The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-07-12

/ country in 1876 or thereabout I have q
copy of Gen. A. J. Pleasonton,s book en-
titled Blue and Sunlights: Their-Infiu :
ence Upon Life and Disease. which
picked up in a secondhand book store
some years ago, and / would commend
the examination Of this book to all who
are interested in the subject. Gen. Pleas
onton and his system We're condemned to
both abuse and ridicule. DR.. Finsen,
however, says the general was absolutely
on the right track.
For considerable time Finsen's work
received little eredence and no encour-
agement; but he persisted in his investi-
cations, and the results secured by him
finally bore fruit. and today the world
civilized world his work is being taken
up, and institutes are being founded for
the treatment of diseases by light rays
particularly the ultra violet light. In In
England the initiative was taken by
Queen Alexandra, and in Russia by her
sister, the tsarina. they both investigat-
ing the system while visiting their IA
Their, the king of Denmark. Much has
also already been done in the United
States. AS an evidence of the importance
attached to his work. l would call atten-
ton to the fact that Prof. Finsen has re-
Gently received the Nobel prize of $50, 900
as a reward for his contributions to sur
gerry and medicine.
In Queen EIizabeth's Time.
cit will be remembered that during
Queen Elizabeths reign a certain court
physician recommended strongly that pa
tfents suffering from smallpox should be
kept in room. the decorations of which,
including the hangings, bed draperies,
etc., should be red in color. They held
that the red light had a soothing effect
upon the irritated portions of the skin.
lessening the severity of the disease. Lit
tie Importance was attached to this meth
cd, and the originator of it was branded
as charlatan.
Prof. Finsen, however has found that
this method of treatment of smallpox is
of paramount Importance. He has placed
patients in a room into which the suns
rays could only penetrate through sheets
of red glass, just as they would penetrate
a Photographic dark ROOM and he has
found that with patients placed in such
a room prior to the most painful and most
| dangerous suppuration stage setting in
suppuration has been entirely prevented
| and the soaring has been in nearly all
cases absolutely prevented. and in the
few cases where there was any soaring
1t was hardly perceptible; the disease has
! been in much milder form. the fever
usually. accompanying the eruption dis
normal.
He has found that the use of ultra vio-
let light on these patients very much ag-
gravated the disease, and even in cases
| where patents were almost cured and
| have been allowed to go out into the sun
| light the disease has at once been aggra-
| waited
| Experiments Upon Worms.
I'm connection with his investigations
| into the effects of light Finsen made
| some interesting and ingenious expert
ments upon earth worms placed in box
! one-half Of which was covered with red
| glass and the other half with blue glass.
and he found the blue light irritated the
worms so that they invariably crawled
under the red glass, and a chameleon
placed with it's body midway between the
| glasses turned almost jet black under the
| influence OF the blue rays while that
| portion under the red glass remained
nearly white, which,, Prof Finsen savs
/ showed that the chameleon was aIterins
| its pigment cells to lessen the irrita tine
| effects of the blue light.
The ultra violet end of the specfr,,rn
| contains the most. refrangible rays and
| 1t is these rays which are so harmful In
| cases of smallpox. 1t is also these ae-
| tinic rays which produce slnburnjne
which one often experiences in the. Aims
or any high altitude where the temperae .
ture may be, considerably below zero.
Many persons also have experienced eff
/ fects similar to sunburning by working
| IN close proximity to arc lamps.
While these ultra violet rays are so
| harmful IN the case of SMALLPOX thew arc
| OF the precise nature which is most de-
slrable in the treatment of such disea ses
| as tuberculosis of the skin or lunus viii
garis These rays not only destroy fhe
bacilH, but they excite and stimulate mn
/ triton and excite activity in granulation
thus assisting very greatly in the ranid
recovery from the disease"