The Portland daily press., 1897-07-22
X-RArs FULL OF DANGER.
Serious Effects OF Their Use by I'm
skilled Operators.

JufteS-RfCCdutlOnS recommended by
Nikola Tesla in the Use of x-Ray Appa-
ratus.
That very serious injuries may be pro-
duced by the use of the X rays when the
apparatus is in unskilled hands is now
we'll known. On this point letter re-
ceived by the New York Sun says
Are not great many physicians and
surgeons using the X ray, or Roentgen
| ray, without taking into account its pos
sible chemical effects upon the tissues,
and doing this with frequent bad results?
In last Sundays Sun l note quotation
from the Chicago Tribune, giving an &C
count Of such injury to a mans foot from
| the x ray that amputation was necessary.
Some time ago the Sun reported the case
of the wife of a Pittsburg physician,
whose hip joint was subjected to long ex-
posures to the x rays, with the result
that she had to be brought to New York
for treatment and was forced to undergo
an operation for the removal of large
amount of diseased flesh. 1 have read of
many other cases. The effect seems to be
a raw condition of the flesh, without sup
puration. which it is difficult or impos-
sible to heal. I read of one instance of a
violent Inflammation of the lungs from
an application of the rays to the thorax.
Eleven months ago I shot rifle ball
through my foot. My system was in per-
feet condition, and the wound healed
rapidly and we'll except on the cicatrix of
the upper surface. The phalanx OF the
fourth digit was slightly injured, but
| necrosis of the bone did not ensue. To
this day the cicatrix on the upper surface
is raw and sore. This I attribute to the
| fact that 1 had three forty minute expo
sures of the foot made under the x ray.
The surrounding flesh is perfectly
healthy. The cicatrix heals over occa-
sionally, but forms only thin skin,
and looks like recently healed burn.
After time it breaks open again, some
times showing proud flesh. This is not
due to irritation.
sIt seems to me that the medical authori-
ties will need to give this. matter their at
tention. A great many physicians
Ullc COuAbIy nave GU
their offices with tho apparatus for ma
king x ray photographs, and harm is
likely to result in many cases unless some
means is found for obviating the bad
effect the ray evidently has on the tissues. -
When the experimenting with the
Roentgen rays began in this country
there was nothing to indicate that they
had in them any properties which could
be dangerous. Probably the first case of
injury recorded here was that of H. D..
Hawks of Tarrytown. He was gradu-
ate of Columbia, of the class of '96. When
the Roentgen rays were first studied here
he made a powerful apparatus for their pro-
duction, and little later began giving
public exhibitions. One day in August,
1896, he walked into the Office Of Stephen
W. Coles, of the Electrical Review, and
his condition was such that Mr.. Coles did
not recognize him. His hands were
drawn up as if the muscles were partially
paralyzed, and the skin of his hands and
| face was as red as if he were suffering
from recent sunburn; his mustache and
eyebrows were gone and the hair was all
M issing from his temples. The Electro
cal Review printed the following ac-
count Of his case at the time:
"Mr. Hawks during the afternoon and
evening of each day for four days, was
| two to three hours at time. At the end
| of four days he was compelled to cease
active work, owing to the physical
effects of the x rays upon his body. The
| first thing Mr.. Hawks noticed was dry
ing of the skin, to which he paid no at
tention, but after a while it became SO
painful that it was necessary to stop all
operations. The hands began to swell
| and assumed the appearance of having a
very deep sunburn. At the end Of two
| weeks the skin all came off the hands
The knuckles were especially affected,
| they being the sorest part of the hand.
Among other effects were the following:
The growth of the finger nails was
stopped, and tn hair on the skin that was
exposed to the rays all dropped out, es-
pecially on the face and sides of the head.
| The hair at the temples has entirely
disappeared, owing to the fact of Mr..
Hawks having placed his head in close
proximity to the tube to enable spectators
to see the bones of the jaw. The eyes
| were quite bloodshot, and the vision was
considerably impaired The eyelashes be-
gan to fall out and the lids to swell. The
chest was also burned through the cloth
ing, the burn resembling sunburn. Mr..
HAWKES. disabilities were such that he
was compelled to suspend work for two
weeks. He consulted physicians, who
treated the case as one of parbo1ling. To
overcome these effects of the x rays, Mr..
Hawks tried first covering his hand with
vaseline and then putting glove on.
but the. hand was at once burned again,
the glove affording no protection what
ever The hand was finally protected by
covering it with tin foil Mr. Hawks
comedies with Tesla's belief that x rays
are practically minute material particles
thrown off from the walls of the tube
Many electricians doubted that the in
juries were the result of the::X rays, and
said so. Among them was Prof Eth u
Thomson. To prove that he was right
Prof. Thomson exposed the little finger
of one of his hands to the K rays at close
range for considerable time. The effect
was convincing to him. The skin of his
finger sloughed off. he lost his nail and
it was eighteen weeks before the finger
was entirely we'll. He acknowledged his
error in a lecture, and carefully removing
the wrappings from around the finger,
exhibited it as proof that he had been
wrong.
A recent report made TO the Academy
in Paris ahOxuc that tho in i117iouS ofYacfc