The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-25
THE HUMAN L~oRaNETrB.
Its Inventor and the Experiments with which
He Diyerts Hts Callers

PARIS, July ia few nights ago q group
of persons found themselves In the reception
room of a young scientific man. Upon n table
was a small and innocent-looking glass tube
in the interior of which had been sealed a bou-
quot Of artificial flowers. Leaves and petals
were pure white, and seemed made Of wax.
Suddenly tho gas was extinguished and the
room became absolutely dark. The table. the
glass tube. the flowers. disappeared from view.
But the flowers presently shone out in the dark
ness. They were no longer white and Opaque.
but radiant with the bursting flames Of an I'M
known light. Tho petals were blood.red, or pale
azure, or a deep yellow; the leaves were emerald
green. Several seconds the phosphorescent
bouquet shone, then the light gradually died
away, like the light Of a glow worm.
What had happenedi Something very SIN
gular and almost inexplicable. Science es-
tablishes but does not explain 1t. The tube In
which the phenomenon was produced was o
Crookes tube. a tube In which there was Q
vacuum. The phosphorescence was born Of tho
catholic rays that an electric current, travers-
Ing the tube. projected upon the flowers.
There were many other tubes on the table.
containing butterflies. bugs. and a variety Of
flowers, all to be experimental upon. Tho OBJ
ject was not to make amusement, as one used
to do with Gesler's tubes, which, were tinted
various shades by the electric currents which
traVGrbeQ LncUl, uCCOTulnH " tib utluTo u the
gas inclosed within them. On the contrary, the
exhibition Of the phosphorescent bouquet was
the phenomenon of iiuorescence, which has but
q distant relationship with known phenomena.
The young scientific man In whose rooms
this interesting exhibition was shown was Gas
ton seguy, the inventor, of what he has named
the human lorgnette,' the apparatus, with
which the Department OF Customs has had such
signal success In tho examination OF sealec
packages suspected OF containing dutiable ar
ticlcs. Although but 80 years old, he has al
ready attained to high rank In physical science,
and - nnXyH irarfnr nT the IfAnin2FAnhIH InAfiflIA
OF France, and one, Of The principal pharmacists
yentOr Of a dozen scientific appliances, mostly
In use IN the trades, and is an authority on
glass blowing.
aimee then he has been constantly occupied, part
Of the time in the laboratory OF Prof. Lc Roux, in
studying vacuums and the properties OF
Crookes's Cathode rays. In his human Ter
gnette' he has gtvcn.tO the world something
which may or may not reyOlutioniZe many
would seem at first thought, is its practicable
ity-and its adaptability 10 many uses. In COM
paratively small compass he has put the va
riouS required cOmponents, electric storage cells,
transformers, and tubes, which are NECESSARY to
obtain the X'ray. The entire apparatus is not
the same way, practically, and is as convent
Mr.. Soguy declares that the human lor-
gnette' will show the interior OF the human body
with as much facility and cxactitude as 4
shows the interior OF a travelling bag or u trunk;
that by It's use one may see the heart beat and
distinguish all the organs; finally, that 1t W II
be possible to locate and diagnose without error
fractures and diseases Of the bones and all the
seyerer forms OF organic disease