The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-03


'''uetioh III microscopy was Conspicuous
only py ITS absence from our medical cur
ficuium' NOW every student VINO grau"-
ates is more or less of an accomplished
microscopic and carries into his practice
the methods and observations which the
microscope furnishes him. At the same
period 1 remember being greatly inter-
ested in a discussion which two of my
teachers had as to whether 1t was pos
sible to make an application accurately 20
the vocal chords in the larynN NOW
every tyro in medicine makes such apph-
cations to the larynN as routine proce-
dure In cases requiring 1t, and simiiar
methods have been applied by the oph-
kaleidoscope to examine the interior of the
eye; the rhinoscope, TO examine the in
terior of the nose; the otoscope. for eX-
animation of the ear and other similar
instruments for examining all the other
hollow organs In the body If add 10
these the hypodermatic syringe the as
pirator. which may be described as large
hypodermatic syringe Tor suction instead
Oh injection; the clinical thermometer
which was introduced In the late Sos; the
hemostatfc forceps, FOR controlling hem
orrhage by Selling the blood vessels and
ciamping them til We have time to tie
then' ana other instruments intended to
Iacilitate our operative methods' II VIII
De seen at once that the armamentarium
vi 'he ihouern surgeon Is very uihereh'
from 'hat OF ms predecessor at inc DE-
sih'iihs' OF even al the rniuuie' Oh tne CEN
Jury
AF'-IHE hoEN lGEN Raj.
One of those extraordinary discoveries
which startle the whole world came nearly
at the end of the present century, in
the winter OF 1866. Al that time n
modest professor in the University of
Wurzburg announced that he could read
lily see the skeleton inside the body
through the flesh. Naturally, the first an
nouncement was received with almost alb
solute incredulity; but very soon his dis
covery was confirmed from all sides and
it has now taken its place among the rec
ognized facts of science. BY means of GER
tain rays which, being OF unknown nature.
were called 'X rays. after the we'll
known mathematical x, or unknown guam
tity. Prof. Roentgen has shown us that
not only can the bones be seen. but that
almost every organ in the body can be
seen and their form and structure repro
duced in pictures. The reason they can
be seen is because they are all obstacles
to the passage of these X rays and so
produce shadows on a sensitized photo
graphic plate.
If the exposure is prolonged the rays
penetrate even through the bones and act
upon the photographic plate so that no
shadow remains. II the rays are allowed
10 penetrate for shorter time the bones
show dense shadows and one can get a
light shadow OF the soft parts. If the ex
nize the dense shadow of the bone. the
much less dense shadows of the muscles,
and the still lighter shadows of the layer
of fat Immediately under the skin. The
heart can be seen beating. and its shadow
is now a weli-recognized feature in ska
graphs of the chest. At first it was
thought impossible to discover anything
inside OF the bony skull, but there are now
on record nearly a score of instances in
which bullets have been detected within
the skull and after trephining have been
found and removed exactly at the location
indicated. 1t Is very common thing now
to locate piece of steel or other similar
foreign bodies within the eyeball by the
method of DR.. Sweet or some similar
method within one or two mIllImetres Ia
millimetre is one twenty-fifth of inch>
IE NAL