The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-03-14
THE LATEST WONDER OF SCIENCE.

The X ray or "Roentgen ray" as it
is commonly called, has stirred the
scientific world as no discovery since
that of electricity; and, like that ia,
nous discovery, promises revolution
in the scientific world, as regards GER
tain applications of electricity. So
quickly have startling results fol-
lowed the announcement of Roent-
gems discovery, and SO wonderful
seems the new process of photograph
ing with the catholic rays that sci
entists have as yet scarcely spared
enough time from their eager expert
ments to attempt to make clear to
the unscientific what the new discov-
cry really is, if they know, or in how
many different ways it is likely to
prove valuable. The fact seems to
be that they are almost as much puz-
zled over the new rays of light as are
those who were never in a laboratory,
and therefore we will all have to wait
for more accurate data before est
mating the real value of this latest
wonder of science. From what they
see fit to tell us, however, the public
interest has been awakened in re-
markable degree, and with clever
brains at work on the X-rays in al
most every laboratory of the world
we will probably not have to wait
long before full explanation is forth
coming.
The discovery which has created
this great stir was published in an
article last January by Prof. Wilhelm
Roentgen, of Wurzburg, Bavaria, on
ga New Kind of Rays" Prof Roent-
gen in this article stated that while
experimenting on fuorescence he
found that an electric discharge from
a large inductive coil passed through
glass tube, the now famous Crooke's
tube, from which the air is we'll ex-
hausted, gave rise to what he called a
new light, or rays that passed through
a black covering of the tube and
through almost all bodies. This light
is ordinarily invisible, and hence has
been called 1.-The dark light" of Roent-
gen by some; and Prof. Roentgen,
while affirming that they were not
electric rays, was unable satisfactorily
to classify them and merely suggest
ed that they are longitudinal vibra-
tions in the ether, and, unlike ordin-
airy rays of light, are transverse vi
brations, which have the peculiar
property OF penetrating opaque sub
stances. This peculiar light, it has
been found, emanates from Hittorf,
Crookes, Geisseir or Lenard tube, and
in connection with photography gives
us the "shadowgraphs" whose un-
canny representations are now 80 ia
miliar to every reader of newspapers.
Professor Roentgen found that by
placing his hand on closed sensitive
plate or film holder, the Xrays pass
ing from the tube, held few inches
above the hand, went straight through
the flesh and paper slide of the plate
holder and cast shadow of the bony
structure of the hand which, received
on bromide of silver gelatine plate
gave a Photographic representation
of the skeleton of the hand.
The huorescent screen consists of
a sheet of paper covered with barium
PLATING cyanide, though the screens
may be composed of calcium sulphide,
uranium glass, Iceland spar rock salt
and certain other substances which
have the property of giving out a
phosphorescent glow when subject to
the new rays. Later experiments
have found that other tubes than the
Crookes, which is expensive, can be
employed, and various notifications
improvements and additions have
since been made by ingenious scien'
lists, all eager to learn the secret and
application of the 'violet rays" Sc
much interest was manifested on the
subject in Berlin that special exhi
bition of the Roentgen rays was given
by Professor Speiss in the Session
Hall of the Reichstag, at which most
of the ministers and members of the
Reichstag were present.
AS to the practical application oil
the discovery (Which by the way it is
now claimed has been known in its
chief details for some time previous
to Professor Roentgen's notable ap
plication of it in photography, it may