Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1903-10-24
THE NEW METAL
Declared to be the Greatest
Discovery Ever Made.
A MYSTERIOUS FORCE
VIII Give Light for One Thousand
Million Years without Loss-The
Remedy for Many Diseases which
Have 6affied Physicians = only
100000 Pound

cry ever made. II is the rarest ana
most costly material that exists,
single pound being valued at x2,tzl'-
1880. If such a quantity OF pure
radium could be secured and placed
In a room ii would kill any person en-
tering the apartment and remaining
for but a short space of time exposed
to the mere effect of its rays.
'Radlum has placed the only ques-
ton mark that has ever been SET
against the principle OF the conserva-
tism of energy" says Lord Kelvin.
"Radium will give off its rays Tor
one thousand million years and yet
lose in weight only one milligram per
square centimeter in that time" says
Professor Becquerel.
"Radium will cure. cancer" says Dr.
William II. Dierenback OF the Flow
err Hospital. of Manhattan.
"Radium will restore sight says
DIR. Lunden. a German scientist.
"Radium proves that there Is no
such thing as matter. as we under
stand 1t. 1t proves that everything is
but a product Of electrical force" says
Professor Crookes of London.
"Radium will cure consumption"
SAYS Professor Soddy of England.
These are but few OF the theories
and the facts given by scientists since
radIum was separated from pitch
blende by the eminent French scien-
lists, Professor and Mime. Curie. 1t is
only a few years ago that they an
nounced the discovery of the new ma
terlal, and yet to-day no single sub
ject, no single material. no single
manifestation of nature so occupies
the scien life morld as does this curl
GUS gray powder. that gives off light
and energy as persistently as the sun.
with the new material valued at
nearly $3.000O00 a pound, 1t need
scarcely be said that there is little OF
II in this country. The Flower Hospi-
tai has secured some from Germany.
but the best-in fact, the only large
collection-of 1t here is in the posses
sion of w J. Hammer, OF 20 Cortlandt
street. New York, whose extensive
studies on the subject have attracted
the attention of scientists here and
abroad.
Mr. Hammer enjoys the personal
friendship OF Professors Curie, Bee
querel Crookes. Rutherford and 9TH
ers who have given the greatest at
tention to radioactive substances.
IL consider the discovery of radium
by M. and Nine. Curie the greatest
event of SCIENCE he said, In the
course Of a conversation on the new
metal I'VE are all familiar with phos.
phorescence and fluorescence. These
emanations OF light are excited by d.
rect contact with physical or light VI
bration but with radium we have q
new factor.
'Some promising results have also
been claimed by DR.. Oudin from its
use in the treatent Of lupus. There
are also possibilities in the treatent
of neuralgia and the diagnosing Of
paralysis Of the optic nerve.
'If tube containing radium is held
to the closed eye or against the tenn
pies. a powerful impression Of light is
produced. This is due probably to the
action Of the radium on the phosphore-
scence in the pupil of the eye, and
possibly also to its action on the nerve
centers.
"If a pile of seeds Is divided into
two parts and one portion is exposed
to radium for considerable period,
and then both piles are planted, It is
found that the seeds exposed to radi-
um have lost their terminating prop
critics.
Professor Curie informed me that
radium emits exactly the same guam
tity of Becquerel rays when exposed to
liquid air as 1t does at the normal
temperature of the atmosphere; that
the strength Of radiation is not al
tered.
During my visit in Paris last Sep
TENDER / had the pleasure of visiting
Professor Curie at his laboratory and
seeing some very interestong expert.
ments;- and among other things he
showed me tiny table containing be
tween 2-1O0 and 300 Of a gram Of
radium. This he held up to the light
and stated that II represented the only
samples of chemically pure radium
In the world
81 asked how he had demonstrated
1t to be chemically pure. and he said
that this was the sample with which
NJ. Demarcay had made his investiga.
lions with the spectroscope and had
shown that there were only present
the lines characteristic Of radium, and
this was the identical sample with
which the atomic weight had been de-
termined to be 225. while that of ba-
rum, with which It is associated, Is
but 157.
81 asked Professor Curie what was
the value Of this tiny tube, which is
about the size of buckshot, and he
said that the value was anything
which one might place upon It; and on
my asking whether $4,000 would buy
1t he said. no, indeed; but he showed
me a tiny tube which contained per-
haps three-hundredths of a gram
which still contained a considerable
trace Of barium. which he was willing
to dispose of for the sum OF 5000
Brooklyn Eagle.
Nice kofn p EIIinfic