Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-12-11
BIOGRAPHS IN MEDICINE
New Aid For Doctors In Study.
ing Obscure Diseases.
VERY USEFUL IN HOSPITAL WORK.

Operations Performed by Famous
Surgeons Also shown by the KInet-
oscOpe-The Instrument Hnrnessed
to the Telescope and the Micro
scope-some Novel Effects Obtained.
Already an institution in recording
the notable scenes and occurrences of
the world kaleidoscope. or moving pic
lures, are becoming useful for scien-
tific as well as for amusement pur
poses. In hospitals particularly the in
vention is finding application. One hos
pital in New York is now adapting a
machine to record infinitely the actions
Of patients in epileptic fits and similar
affections, and many moving pictures
have been taken showing the move
ments in walking of persons afflicted
with lOcomotor ataXia. Reproduced
slowly on the screen. doctors are en-
abled to study the symptoms more
carefully i'll their laboratories. And
the pictures taken in Vienna, showing
operations being performed by famous
surgeons, become valuable instructors
to medical students. 1t is also in hos
pital work that this invention, with the
microscope attachment, or micro-ki-
netoscope, is finding the greatest prac-
teal use. The movements of all kinds
of microbes when thus photographed
make striking animated pictures, and
the action of healthy and diseased cor
puscles are easily distinguished when
thrown upon the screen and magnitied
thousands Of times. Such pictures of
diseased blood, taken from time to
time, show the Improvement or decline
in the condition of patients.
1t has jusl been found by one eXper-
imenter that y ray photography, now
so valuable in hospitals. may be Won
derfully developed by the use of the
biograph camera, as it is equally pos
sible to take moving pictures with the
penetrating light. He believes there is
no function of the human body which
may not be shown in action by such
pictures, even to the beating of the
heart and blood circulation.
Many of the animated pictures that
are exhibited now for their beauty
alone will likely be useful in school in
struction and lecture work, but the
difficulty so far, as was the case with
the early development of the phonO-
graph, is that these machines are held
at high prices and will only be brought
within the reach of public instructors
as their possibilities and improvements
bring great demand for them.
One of the novel subjects that will
soon be put on exhibition will show
infinitely the growth and Towering of
plants from the time of planting I'M
til in full bloom. To obtain such re
suits as these n special room is set
aside in the new botanical gardens ut
Bronx park, says the New York Sun.
In order TO show the entire growth OF
a lily on the screen in one series, the
biograph cameras and the growing
bulb will be arranged in position in
this room. and picture will be taken
every half hour continually for about
80 days and nights. In order to get
uniform light for every view, artifi-
ciaI illumination will be employed
Something like 1000 pictures will lee
made of one subject, the final picture
showing the opening of the lily and
then it's fading away. Though such
results have previously been obtained,
they were not taken with the neces-
sary uniformity of light. This work
will be under the direction of T. S.
McGregor. curator of the gardens.
The experiments of Flammarion, tSe
celebrated French astronomer, show
the possibilities of the biograph for re-
cording astronomical wonders. He has
taken moving pictures which show
moonrise, the Milky Way, lightning,
shooting stars, sunrise and sunset.
Professors of astronomy in Columbia
college also realize the possibilities Of
the invention in their work, and ex-
perimenters are improving extremely
sensitive films necessary to take I'M
pressions of the weak astronomical
rays of light. 1t is particularly the
phenomena of the heavens seen at in
tervals of many years-a strange
eclipse. transit or meteoric shower
which men travel far to observe and
which astronomers hope to preserve in
Photographic effects, making it posi-
BILE for those at home to observe the
heavenly wonders that few now have
the opportunity of seeing.
And as the microscope has been COM
bined with the biograph, so also the
astronomers telescope lenses are be-
ing combined, so that we may see dis
tant movements invisible to the naked
eve. Many of the moving pictures of
naval actions, which naturally could
not have been taken at close range,
have resulted from the telescope at
tachment. Captain John Finley. an
expert on tornadoes, now in the Amer
lean meteorological service. has taken
some remarkable moving pictures or
lightning storms and expects to get
some pictures Of the approach of a
Kansas tornado.
Another new and novel exhibit is
brilliant display of fireworks taken at
night While il has hitherto been i'm
possible TO photograph fireworks, by
the use Of magnesium powder the bio
graph has faithfully recorded the
shower and pinwheel effects OF the
uost costly pieces made.
The biograph camera was made TO
perform another remarkable feat
Ibid