The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-12-14
Discussing TIE I-RAY
The Roentgen Society in Session in
New York.
Protest Against the Use OF the scien-
fiiac Discovery by FaI1Irs and Char
s neutrality-suspicious. Character OF
the Burns Observation-Disclosures Adj
vanced by several Close students.


NEW YORK, Dec. 14-At convention
Of the Roentgen Ray Society, that is now
in session at the Grand Central Palace.
q number of revelations OF the possiblIi-
ties and dangers Of the principle, start
llsg to the Iaity. have been made.
DR.. J. Mont Bleyer last evening, for IN
saance. outlined a process of treating tu-
berculosis by means of the x-rays. and
while he did not claim for it that it WAS
perfect cure for consumption, he excited
the intense interest of the other physi-
clans present. The positive effect Of
exposure to the rays was brought out N a
number of papers. notably in that OF Dr..
f. ~ Florentine. OF Saginaw. Mich, who
attempted to analyze the cause of the
burns resulting from the use of the x-ray
So Ear there are nothing but improved
theories to account for these burns, but
their effect is sufficiently serious to cause
the doctors 70 issue warning against
permitting the application of the process
by charlatans or tyros.
These burns" said Dr. Florentine.
"havs caused widespread prejudice
among the laity which time alone can
overcome. These so-caiIed burns may be
classified in three ways: AS x-ray burns,
gangrene, and electric burns.
The pathological process is variable
and sometimes advances to aggrava ed
liberation. In others the effect is upon
the hair, which these burns cause 70 fail
out. They appear upon the part Of the
body exposed directly to the rays, and
are attributable to two causes Low
vacuum and long exposures.
In order to avoid burns, the x-r4ys
should not be less than eight inches
from the skin exposed to them. All these
dangers, however, have their protective
effects. The remedy for them Is care
fulness, in which case there is no cause
for alarm among the Iaity
The course for the medical profession
to take III order to overcome this uneasI-
ness is TO carry on a relentless war against
fakirs and chariatans, who are the great
est bane 10 the grandest discovery Of the
nineteenth century
DR.. 7. B. Honraide. Of Boston, himself a
sufferer from the efforts OF the powerful
ray said ne had found remedy for the
burns In bicaFbonate OF soda His theory
OF the Injuries was that they came from
static forms of nitric acid. generated from
the aqueous Sapor Of the air by the rays
and the acid being electrified, 1t vas mUre
powerful than otherwise.
DR.. G. p Gfrdwcod, of Montreal. said
-I-aE the guElS EOu-S1 IOL aUt c&P fAilE1l
any hypothesis agreeable to the atomic
theory, since the rays ected IN q manner.
making an exception 10 the general se-
eepted atomic hypothesis.
DR.. Cfeaves. woman physician, showed
from her practice that, though the x-raTs
applied to healthy skin sometimes caused
an ulcer the same rays applied 10 certain
ulcers cured them. Her theory vas that
the cure was as much due to counter
irritation as to The therapeutic properties
Of the rays.
An index 20 The wide value OF the Roent-
gen principle was furnished by the paper
Of Weston n Price. a dentist OF Cleveland.
who said that the Possibilities Of the rays
in dental surgery were iiIimitabie. Serious
complications or the teeth. otherwise IN
determinabfe, were made exceedingly SIM
PIE by x-rays.
The society Is again in session today.
The president OF the body Is Dr. Hubert
Roberts. CT ST. Louis editor OF the Amer
lean X-Rsy Journal
II his opening address yesterday he said
that il was now possible to give a good
picture OF the entire body after an ex-
posure Of ten seconds. and II addition to
locating dense objects and fractures any
where. IL was also feasible 70 determine
certain pathological charges before they
could be detected by any ether means.