Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-03-27
EDlSON,S NEW CRYSTAL.
Claims That 1t VIII Make Organs In tho
Body Transparent.


Body Transparent.
Thomas A. Edison announces o dis
coyerv that goes far beyond tho hmlta-
tions of the wonderful microscope.
He has at last found q crystal that
will transform the strange rays dlscov-
cred by Roentgen into 4 light that will
mako every organ of the human body
transparent and every delicate tissue
distinctly visible.
In the horoscope tho wizard discoV-
cred practical utility for the \ rays
Long before he perfected this invention
he realized that its possibilities would
be confined 70 revelation of the bony
structure Of the human body TnnSstate
of calcium. which he used i'll this III
strument, though more powerful than
the original crystals of platinocyanido
of barium, discovered by Roentgen, was
vet not sensitive enough TO show more
than a mere outline of such solid organs
as the heart and lungs.
Mr.. Edison determined. if possible
to find 4 crystal so powerful rs to pene-
trate the innermost recesSes of the body
For months he has been experimenting
on this line, and has NJ last discovered
Il substance with the requisite quality
He will not reveal its name until he has
exhausted its possibilities.
1t is probable that when he does per
feet this newest discovery il will enable
physicians to detect the slightest de
roDoo,,,eut of the system
These crystals are 50 sensitive that
when they are placed i'll front OF Il man
whose eyes are tightly handased he Is
able 10 sec And this suggests boon to
the blind. Indeed il is possible there
will be no more blindness.
Mr.. Edison says of his work:
For the last six months | haye been
experimonting for the production of
chemical CRYSTALS which should have the
peculiar property Of giving out light
when subjected to the action of that
strange force called, Professionally, the
RocntScn Y ray. l purchased in this
country and in Europe all the known
chemicals which | did not already have
in my own laboratory. These were all
tried in the microscope, but only one
was found equal III sensiriveneSs TO
tuncstatc of calcium. Chemical COM
binations not procurable elsewhere We're
produced and subjected TO the inStru-
ment.
My chemists have been averaging 50
new chemical substances day, and
every one OF these has been measured TO
determine its fluoroescing power. il any
AT last 7 found one chemical COM
binaslcn more sensitive 10 the y ray
than any known substance. But am
not through as long as there is hope OF
finding something still better.
The chances Of such discovery will
practically never be exhausted. The
number of possible combinations with
chemicals runs into hundreds OF mil
lions.
sThere is no doubt that the fluoro-
scope will become al instrument Of
great value to the surgeon. twill ell
able him 10 make accurate diagnoses OF
the internal organs. :"
The recent discovery of q French
chemist may have an important bearing
upon Mr.. Edison's experiments. Bee
ouerel has found that certain crystals
of the salts Of the metal uranium, when
subjected to the action of sunlight and
then exposed in a dark room, will give
off new and hitherto unknown light,
possessing the characteristic property OF
the Y ray TO penetrate Opaque sub
stances.
II am very much interested in Bee
ouerel's work, " said the wizard. The
rays from these salts of uranium pene-
trare opaque objects and give Pho
tographic impressions, Other chemists
have discovered that other crystals
among them white sugar. have the same
property. The s5ranee and curious re-
suits of these experiments may add ma
terially TO our knowledge OF the unseen
world about Us.
TO know that IL the seton Of the
light which streams III upon or dinirs
table some wonderful change Is wrought
bv the sugar III the bowl. aud that az
unknown ray radiates there. rom through
our bodies and out into space, produc-
ing who knows what changes, at least
indicates that scie4cc is entering into 4
new and wonderful field. full Of tho
possibilities of great AID lcroticent dis
covery. New York Journal.