The Portland daily press., 1897-07-22

plalneu OF trouble in the stomach and OF
nausea. A second exposure was made,
and this resulted in burns, which were
followed by suppuration, and the patient S
condition became very dangerous Curl
ously enough the treatment which proved
| most etficacious was with very high ten
sion electrical currents
| Probably no one in this country can
speak with more authority regarding the
X rays and their dangers than Nikola
Tesla. But for the burning of his labora-
| tory few years ago, he might have been
| the one to announce the discovery of the
| rays, instead of Prof. Roentgen, for it is
well known that he was then working
upon a solution of some of the same phe-
nomena that led to Prof. Roentge n s dis
| covery. When his laboratory was re-es
| tablished he took up the work at the point
to which 1t had been advanced in the
mean time, and study of the x rays has
since been an important element In the
general work through which he has pro-
duced his wonderful electrical oscillator,
with which he delares his ability to tele-
graph over the whole earth without wires,
and through the use of which the vacuum
tube light is nearing mechanical compile
| ton.
The matter of injury from X rays is not
one of theory with Mr.. Tesla or his assis-
tants. Upon one occasion, when he was
experimenting with tubes containing
platinum and aluminium electrodes, he
| noticed that with his hand near the tube
with aluminium warm sensation was
produced. Then he began experimenting
with the other tube.
II had looked through the screen at the
second tube few times only" he says,
when something distracted my attention,
| and it was not until about twenty min
utes later that I observed that the hand
exposed to it was much Redeemed and
| swollen. Thinking that it was due to
some accidental injury, turned again to
| the examination of the platinum tube,
| thrusting the same hand close to the win
dow, and now felt instantly sensation
of pain, which became more pronounced
when the hand was placed repeatedly near
the aluminium window. A peculiar feat
ure was that the pain appeared to be seat
ed, not at the surface, but deep in the it's
sues of the hand, or rather in the bones.'
| The result was that his hand was pain
fully burned and he lost all his finger
nails from that hand. 1t has been also
noticed, he says, that exposing the hands
! to the rays at close range seems to check
or stop the growth of the nails for a time,
| even if it does not otherwise injure them.
| Afterward he noticed that when the hand
was held near the aluminium window of
the tube for only few seconds the skin
seemed to become tight or the muscles
were stitfened, for difficulty in opening
This same effect has been observed by
many persons who have looked at the
bones of their hands in the exhibition
machines, and reddening of the skin or
even burning has been produced under
the same circun stances. Mr.. Tesla also
experienced unpleasant effects from the
rays, which were probably of the nature
Of those which injured Mr.. HAWKES.
eyes. His nasal passages felt as if he had
just taken cold, and there was also
feeling of alarm produced whenever he
brought his head near to the tube.
A theory which would easily account
for the harm done is that the activity
shown within the tubes is but part of
the real turmoil set up by the high ten
sion currents of electricity used, and that
particles of the nature of atoms of solid
matter are projected right through the
glass of the tube at enormous velocities
and penetrate the tissues of the body ex-
posed to the tube. They carry with them
the ability to produce all the effects of
intense heat. To illustrate the manner
in which these effects are produced Mr..
Tesla says:
II will say that the Roentgen tube acts
exactly like source of intense heat. If
| one places the hand near to a redhot
stove he may be instantly injured. If he
keeps the hand at certain small distance
he may be able to withstand the rays for
be injured by prolonged exposure; but
If he recedes only little further, where
| the heat is slightly less, he may with
stand the heat In comfort and any length
| of time without receiving any injury,
the radiations at that distance being too
weak to seriously interfere with the life
process of the skin. This is absolutely
the way such a bulb acts. Beyond GER
tain distance no hurtful effect whatever
is produced on the skin, no matter how
long the exposure. The character of the
burns is also such as might be expected
from source Of high heat. I have main
tanned, in all Difference to the opinions of
others, that those who have likened the
effects on the skin and tissues to sun
burns have misinterpreted them. There
is no similarity in this respect, except in
SO far as the reddening and peeling of
the skin Is concerned, which may result
from innumerable causes. The burns,
when slight rather resemble those people
often receive when working close to a
strong fire. But when the injury is Sc
we're, it is In all appearances like that re-
ceived from contact with fire or from a
red hot iron. There may be no period of
incubation at all, as is evident from the
foregoing remarks, the rays taking effect
immediately not to say instantly. In
severe case the skin gets deeply colored
and blackened in places, and ugly, i'll
foreboding blisters form; thick layers
come off, exposing the raw flesh, which,
for time, discharges freely. Burning
pain, feverishness, and such symptoms
are of course but natural accompani-
ments.
Notwithstanding the grave results
which have been produced by exposure
made in the ordinary way, there are cases
| known where men have used the tubes
to take photographs of the bones of the
head, placing the tubes within the mouth
OF the person operated upon. Mr.. Tesla
declares that absolute safety appears to
be possible in the use of the rays If GER
| tain simple precautions are followed.
Summing up my experimental expe-
riences' he says, sit would seem adj
visable, first. to abandon the use of bulbs
containing platinum: second, to substi-
tute for them a properly constructed
Leonard tube, containing pure aluminium
only, a tube of this kind, having, besides,
the advantage that it can be constructed
with great mechanical precision, and
| sharper impressions; third, to use pro-
tecting screen of aluminium sheet, as sug-
gested, or instead of this, wet cloth or a
LAYER of q fluid fourth to make the eX-