The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-22
X RAYS FOR BLINDNESS.
Edison Believes That Sight May Be
Partially Restored.
FrOm the Nav Ynrr Trihnnn

EEOm lIS new YORK Tribune
Orange, Nov. Has result of some ex-
periments with the Rontgen RAYS con-
Quoted in the Edison laboratory, in West
Orange, last night, Thomas A, Edison
promises that within three years blind
men, and even men that have no eyes, if
only the optic nerve is perfect, shall be
able to see.
The experiments were made last night
in the laboratory on two blind men. ia
cob Mahrbacher and Otto Kallensee, both
of whom live in Newark. Mahrbacher is
a boilermaker and in 1892 a chip of iron
flew into his eye and created an infamma-
ton which resulted in the loss of the eve
Inc other eye became affected by SYM
pathy, and soon afterward he lost the
sight of this eye also. Kallensee has been
blind for about eleven years, as the re-
SUIT OF an abcess The men were taken to
the Edison laboratory last night.
Mahrbacher was the first one to be
tried. He sat with his face close to one
of the Crookes tubes and the current was
turned on and off repeatedly He saw
nothing, however, and then a more power
full tube was tried. AS the current was
turned on and off Mahrbacher exclaimed
that he could see glittering sparks before
his eyes. This was the extent of the re-
suit with this patient.
With Kallensee the experiment was far
more successful. He stood before the x
ray bulb in an attitude of expectancy, and
as the current was turned on he shouted
out; Il can see the light" On and off the
Hght was turned, and at each turning on
of the light kallensee exclaimed: 81 can
see it!' He was not able, however, to dis
tinguish any objects, but only to see a
difference between light and darkness.
Strange to say, the best results were
not obtained directly by the cathode
rays, but in another direction. Mr.. Edi-
son had been trying for some time diff
ferent lights, with a view to testing their
qualities when he turned the current on
to small incandescent lamp In a red
glass bulb. Kallensee was the sub . t
on which this was tried, and he at once
exclaimed that he saw the light, which
was more powerful, but softer in its
character. This seemed to suggest a new
idea to Mr.. Edison, and he studied over
the matter for some time and at last
drew his conclusions He stated that
within three years all blind men whose
optic nerve was practically intact would
be able to see. He proposes to devote his
energies to the evolution of a special X
ray, which he feels sure will accomplish
this result. He said that he did not claim
that the blind would be able to read, but
that they would be able~to distinguish OBJ
jects and perhaps TO have some good
ideas of color.
Mr. Edison took leave of the two blind
men with cheering words, telling them
that they must not be discouraged, for
he would surely find a cure for their
blindness yet.
Mr. Edison said this evening that he
was led to the series of experiments by
an experience of his own last week. At
ter he had been in the X-ray room. with
a powerful tube in operation, he found
his eyes smarting Putting his hands
over them, he found that the rays passed
directly through his hands, and that he
saw all the bones clearly and this with
out the intervention of the iuorescent
screen. He passed one hand over the
other, and found that when both hands
were in front of his eyes, and the eyes
closed tightly, he could still see the bones
in both hands.
This set him to thinking, and the result
was that he sent for the blind men. While
Mr. Edison did not believe that perfect
sight could be restored to the blind. he
thought that modification of their con-
dition would be probable. He suggested
that they might be able to read from
metallic plates, In which the letters
would be illuminated by the Rontgen
rays. There was no predicting the posi-
biities that might develop in this new
direction.