The record-union., 1897-11-12
ELECTRICAL CURE.
Nicola Tesla Envelops the Human
Body in Luminous Flame.

Nikola Tesla is now in the midst of
intricate electrical experiments which
promise most valuable hygienic results,
so soon as he declares himself ready to
put his recently acquired knowledge in
to practical operation, for the riddng
Of the human skin of all eXtraneous
matter, including parasites of every ma
ture, whether they are virulent disease
germs, or not.
These experiments have been con-
Quoted by Mr.. Tesla for some time with
in the secret precincts of his laboratory,
and all of the matters involved. from
the first inception to the last expert
ment, have received most careful con-
sideration, and a number Of times il
his published writings he has hinted at
what he believed and what he expected
to accomplish, but only incidentally,
and in a manner that has made his
readers anxious to know just what it
is he expects to do and how he intends
to accomplish it.
Mr.. Tesla was found in his labora-
tory yesterday, with head and hands
full of matters electrical, as usual, and
when spoken to of the interest his hints
and suggestions of what he was doing
had aroused he hesitated for a mo-
ment before answering.
Then, as foundation, the electrician
explained that it is a fundamental cleo
trical law, well known, that two bodies
charged with the same kind of elec-
tricity, either positive or negative, re-
pei each other; that if a body be charg-
ed with electricity from a static ma
chine the electricity accumulateS on its
surface.
Now continued Mr. Tesla, ''if there
are small bodies of the minutest weight
on that electrically charged surface,
and if they are conductors capable of
taking electricity, they will also become
charged with the same kind Of cleo
tricity that the surface has received.
What is the result under the law of
repulsion? There is a force at work
between them and the surface, which
strongly tends to part the two. and the
particles are thrown off, frequently with
great force. In fact, this force can
be increased to pressure of any de-
sired magnitude. Just the form Of ap-
paratus / am using, and which accom-
plishes this thing, I must keep secret
for time yet.
Ills TepuiSlOu uIlQeT the pressure L
have referred to is increased the more
under the law that governs it, for if a
given electrical pressure is doubled the
repulsion is increased fourfold, and
even more than this, on account of an
other law, because electricity prefer
ably accumulates on points, and an ex-
tremely small body is practically a
point. So the normal accumulation on
the surface referred to-say it is of
brass-is exceeded by the accumulation
on the small bodies that may be on that
surface.
II have found ways of producing all
degrees of pressure, even to a degree
that approaches more or less to that of
lightning: and the repulsion exerted
on the small partfcles-when body is
charged with such a tremendous pres
sure-is SO great as to actually tear
asunder not only the firmly adhering
small objects, but the very particles of
the metal on which they rest. Now, for
an illustration, if a brass ball is painted
with bronze paint-which is conduct
ing-the whole of the paint is almost
thrown away when the pressure is
turned.
But further. You know how firmly
bronze paint adheres when it has dried.
1t requires great force to tear it away,
but under the pressure I refer to not