The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-19
THE POWER OF RADIUM
EXPERIMENTS SHOW THAT 1T WILL
HELP THE BLIND TO SEE.
This Remarkable Substance Affects
All Things, but Not in All Cases
BeneficiaiIy.


dictated 10 your correspondent the follow
ing paper on 'Radium as Cure for Blind
ness" preliminary announcement of which
was made in Associated Press dispatches.
These dispatches, necessarily, gave but
scant outlines of the various experiments
conducted. They are now for the first time
described in full with the doctor authority.
DR.. London said:
II made blind boy see by means
of radium, and the fact justifies de-
tailed discussion of the new elements
properties and the hope it holds out to
suffering mankind. The radium prep
aration placed at my dispostal for ex-
perimental purposes looked at first sight,
like a bit of ground tobacco. resembling
same in substance and color. After / had
satisfied myself to that effect, my assistant.
a chemist asked permission to place black
bandage over my eyes l wore same five or
seven minutes. when he came towards me
with small box containing the very radium
1 had previously examined Holding the box
before my covered eyes at a distance of
from 4 to 61a inches, the following sensa-
tions manifested themselves: My blndfolded
right eye had a distinct perception of light,
growing stronger as my assistant advanced
upon me, at centimeter stages Ohree cent?
meters equal to one inch.) 1t seemed as If
my right eye had entered into a light
sphere, yet there were no sharp contours or
outlines. Next the boxed radum was adj
vanced towards my left eye, which, up to
then, had but scantily profited by the light
bringer and Immediately following the light
sensation in my right eye became dim,
while that in my left materially increased.
Il asked the assistant to place the radium,
pasteboard cover and all, into small metal
match box, whereupon the experiments were
renewed, the result being almost similar.
The light sphere observed was but a shade
less bright. Then placed my hand over the
blindfolded eye and much before.
Two friends put their hands over mine. Re-
suit: The same. Here then, was a light
bearer for the more or less sightless, the de-
gree being hardly of any consequence.
SAW THROUGH A HEAD.
Still blindfOlded l asked my assistant to
point the radium towards my forehead.
Then, too, perceived the light sensation de-
scribed, that is: [ saw the radium rays, not
the boxes holding them prisoner. Some time
later a friend called who has a peculiar,
narrow head. We held the box several inches
away from the back of his head, his eyes
being blindfolded According to his account,
he experienced the same light sensations
that had astonished me- At the time of
writing the above EXPERIMENTS have been
tried on dozen more reliable men and
women, with the results noted.
I'VE next experimental In a dark room.
dispensing, of course, with the blindfoding
business. AS expected, the same results
ha1 lot -
one sound and one unsound eye was expert
mented whit developed that the light i'm
pressions conveyed by radium on the sound
eye were stronger than those on the other.
The left eye of another young person in
vestigated is minus retina. The radum
rays made no impression whatever on that
eye. Every optician will tell the reader that
a perfect crystalline lens is necessary to in
sure good sight. Our experiments show that
a good, healthy crystalline lens diminishes
the impressions of radium rays on the eye; it
seems to repel them.
THE question arose: Can a blndfolded
person, a person in a dark room, per-
ceive articles on which radium rays are re-
fiected? Experiments proved that such is
impossible, for radium rays penetrate the
article, and, in part, are swallowed up by it.
With respect to the experiment of holding
radium above the line Of the eye. it was OBJ
served that the lower half of the retina
caught the rays; myself and others had
been under the impression that the light
came from above. We did not know the as
sistant's position till later.
I'VE continued experiments in the way
that the assistant described, with his radi-
UNI box, various figures, representing num-
bers, letters, diagrams and words before the
blindfolded persons. All these figures were
instantly recognized. This latter fact still
more strengthened my belief that radium
may be placed in the service of the blind
with most beneficial results.
BENEFITING THE BLIND.
with this end in view, thought at first
of playing the radium rays on the retina di-
rect, but that was an error of theory as well
as practice. for. in the first place. not one
retina of sightless persons resembles the
other. and, again. radium rays play havoc
with living tissues. So we were forced to
resort to mechanical apparatus To this end
we employed barium- platin cyanide. and
holding same at a certain distance from the
box with radium, saw it light up with sub
dued yellowish-green fiuorescence, the pc
culldr appearance presented Dy certain SUD-
stances being viewed by reflected light.
The light. moreover, could be intensified, or
diminished, by moving the radium box near
er or farther away. To this apparatus, fig
ures, writing, diagrams. ETC.. may be at
tached and after it is lit up by radum, the
blind can perceive the meaning of charac-
tiers. the only condition being that the at
tachments are of nontransparent material,
black paper. lead, etc.
.Our experiments further show that under
such conditions the sightless eye is easily
educated. Remember, though, there must be
no side lights, none other than the fuores-
cence. The principle, let me add. is not new.
1t is the same that enables to see the
stars at night. and to see them the better,
the darker it is.
Next we experimental with a box of
radium placed behind the screen, with the
result that, on the opposite side. an intense
light spot appeared. The several blind peo-
pie under my observation were able to per-
ceive that spot and TO follow its movements
The radium box described a circle behind
the screen and the blind man initiated the
same with a pencil on a sheet of paper Let
ters and whole words conveyed to
those previously educated in schools for the
blind in the same way. /, therefore main
tain that ii will be possible to teach the