Daily camera., 1897-01-04
BOON TO THE BLIND.
Eyesight May Bo RESTORED by
- Edison's Scientific Skill
Remarkable Results Follow the First
Experiments in This Direction
The y Ray the Agency
Employed.


f1uorescope the man who breaks his leg
can watch the surgeon fit together the
ragged fracture with a certainty that
the work is being done rightly. Mr..
Edison now demands that the blind
shall be allowed to see. He was led
into this train of thought in quite an
accidental way. Some little time ago,
while at work in the Roentgen ray room,
he happened to lean his head upon his
hands, with his palms pressed against
his closed eyes.
At the time his head was in the neigh
borhood of Roentgen tube and to his
astonishment he found that he could
see through his closed eyelids and
hands. This astonishing result caused
Mr.. Edison to reason that if the X ray
would penetrate through his closed
eyelids, why should it not penetrate
through a cataract in the eye or any
similar obstruction and inform the
optic nerve, provided the latter were
still intact? In the case of a deaf man,
where the tympanum has been de-
stroyed but the aural nerve remains,
sounds can be transmitted through the
teeth. So much for theory and the next
step was to make practical test.
Interested friends offered to bring
before him some persons afflicted with
blindness. The offer was quickly ac
cepted by the wizard, and it was not
long afterward when Jacob Mahr-
'bacher and Otto Kallensee, of Newark,
walked into the laboratory. Mr.. Ed
ison patiently heard the story of their
Affections and then went to work.
Mahrhacher was the first to be tried by
Mr.. Edison. The light was flashed be-
fore his eyes and gradually the opera
tor turned on the X ray current strong
er and stronger. Finally. as the strong
est light was reached Mahrbachcr
tremblingly announced that he could
see glittering substance. Mr.. Edison's
face frightened and again the tube was
changed.
Kallensee then stood before the Y
ray and gazed unblnkingly at it for
some time. Another light was
thrown. and with almost sob the man
cried: 81 can see light. It's burning
now, isn't it? can see''
The best result was reached by the
incandescent light in red globe, and
this gave Edison a clew that may be
important. Many experiments were
tried, by the use of direct rays and also
the fuorescone. but with no better re-
suits
After working for two hours Mr.. Ed
ison concluded to postpone the expert
ments for time. As the men LETT him
he said to them.
(. ''Don't be discouraged men. know
It, is awfully hard to be blind, but we
will find cure for you yet"
The result of this test vas not as sat
sfactory as it might have been had the
persons experimental with been of
high order of intelligence. Comment
ing upon this Mr.. Edison said:
Jacob Mahrbacher and Otto Kallen-,
zee were not the right kind of subjects.
I want a thoroughly intelligent man.
one who can explain his sensations to
ne as l go along, for without knowing
these 1 am as much in the dark as he is.
These men could not tell me what they
saw. They were hysterical with delight
at being able to see anything, and were
sure they would soon be able to read
fine print by candle light, All knew
is what they could tell me, and that
Easn't much. They said they saw
points of fire dance before their eyes
when the current was on, and were in
Egyptian darkness when it was off.
did not have the apparatus to make the
test that will be made later on l have
simply pointed the way and there is no
telling who will make the final dscov-
cry. 1t may be made in Germany, San
Francisco, or France, or here in West
Orange"
''Why should not these persons use
your fuorescope?" was asked Of the
wizard.
"That is out of the question" Mr. Ed
ison replied. ''The fourescope is ordi-
,ary daylight. 1t simply converts the
unexplainable Roentgen ray into or
binary light by rejecting it on particles
, Of calcium tungstate. This mineral has
the property of converting the invisible
ray into light Put the Roenteen ray
into dark box and you have absolute
night. Put into that box crystals of the
simple calcium tungstate and you have
light, If we had always known the
Roentgen ray we should have regarded
the tungstate calcium as phosphores-
cent mineral, they have such an affinity
FOR each other. These two make the
burescope; So you see, they would DO
Ehe blind man no good"
Tremendous interest was aroused
among scientific and philanthropic per-
sons by the announcement of Mr.. Ed
ison's discoveries. Medical men are con-
servative, however, and to what extent
Edison's latest application of the
Roentgen rays may improve the sight
of persons partially blind or restore
sight of persons in utter darkness none
of the most eminent oculists or the best
known opticians would hazard predic-
ton. Most oculists and number OF
7specialistS in the electro pathological