The sun., 1897-02-14
NEW YORK'S X-RAY STUDIO.
WHERE RoENI0EN's DIsCorERY rs
USED TO AID SURGERT

which an Electrician Devotss Himself
Frank Martin. electrician OF the Madison
Square Garden. has onducted for almost year
an "X.ray studio" or laboratory. at his home,
ITO East Twenty sixth street. for the assistance
OF surgeons aud physicians who desire to make
practical application OF the Roentgen principle
In their treatment Of certain internal complicu-
uons which puzzle them. Mrs. Martin assist.
her husband and is as capable OF handling the
apparatus as he Is.
Mr.. Martin began the X-ray work when Prot.
Roentgen's success NJ the application OF the
rays was first announced. At tho sportsrnen's
show at Madison Square Garden last year Mr.
Martin gave what he believes was the first pub
lie exhibition OF the X rays. 1t was not until
late IN Nav that he decided to undertake work
for medical and surgical purposes. He fitted up
his bnck parlor with the necessary apparatus
which was not elaborate. An electric light
wiro was brought in from tho street, q biz In
duotion coil was put in, and along. cushioned
table WAS arranged, upon which ratients could
be laid. A large stock Of Crookes tubes was
purchased. Then circulars were sent to all the
more conspicuous physicians ana surgeons an-
nouncng the opening Of the studio" for their
accommodation. Tho physicians were slow
to respond; there is n spirit of intentionally
and conservatism In the profession generally
that restrained them. Tho hospital surgeons
Woro tHo uTbt 10 COIno lOTWAru. lnaSmuCn as
Mr. Martin was not In the work for charity or
notorioty. he held strictly to his established
charges. II was seldom that hospital authori.
ties felt warranted in paying his charges. IL
was moro seldom that tho patient was able to
pay them. In time. though surgeons and ply
sicians came to understand that Mr.. Martins
work was not sensational nor cranky; and that
operations conducted at his house were as fully
guarded from public scrutiny as II they were
conducted by physIcIan In his own ONCE.
Fifty or more physicians now send their pa
tionts to Mr.. Martin, and frequently ask his
assistance in diagnosing cases. Among them
are Dr. X. II. Sayre. DIR. B. d. Gibney, DR.. New
ton Schafer, DR.. J. Teschner. Dr. Thomas
Savage. DR.. Howard Lilienthal. DR.. Charles
Dowd DR.. willy Meyer. and Dr. Royal Whit
man. The Orthopcdc Hospital naturally fur
nishes most Of the cases. The regular scale Of
charges Is. in general: For shadow picture Of
an adults trunk or chest and shoulders, SEQ;
for pictures of adult limbs or the head. sl5to
$40. according TO the dlificulty OF attaining tho
object desired by the physician; for pictures Of
lions by the pbysician himself with the fuoro-
scope, So or S3.
The ordinary course Of an X-ray diagnosis 10
described by Mr.. Martin thus:
some physician has case OF fracture OF the
ankle and thinks that IL Is n simple spI an,
Perhars, that IL is anything more than q spTain.
He prescribes external applications and rest.
sprsined. When the patient goes out the aniis
riencsd or oplnionatsd. for perhaps thise
In. The ankle Is so swollen that the
new doctor can make nothing Of It, Then he
put the patient in n chair. and have him stick
mis- ankle out so that we can put Crookes tube
%sh the # uoroseop. @ Sssb sSIhps supsrneinly
ment that can be held In one hand and would b.
much Ike The s old. fashioned & stereGscopo q i
that We get an idea Of the situation OF the ivs
homes. and II there is a clearly defined fracture
Then Mr.: Martin knows just what view OF tho
ankle will be most useful to tho ply sician, The
lube Is put above the ankle which has been
turned so as TO make the shadow which will
plate is slipped underneath. After an exposure
OF ten or twenty minutes. the picture is de-
lines or details that appear in the development.
and disappear In the course Of tho process A
se the
hnsily INA that the so;ealied spran is not sprais
Opint r.ecrds o eSsr. M MSrsa .Tsh na: the shadow
Formation , entirely new to the physicians 10
charge OF IL was that OF n man who recently had
nalsm because the X. rays had deprived him i OF
head with a revolver. The bullet som"how af.
,ec!sd the right side Of his brain, as was shown
Ease was sufficiently typical to justify one OF the
hospitals In sending him to Mr.. Martin for .
picture showed two buliets, or sections OF bullet.
,nd the hospital doctors refused to believe that
.ame two BLACK spots. in pictures taken from t%
.he front and from the side. As tho operation
vas rather too serious TO be und ertaken in that
particular clinic. nothing more was done.
:, Mr. i Martin -, ssid thS. the phenomsnou Of loss
oerlence that had shown any injury or disfgurr-
nsnt me-, % to The patient The man was not in the
,epeated exposures Of long duration. following
q close succession. Mr.. Martin thought, had
,alr. At all events the hair. as the horror
isalers iso neglected to inform their readers. is
IN a newly hatched chicken. "N' '"eo o'""
particularly Interesting application of the
,rought nearly blind TO the studio u He 'nad hsd
'een struck In the face by part OF a charge ot
,lrdssSt, n,aS IL was uoi known how many shot had
"a; va, not an organ 70 tribe with by probing FIX
Il the forehead. and no others. A Crooxes tubs
vas laid across the back OF the head ia tho
perfectly still and tho shadow picture was
nahe 1t showed groups of shot back OF both
howed tho exact number, and. taken with the
,ictnres from front to back. showed the rela.
hot in all. The surgeons believe that with tho
"a Iata thus given they Will DO able to save the
Surgeons who have set fractured limbs in
plaster OF Paris are worried often about tho
loseness OF the junction between the fractured
arts. Sometimes, despite a surgeons most
k'iIul work, the two ends OF u broken bone are
o placed relatively To each other that they
annot knit. A shadow photograph OF the limb
u ~ cast shows tho surgeon just what the ac.
usi state OF affairs Is. Then there are lateral
ne MP Joint that can be observed accurately by
ne y rays as thov never could before.
The application OF the shadow photographs 10
ot confned TO the observation OF fractures or
ccay OF the bones. In person or l+0 pounds
'eiRht and average stature the movement OF tho
ungs and other organs can be studied with
Moderate success. Congestion or the lung. and
eural LESSONS. as formed In consequence ~
ronchitis AMI pneumonia. are clearly Wis blc TO
ne VINO Knows what tho lines and shadings n
hadow pictures of the body mean. II Is often
ecetrary for the physician who Is making his
= rst use oI the rays To call upon the photor-
npher 70 explain the meaning OF the cOmbina-
ion Of shadows laid before him There are AS