Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-02-05
CATHODE PHOTOGRAPHY,
Following Up RontEen's Startling
Discoveries.

Following Up Rontsen's Startling
Discoveries.
From the New York Tribune.
The startling story which came to this
country from Germany three four weeks
ago, about the possibility of photographing
the interior Of a human body without show
ing the exterior. by means of newly dis
covered radiance, was generally received at
first with much incredulity. People recalled
the wish Of an eminent essayist, inspired by
sultry summer weather, that he could take
off his flesh and sit in his bones, but dis
credited the idea that the new light would
depict living person In that airy costume.
1t was jokingly suggested that If this instru-
ment of research had been available in time,
1t might have shown whether the poor little
bird in "The Mikado," which died singing
/. '"Tit-willow,'' really died from a broken
heart or succumbed to a more prosaic dis
order. But from the first, few electrical
experts and medical men treated the matter
seriously, and they have awaited further
now not only people of scientific tastes and
training, but nearly all wide-awake. fntelli-
gent men and women are discussing the
facts thus far recorded, the theories involved,
and the possible applications of Professor
Rontgen's discovery.
At Yale Professor A. w. Wright secured
some rather satisfactory results last week.
In one of his tests he placed small spheres
Of platinum, brass and aluminium in paper
box, packing the metal in cotton. He aimed
his Crookes tube endwise at the box and
placed behind the latter a Photographic
plate covered with black paper and a wooden
board half an inch thick. The paper, paste
board, cotton and wood were almost trans
parent to the Rontgen rays, and cast only a
faint shadow on the plate. But the metals
were more distinctly outlined, the platinum
most strongly, the brass next and the alumni
mum very slightly. In fact the last-men-
toned metal has been generally found to be
the most transparent of all the metals thus
far experimental with. Nevertheless, If a
the manner described, the thicker portions
that is to say, the figures and lettering that
are in relief-will affect the plate more than
the thinner parts. In another test with coins
in a leather pocketbook the Yale expert
found that silver was more Opaque than
nickel, and nickel more 50 than copper; but
the positions and size Of all the pieces were
well defined through the purse. Hence
leather Is found to he almost as transparent
as paper or wood. On the other hand, clear
glass, which permits the passage of ordinary
light SO freely. obstructs the cathode ray
enough to cast faint shadow. 1t Is appar-
emily more opaque than wood or the ebonite
slides used to cover sensitive plate in a
photographer's plate holder. Prof. Trow-
bridge of the Jefferson Physical Laboratory,
Harvard institution, has had share in
developing this latter fact.
Exploring the Human Body.
Experiments with human subjects, how
ever, possess the most fascination for the
popular mind, If not for the scientists. One
German expert Is said to have photographed
his own skull. taking profile view. The
bone INSTRUCTED the passage of the light SO
as to outline the form of the whole Uranium
fairly well, but the fleshy coverings were
so imperfectly. outlined as to be practically
invisible. There is no evidence, up to date
though, that the cathode ray will tell what
is going on inside of mans knowledge box.
and it may be that we shall still be able to
keep some secrets to ourselves, even If our
purses and bodies are not proof against the
new irquisitor.
There seems to be some differences In the
testimony as to the opaquenesS Of bony mat
ter. Rontgen Is said to have secured pic
lures in which the bones Of the hand cast a
much darker shadow on the plate than the
flesh. But Professor Wright is reported as
finding a much less striking contrast. The
Wurzburger's case Is strengthened, though,
by the statement that a Vienna surgeon has
obtained information of a malformed ankle
joint. besides being able to locate bullet in
wound. Campbell Swinton, London ex-
pert, who has been particularly successful
In his experiments, finds that the finger nails
are transparent Mr. Swinton. it Is said,
secured imprints of the bones of the hand
so clear as to show the articulation of the
joints This revelation, taken with the al
legged detection Of calcareous deposits in the
interior of a mans body. suggests the posi-
bility of getting Information not otherwise
How far the various organs in the body
can be distinguished, and any abnormal con-
ditions existing therein can be ascerta:ned
by cathode photography, Is yet very un-
certain. DR.. Mousse of Vienna is said to be
meditating an elaborate series of expert
ments in this direction. The tissues which
compose the organs are so much like the
muscles, in chemical composition, if not in
color and function, that much doubt is en-
tertained by medical men on these points
and also as to the possibility of studying
cancer by the new method. To a certain
limited extent the tncandescent electric light
has already been used in exploring the
human interior, the stomach and face in
particular. Lamps Of special form are made
for this purpose. The attempt has been
made, too, to throw luminous rays entirely
through the human body with a powerful
arc light. None Of the results thus far OBJ
tanned In this manner are very satisfactory;
but 1t remains to be seen whether the in
visible actfnfc rays that give the Rontsen
photographs can be utilized to any better
effect.
Rarely Escaped With Their Lives.