The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1898-06-02
LIGHT PRESERVATIVE
BEAMS FROM THE SUN NOW
TO BE USED.
flow the New Power Worlks-Actinic RAYS
to Destroy Microbes by Simply Shak-
ing Them to Death-Application of
an Old Principle. :. g..

A new process, by means of which
all kinds of perishable organic sub
stances may be preserved, has been dis
covsred by Willard G.. Day of Balti-
more, Md. 1t is the chemical power of
light, and in addition to being pre-
sentative, it acts as a destroyer of dis
ease, and incidentally lowers the price
of food, says the San Francisco Ex-
aminer. This chemical property of
light is called it's actinic power and is
best generated by electricity directed
from a powerful arc light The effect
of this light upon microbes is to dis
turb and, after a longer or shorter
period, to destroy them. Mr.. Day has
experimental with great many varie-
ties of germs and microbes, covering
the entire field, both of the pathogenic
and nonpathogenic, and from the larg-
est to the smallest of these tiny micro
organisms. Microbes which can endure
boiling water for forty hours have been
killed by the actinic power of light.
There are three grand divisions of mi
crobes. First, the aerobics, or those
which cannot live without air. Second,
the anaerobics, or those which cannot
live in the presence of air; and, third,
those which can live either in air or
without it. Mr.. Days method of treat
ing the organic substances destroys all
the various classes and varieties Of mi
crobes. During the years in which he
hoor 10 ha
tested all the kinds of light and heat.
Many effects hitherto ascribed to heat
have been found to be the result of the
actinic power of light. The violet rays
of light are very destructive to mi
crobes, while the red rays hardly affect
them at all. The germicidal effects of
white light appear to be due to the
rapid impulse of the blue and the violet
waves, while the waves far above or
below the spectrum are not fatal to
them. Mr.. Days starting point in his
voyage Of discovery In the realms of
light was the knowledge of the fact
that sunlight as well as heat is abso-
lutely necessary to the growth of every
species of vegetation, from the smallest
to the largest. How sunlight acts in
causing growth first claimed his atten-
ton. In a grain of corn it is known
that food is laid up by the parent corn
stalk to supply the germ in it's first
D.. stage of growth, says the San Francis
co Examiner. Heat and moisture alone
are sufficient to start grain of corn
into growing. The first white root and
plumule are made out of the food stuff
put into the grain by the parent stalk.
That, however, is soon exhausted. If
no more were manufactured the young
plant would end it's existence at once.
But at this point comes the work of
\ sunlight. 1t gives no new material. 1t
takes nothing away. But those vibra-
lions of the suns ray which are faster
than $4,000, 600, 900, 100000 per second
shake the very small atoms apart, and
h. in this way the growing process is ad-
vanced. Now light, as Mr.. Day would
utilize it, simply shakes the microbes
to death, and SO changes the microbe
haunts and habitations that new mi
crobes can find no place or suita BILE con-
dition for living. The operation Of Mr..
Days invention is not confined to
narrow territory, or to the preservation
of q few substances. He expects to
apply it to putting up beef in North
and South America; mutton in Aus
tralia; Goldfish in Massachusetts, Cana
da and Newfoundland; salmon in Ore
gon and Washington; herring in La
brador, Sweden and Norway; fruits and
vegetables in California, New Mexico
and Maryland, and other articles in
other regions. The result anticipated
Is that the world will learn to eat a
number of practically new and whole
some articles Of food, which are entire
ly free from all disease producing
germs, as well as from those microbes
that usually cause deterioration in the
quality of the articles, or which finally
bring on decay