The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-04-21

ton offered by the large conducting
mass. But this it cannot be. because
mass of metal offers a still higher
self induction and is heated just the
same.
"One might argue the tissues offer
too great a resistance. But this. again,
cannot be the reason, for all the evil
dence shows that the tissues conduct
well enough, and besides, bodies of ap-
proximately the same resistance are
raised to high temperature.
One might attribute the apparent
harmlessness of the oscillations to the
high specific heat of the tissue, but
even a rough quantitative estimate
from experiments with other bodies
shows that this view is untenable.
1.-THE only plausible explanation l
have so far found is that the tissues
are condensers. This only can account
for the absence of injurious action.
But it is remarkable that, as soon
as heterogeneous circuit is constitut-
ed. as by taking in the hands a bar of
metal and forming a closed loop in this
manner, the passage of the currents
through the arm is felt, and other ply
silogical effects are distinctly noted.
THE strongest action is, of course,
secured when the exciting loop makes
only one turn, unless the connections
take up a considerable portion of the
total length of the circuit in which
case the eXperimenter should settle up
on the least number of turns by care
fully estimating what he loses by in
creasing the number of turns and what
he gains by utilizing thus greater
proportion of the total length of the
circuit
ut should be borne in mind that
when the exciting coil has a consider
able number of turns and is of some
length, the effects of electrOstatic in
duction may preponderate, as there
may exist great difference of poten-
tial-a hundred thousand volts or more
between the first and last turn. How
ever, these latter effects are always
present, even when a single turn is
employed.
when a person is placed within such
loop any pieces of metal, though of
small bulk. are preceptibly warmed.
Without doubt they would be also heat
ed-particularly if they were of iron
when imbedded in living tissue, and
this suggests the possibility of surgical
treatment by this method.
1T might be possible to sterilize
wounds, or to locate, or even to eN-
tract metallic objects, or to perform
other operations of this kind within
the sphere of the surgeons duties in
this novel manner
Most of the results enumerated, and
many others still more remarkable, are
made possible only by utilizing the dis
charges of a condenser.
1T is pra BILE that but a very few
even among those who are working
in these identical fields-fully appre-
ciate what wonderful instrument such
a condenser is in reality. Let me con-
vey an idea to this effect.
zone may take a condenser, small
enough to go in ones vest pocket, and
by skilfully using it he may create an
electrical pressure vastly in eXceSs-a
hundred times greater, if necessary
than any prOducible by the largest sta
tic machine ever constructed.
''Or he may take the same condenser
| and, using it in a different way, he may
obtain from it currents against which
those of the most powerful welding
machine are utterly insignificant.
OR, again, he may avail himself of
| the same marvellous instrument, and
| by suddenly discharging its stored lee
| triclty. he may create such a terrific
| commotion in the space that though
| silent and invisible. it can be detected
| as actually demonstrated, at distances
much greater than those at which the
sound of the largest gun is percept-
| ible, distances which are measured in
tens, perhaps hundreds and even thou
| sands, of miles.
Those who are imbued with popular
notions as to the pressures of static
machines and currents obtainable with
| a commercial transformer will be as
| tonished at this statement-yet the
| truth of it is easy to see.
Such results are obtainable. and
easily, because the condenser can dis
charge the stored energy in an incon-
ceivably short time. Nothing like this
property is known in physical science.
"A compressed spring, a storage bat
terry, or any other form of device ca
pable of storing energy, cannot do this;
If they could, things undreamed of at
present might be accomplished by their
means
THE nearest approach to a charged
condenser is a high explosive, as dy-
Mantle. But even the most violent ex-
plosion of such Compound bears no
comparison with the discharge or eX-
plosion Of a condenser.
For, while the pressures that are
produced in the defamation of a chem
1cal compound are measured in tens
of tons per square inch, those which
may be caused by condenser discharges
| may amount to thousands of tons per
square inch, and if a chemical could
be made which would explode as quick
ly as condenser can be DISCHARGED
under conditions which are realiza BILE
an ounce of it would quite certainly
be sufficient to render useless the larg-
est battleship
THAT important realizations would
follow from the use of an instrument
possessing such ideal properties / have
been convinced since long ago, but I
also recognized early that great diff
cult1es would have to be overcome be-
fore 1t could replace less perfect i'm
PIGMENTS now used in the arts for the
manifold transformations of electrical
energy.
These difficulties were many. The
condensers themselves. as usually
manufactured, We're inefficient, the con-
ductors wasteful, the best insulation
inadequate and the conditions for the
most efficient conversion were hard to
adjust and to maintain.
Zone difficulty, however, which was
more serious than others, and to which
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