Cañon City record., 1900-05-24
SCIENTIFIC TOPICS.
CURRENT NOTES OF DISCOVERY
AND INVENTION. =
An Iavaiid Derry cart--Sovsi Ysldins
Hsd-Hav Usss for the Roentss.
R.ys-fhe spssa of cabls Msssagss-
Novel Life Prsssrvsr.
New Use. for the. Roen.x.a Rays


New Uses for the, Roentxsn Rays
DR.. Neville Wood records in the Lon
don Lancet case in which a consid-
cradle oyer-growth of hair on a wom-
ans face was removed by applying tho
Roentgen rays. There were ten sittings
per week of ten minutes each. the face
and neck being protected with a Lead
foil mask. except where the rays were
intended to act. After fourteen ex-
posures. 1t was noticed that the darker
hairs had lost some Of their luster. and
In weeks time there was an obvious
lessening in their number. The hairs
became brittle and pale in color. with
atrophic bulbs. There was a slight red
denfng of the skin during this period.
After forty-fve exposures, the whole
OF a very thick downy and hairy
growth had disappeared. except nine
hairs which remained at least week
after the total removal of the Others
They were found, however, to be read
ily separated at the bulbs, being rs
tanned In position by a more superf-
cial part of the root-sheath. After
cessation of the treatment. only few
thick hairs had returned. and these
were removed with the well known.
process OF destroying them by the elec-
trio needle DR.. Wood is of the opin-
ION that the treatment is neither dis
figuring nor painful, and thinks that
about twenty will clear the ground for
the use of the electric needle. and that
between thirty or forty exposures will
I,- T. ha11
The rays also promise to be OF service
as a curative agent in the treatment Of
certain diseases of the skin. 1t seems
certain that cases of lupus are much
benefited. If not cured. by being treated
by periodic applications of the X rays.
and the hope is also held out that OBJ
stinate cases of eczema, ringworm, etc.
will prove amenable to the same treat
ment. At Copenhagen a number Of
cases of lupus have been successfully
treated by exposure to sunshine, and
as the Roentgen rays have an effect
like sunshine on the skin, it is thought
that they may prove equally efica-
cious.
Ths Speed OF Cable Messages
In operating long cables very DELI
cate instruments are required. and the
currents arriving at the receiving end
are very feeble In comparison with
those employed in land line signaling.
The longer the cable, naturally. the
feebler the impulses arriving at the re-
ceiving end A short cable, a cabis
of under 1000 miles being generally
considered short cable. gives a speed
81 c;o T.. At. all
purposes. with a conductor weighing
about 100 pounds to the mile. sur
rounded by an insulating envelope Of
gutta-percha Weighing about an equal
amount. When we come to q cable
OF about twice this length 1t Il found
necessary In order to get practically.
unlimited speed. that is, q speed a.
high as tine most expert operator can.
read 1t, to employ q core OF $50 pounds
of copper to the mile. insulated With
400 pounds OF gutta-percha to the mile.
Theas are the proportions of conDsr
and gutta-percha In the 1894 Anglo
American Atlantic cable. which Ii con-
sidered the record Atlantic cable for
speed OF working and has been worked.
by automatic transmission. at the rata.
of some forty-five words a minutett
The type of cable proposed for the
vancouver-Fanning section of tho,
British Pacific cable. as designed bvi
Lord Kelvin. Is to have core Of s5A
pounds of copper and SSs pounds OF
gutta-perchA to the mile and II call
culated to give a speed of twelve wordA
per minute over a length OF $3.50.
miles. II is not considered safe to,
adopt a much heavier core than this-
for the reason that the weight Of ths
complete cable with n core that should
weigh more than about half ton to
the nautical mile would be SO great
that picking it up for repairs from .
depth OF 5000 fathoms would be an ex-
tremely dificult and hazardous opera
tion.-Scribner's