
the body but the liver.
Can you tell what is the matter with
d r.san who is sick with lung tyoublesT'
Under the rays the lungs look Ike
ace curtains You see some fine ara
Desques, but there Is little 20 the Lag
re 10 indicate that any trouble ex-
SITS What can anyone tell about the
5cIres in q lace curtain? II takes the