Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-19
The FIELD OF ELECTRICITY
Possibility of Furnishing Some Light for
Those Bereft Of Sight.
NOTABLE EXPERIMENTS OF RUSslAND DOCTOR
Aluminium Competing with Copper
for Trolley wire--Teu of the
French Telegraph system ut
e.. the Rennes Court-MnrtinI.

'Nf''N NOhAtb IOHuOU t0hl LII
Peter stiene, Russian physician living
there, has devised an apparatus in which
electricity is a factor, whereby the blind
may be made to see, even when their eyes
are hopelessly destroyed DR.. Sitens ex-
plains that his inyention includes an ap-
paratus which focuses an image OF the OBJ
1ects before it-as the human eye does
This image is then conveyed by electricity
to the brain, Independently OF the eyes,
whether the subject possesses them or not.
DR.. Stiens will not dlyulge the complete
nature and working of his invention, be-
cause he says 1t is not yet perfected.
A correspondent OF the New York Journal,
who visited DR.. Stens and induced him to
give demonstration Of his invention re-
ports: l was taken into a small dark room
and there heavily blindfolded. The doctor
then struck a number of matches, which I
heard, and flashed lamp before me, as he
told me, but was not able to perceive the
faintest glimmer of light.
DR.. Stiens then connected my head with
his apparatus. Immediately / began to
see dim light, which suffused my whole
surroundings. The doctor then asked me
n / could distinguish any object. I looked
and saw hand held up with outstretched
fngers, which i could distinguish rlearlv
The light gradually became brighter and
saw other objects in the room. could
distinguish chairs and tables. 1t seemed
10 me that l could see more and more all
the time and l had an impression that
should have been able to see perfectly II
had remained in connection with the ap-
paratus long enough.
While l was going through this expert
ment felt sensation like that of a mild
electric current passing through my tenn
pies. AS soon as the apparatus was dis
connected everything appeared black to me
as before.
OF course l am not able to declare posi-
lively that 1 was not the subject of q
trick; that the bandages over my eyes were
not manipulated in some way, or that the
X-rays did not produce the results which
have described, but l was certainly unable
to detect any such fraud
Several other newspaper men were expert
mented on In the same way by DR. Stems,
and all OF them agreed that they could only
explain what they saw by accepting the
statement of his invention.
The doctor, as have said was not willing
to divulge the entire secret OF his inven-
tion. but he was willing to explain the
principles which it is based.
Man. he said, does not see really with
his eyes, but with his brain. The eyes are
only an instrument for receiving images
which are conveyed to the center Of per-
ception In the brain by the optic nerve The
blind man who percelves the size. shape
and nature Of an object with his hands sees
in limited sense II men had evolved
without eyes, but with all their present
brain power, they would doubtless be able
to see by some other method. Some Of the
lower animals have no eyes, but perceive
light with their whole bodivs
Now, II an image of material objects
can be conveyed to the brain by some other
agency than that of the eyes, it follows that
blind man who has sound mind will be
able to see perfectly well. This is exactly
what my invention accomplishes.
"An image Is gathered on a screen instead
of on the retina of the eye and Is conveyed
directly by an electrical current to the brain
Such n use of the electric current has al.
ready been foreshadowed in the process wei
known to science as cataphoresis. BY thl!
1t Is possible to convey medicines, anes
thetcs and other substances into the in
terror OF mans body without his beinf
aware Of 1t. BY its aid cocaine can be sen
through the solid bone, conveying insensi
bilty to nerve or marrow.
my invention may be compared in certain
respects to the telephone, which receives
an impression OF the human voice and repro
duces 1t artifcally somewhere else
THE full development of this invention
and the principles upon which 1t Is base
will lead, l hope to many wonderful re
suits"
French Operators.
American newspaper men are accustome
70 think that the only enterprising paper
are In this country. The correspondent
the New York Sun at the Dreyfus trif
notes: Papers in japan and even in TUT
key sent correspondents to tell this stor
at Rennes paper which l had neve
heard CT in Norway spent 800 day to 81,
its readers an account Of the trial, and
single Journal in Vienna expended more tina
$4,000 in telegraph tolls at urgent rates
American telegraph companies are accuI
toned to doing big feats on occasions. TT
French operators seem to be as gre:
hustlers. Mr.. Chamberlain adds: The be
apparatus and most skillful operators
France were assembled at Rennes for Il
tremendous task of conveying the news
the trial to the four quarters OF the worl
Considering the facilities available the r
suit was probably the best accomplished
telegraphy in this or any other country. {
the first day more than $4,000 words we
transmitted by telegraph alone, This qua
tity was exceeded on tho day Labori W
shot, and on other days 1t varied betwe
the maximum and a minimum OF $50 o
words" And the copy was written in
sorts of foreign languages, too.
Copper ana Aluminium.
One of the unexpected effects Of the 4
crease in the price of copper, reports T.
Philadelphia Record has been the dlsa
pearance from circulation in China of
large part OF the currency. which consis
chiefly OF copper coins called cash
has always been the custom In China
make the weight OF the cash coins equlvale
to the full intrinsic value OF the metal, a
since the price of copper has nearly doubl
in the last two years It has been discover
that the purchase of these coins for I
purpose CT melting into copper ingots Is
profitable operation. This business b
been quietly conducted on such large scs
that there is now a great scarcity OF Gu
rency In China. The September issue
the United States Consular Reports contai
long article on the United States ira
in China. by United States Consul Fowl
OF Chefoo. The consul says.
"a real difficulty which the governmt
has to face is the scarcity Of copper ca
diHcuIty which ia likaly IN Increase