The broad ax., 1897-01-23
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MR. EDISON PROTESTS
The Roe Ray. Came, We, Chr,
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Blindness
MI. Edison has a grievance against
.ne newspapers. He protests against
Deng fiade out a fakir, and insists
tnaI ne is a plain, matter-of-fact man
Vi SCIENCE. who is doing his best. and
not dlFlne healer. This came about
through q statement in a New York
paper uDet Edison had been tryiuy 10
make INT bIind see. and had succeeded
so Wen as 10 be led to prophesy that in
uree years the treatment of impaired
VISION Dy means of the Y ray would be
Drought 10 such perfection that tue
slgnt OF the blind could be restored. 1t
was stated That two men who had been
slghtless Tor years had had their eyes
SUBJECTED TO the Y rays, and, for the
nrst time since they mad been stricken
with bllndness. they had seen the light.
Edison was made to say that results
were so encouraging that lie should de-
vote himself to the production of n
specially-prepared ray which would
give the blind the ability to distinguish
persons and things. il not to read. The
whole OF the inaccurate story arose out
or communication Edison had made
10 an electrical journal. in which he
stated that the ROentgen ray power
fully changes the normal condition Of
vision. With strong tubes. one can
easily see through the hand with the
naked eye, when both are brought very
close to the tube; moving objects are
also seen plainly. Edison emphasized
the fact that, for the first two or three
seconds, the eyes perceiveS nothing,
but by that time the ray has made
some change in the eye. and the sensi-
tiveness is increased. The question of
the applicability of the Y ray to the
treatment of the eye. or any other or
gan, hinges on the discovery of the eX-
act physiological effect which the ray
mas, and the extent to which this
effect can be modified. Judging from
many experiments. and especially from
some notes recently made upon the
subject by Prof. Elihu Thomson. the
result of turning the v ray upon the
eye for any prolonged period would be
to destroy the eyeball. Prof. Thorn
son, by way of testing the statement
that Roentgen rays have a peculiar
effect on the tissues, removing hair.
causing bli:Tering of the skin. deep
seated pain In the joints. etc. exposed
the little fir ger of his left hand for
half an hour TO the radiation of a
strongly-excited tube (single focus.
For several days after the exposure no
sign was apparent, but in eleven days
the back of the finger became red.
swollen and painful to the touch. and
the finger. which had begun TO blister,
felt somewhs stiff. The effect resem-
bled strong sunburn. 1t was quite
week before any of the symptoms in
dicated were seen. From these facts,
Prof. Thomson deduces that ROentgen
rays may be FOUND to have a therapeu-
tic value, though it is doubtful if they
can be superior to ordinary violet light,
except in the power of penetrating
opaque bodies. Prof. Thomson is well
known as one of the most skilled and
progressive electricians in this. or any
other, country. Not inferior TO his sci
entific standing is tie esteem IN which
he is held by the electrical community.
A pleasing illustration of this Srose out
Of the sending OF the communication
Just referred to TO a scientific journal
The editor. in acknowledging receipt
of the article, said he noted the effect
Of Roentgen rays on the professors
finger. He suggested. however, that
the next experiments of the kind be
tried on some one else, as, he added:
''We cannot spare even your little fin
ger"