The Van Buren press., 1903-12-26
ILLUMINATE THE INTERroo
Eadium May he Used to F.
View the Beatings OF the
Human Heart,

Think of introducing into your vet,
substance that will illuminate ALI 80
tissues of your body, enabling an
server in dark room to see the heo,iN
Of your heart, the coursing of the his |
through your arteries, and even the nos'
intimate circumstances Of your lnns'
and liver! 1t is the next miracle nron
ised by science, and the wonder-worto.
in this case is the newly discoyeras
metal radium, says the Chicago Record.
| Herald.
The X-rays, first identified by Roen,.
gen, made 1t possible to see, and even "a |
photograph the bony framework Of IN.
body of a living person. They have on,
abled physicians to locate and determin.
the character Of fractures, as we'll as 10
find bullets and other foreign bodies i'm.
bedded in the flesh. But great as /,
their value for such purposes, II Ia 81
small account compared with that Of |
ready means whereby the vital mart,
and circulatory systems of a human he.
ing may be exposed to view for medical
study and the diagnosis OF disease.
1t is necessary, before going further
to explain that George F. KuEz. famous
as an expert in precious stones, and D, |
Charles Baskerville have discovered
that radium-itself only slightly lumip.
| ous-can be transformed into a brilliant
source of light by mixing 1t with certain
cheap mineral salts. The light in cues.
ton seems to be the long-sought lin.
minant, without heat. and produced
without appreciate expenditure Of |
energy or exhaustion OF material. Hence
It costs almost nothing, resembling in
its properties the phosphorescence Of
the FREELY, which was declared many
years ago by Prof S. p Langley to be
the light Of the future.
Radum as above stated, is not In Il.
self much Of a light giyer, But M
Kunz and DR.. Baskerville have ase-.
tanned that certain chemical salts such
as sulphide Of calcium, become, when
mixed with It, brilliantly luminous.
This seems TO be true OF quite number
OF substances, particularly some kinds
of diamonds, but the stuff that responds
most strikingly Is a silicate of zinc,
called "wilemite"-a cheap material
which may be dug by Thousands Of tons
out Of known deposits in New Jersey.
"Willemite," says Mr. Kunz, be
comes luminous at the approach Of
radium as Il It were fairy wand"
He suggests that there is no reason
why the brilliantly luminous mixture Of
radum and willemite, finely powdered
should not be converted into a solution
and injected into the veins Of a human
being, whose tissues, as the substance Is
carried through them by the blood
would be Illuminated, so as to make
visible every detail of physical struc
ture.
} Anything that was not normal, In The
, way Of a tumor or what not, could N|
, promptly located. and the stomach and
: intestnes would be lighted up as one
t might say so clearly that whateye'
might be wrong with them would be in
medlately obvious.
It has occurred to Mr.. Kunz that such
, n luminous powder might be given by q
, physician to a patient with food or OIL
an empty stomach, In order to watch the
working Of the digestive organs and o|
! ascertain II anything was wrong With
, them. In this way many cases OF dys'|
pepsa might be traced to obscure causes
and cured,
Mr.. Kun2 examined more than l5O@|
diamonds, and from this number chosc|
A OF the bue-white color, because th'|
carbon stones Of that tint appeared to|
respond most markedly TO the lumnl'|
ferrous action Of radium. After being
, placed near a bit Of radium for co sec'
, onds the selected gems phosphoresced|
, brilliantly and continued to glow for u
, long time II was evident that they con'
tanned large percentage OF the sensl'|
tive and Illuminating ingredient, ns|
nature OF which, though II occurs In 81
many different minerals, is as yet a my''|
terry, Mr. Kunz believes that he Is OIL
the track Of IT, but as yet he has beeA|
, unable to Identify It.
OF certainty II Is not the radium tha'|
, gives the light, What, then, IS ths|
source Of t.? One can only say In reply|
that q number OF different mineral SUBJ
stances appear to contain 1t, and tha'|
when these substances are brought near
TO a bit OF radlum they instantly pe'
, come lumnescent Obviously, then, Toe
problem In hand Is to identity the mys''
terIous ingredient and separate IL
I When this has been accomplished we
I shall have, for all time to come ndenn'
, ite supplies OF light without heat anu
without apprecIabe cost,
But, It viii be objected, radium "
, extremely expensive--the most cosu
substance, indeed, In the world lrue'
but II will be cheap before very long "
IA dear to-day only because It Is new
discovery and for the reason that onp
one source Of supply has been asce''
tanned as yet-namely, pitchOlehue.
Chemists are searching all creation 'V'
Il, and II Is sure 10 be found soon ~
quantities sufficient TO furnish as muca
ut a, moderate price a. mankind hasm'
use for,
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