The sun., 1896-02-14
SIMoN'S BRAIN PICTURES.
4 HONDERFUL DIsCOVERY THAT
BROKE THE MACHINE

A Somewhat opaque Explanation or How
photographs or n Living Brain Were
Made by Means OF Trans-irid de scent
Rays-Science Amazed and Incredulous
There may be BIT Of opacity about this
story. 1t may be that reading about this trans
iridescent light that DR.. Carleton Simon says he
has discovered will have tendency to put tho
reader in an iridescent trance. or IL might do
even worse. But it's one of those lights that
you can't hide under a bushel, and It's got 10 be
told about. DR.. Simon says he has photo
graphed his brain. He got himself into posi-
tion, pushed button. and turned on tho lights.
To reprint n description, which he assured n
Bun reporter yesterday afternoon and again
last night was correct:
"He had arranged mirrors so that he might
observe tho effects, and was thus enabled to
view his own brain. 1t was lighted up so that
u. he saw the interior and even tho pulsations.
His sensations. SO far as he had any, were at the
strangencss OF the phenomena and emotions of
success rather than any physical effect produced
by the forces he manipulated, and which were
controlled by electric buttons. the camera being
exposed at tho instant that the light wns di.
rected at tho head"
Tho Doctor took two photographs of his
cranial interior. They were taken fifteen min
utes apart and were reproduced yesterday to-
gether with tho first news about tho trans-iri-
q.
The visible effect of tho light was wonderful,
and the scientific world spent the day in discus
sion. On the first application OF the light as
shown in the pictures. there was an incurve in
the Doctors forehead over the eye. In the
fifteen minutes that elapsed between pictures
that incurvc was bulGed out and the Doctors
forehead became straight. The head that
had been square on tho first application
became concal In the second. sharp nose
.ka., "A h., apI1, .Nn
that turned down In the end, a straigt chin was
driven in and made q curved chin. a we'll formed
ear shrunk an eighth Of an inch on the second
application, and was driven up from position
on n level with tho eve to an eighth OF an inch
above the eyebrow. A full jaw and thick
beard were changed to sunken jaw and thin
beard. a thick neck was changed to TO neck
These were some OF the remarkable changes
that the light produced.
Dr. Simon was found at his homo In East
Fifty-sixth street.
II have slept but three hours in the last sew
enty," he said. ~ am tired"
But the light. Doctor" said the reporter.
"Ah. yes" said tho Doctor, 1T Is true have
photographed my own brain. The rays Of light,
you know are carried on the waves Of sound.
Do you understand tp Tho brain, you know,
has been my especial study. and have worked
independently In a quiet way for nearly three
plish my purpose by passing q continuous cur
rent Of electricity through the brain. inuminat-
ing 1t by tho spark. and then tried the inter-
rupted current"
"whatr' said tho reporter. who had seen a
dozen or so men killed in Sing Sing by the pass
ing OF alternating currents through them and
had never once seen spark.
YES" said the Doctor, "you can send a
spark through tho brain. You SEQ It punotures
I,1- t..
tell you how small; no bigger than pore of tho
skin. But 1t can bo done"
And you did it2"
yes" said the Doctor.
The reporter read from paper an interview
with the Doctor, but this produced a paralysis
OF the brain. rendering senselcss tho subjects"
"What subjects did you use. Doctor" asked
the reporter.
"Oh." said tho Doctor. they were the smaller
animals.
The interview continued: "The principle is H.
Illustrated by = fash Of lightning on dark night
which carries images through which It travels
TO tho eye From this. indeed 1t was suggested
TO me that the same idea might be applied to
the brain. Again. you know the FREELY is made
almost transparent by its tiny lantern"
What makes . hrefy light?" asked tho re-
porter.
Molecular chan ges." said the Doctor. "Molec-
ular vibrations"
Tho reading was continued. "Now. finding
that flashes of electricity passing through the
body form a circuit at tho smallest possible
points, found that instead of passing directly
through the brain 1t travelled through the skin
and around the head, and if. on the other hand.
the flash was drawn through the brain by mag
That's plain, isn't il :" said the, Doctor.
%sps tne ths w
but found tina. Insulation OF the skin was i'm
n.y. in the production Of trans-irldescent rays,
-" Now. what's a trans-iridescent ray ~ asked
Well" said the Doctor, that's diflcult to
explain. you know. have tho idea, but can't
ia IL sSss rsys sf only in
mSssnss thrSuSh which they tIaTs den.
able degree the average between the rapidity
DOESN'T light" soid the reporeer always
ture that couldn't be altered by man ~,
0 of SAID the BoGNr ght al
sound; sound can be driven faster"
"lt has seemed to me in my experiments" the
of light travelled slowly. or nearer to the rate
sound aJe ae h n would
bne with the waves OF sound"
That's correct" said the Doctor.
u am still far from having perfected the In
strument by which am able to photograph the
brain. or course the more solid structures are
reflected on the plates. and found that the less
exposure gave to the Photographic plate the
translucent material. The rays use, | use In
conjunction with sound. and they are electric
rays. SO far as the light Is concerned have at
tempted in this instance to photograph my own
brain. not being able to procure anv one whom
"Wcll. how about the machine that you
usei" the reporter asked.
"Ths fact is." said the Doctor. "it broke
down at the last experiment, and 1t may be sew
eral months before | get 1t fixed. fou see. !
had to send to Europe for parts OF the ma
chine"
Couldn't you get the parts in American"
NO" said the Doctor, 81 couldn't. You Soc
most OF my apparatus was imported from Eu-
rope. and had to send there TO replace it,"
You couldn't get it manufactured in this
country"
No no; it's a thing couldn't get here"
And IT. will be months before you cun pro-
ceed with the cSpermentsi'
"Ien months" said the Doctor.
Tell me something about the machine" said
the reporter.