The sun., 1903-09-13

partial paralysis Of the fish known as the
electric ray. so that it could give no further
shocks. He has, with the radium, para
lyzed small fish SO that they have been
drowned or at least died. In talking OF
this, Mr.. Hammer called attention to the ex-
periments Of Prof Curie and others recently
in Paris in which guinea pigs. mice and
rabbits were paralyzed and later killed
by placing radium near the spinal column.
1T is perfectly reasonable to suppose
said Mr.. Hammer, that peoples brains
might be paralyzed by putting powerful
radium near their heads, say on pillow
at night or near the spinal cord, and thus
produce paralysis as in the case OF the
animals.
WARNING FOR FATHER.
"A gentleman called upon me recently.
He declined TO tell his name or give any
information about himself, except that he
was a well-known merchant and that he
had been making some experiments Of
interest upon his own child, who was blind.
He said:
The doctors have been treating my
daughter with X-rays. but have recently
bought my own X-ray apparatus and am
treating her myself
Il asked him If his doctor knew it and
he said he did.
And / have imported some radium
now he remarked. and am treating her
with that.
HE told me that his doctor had not been
told OF the radium treatment. My visitor
said he didn't know how powerful a speci-
men OF radium he had. but when he told
me it's price saw that it must be quite
powerful. ! asked him how long an ex-
posure he had made at sitting.
An hour he calmly replied.
Il jumped up, nearly upeetting my chair.
My God, man" cried. Do you know
what you are doing? Do you want an
imbecile for child? Do you want her
SCARED with burns and ulcers, as well as
blind? How long have you been doing
this'
Not very long. Mr.. Hammer. he said
but you frighten me-
I want to frghten you, replied. 1t
is criminal to experiment with such pow
knowledge'
He promised to stop it right away.
II should not have mentioned this Incl
dent il I did not feel it my duty to warn
people, whether physicians or laymen, to
be exceedingly careful in experimenting
with radium. especially Of high power.
It's serious physiological effects have been
well demonstrated.
CAN'T PENETRATE ROCK SALT.
There is one striking difference between
the X-ray and the radium ray. The ac-
tivity, so to speak, which the former pro-
duces. ceases just as soon as it ceases to
fall upon the object The radium ray
induces an activity which lasts, for a time
at least. In discussing these features Of
the ray, Mr.. Hammer, in his book on radium,
mentions one similarity of the two rays
Neither pierces rock salt, which is per-
fectly transparent to ordinary light.
For this reason Mrs Hammer. anxious
for her husbands safety, has made the
suggestion that receptacles for the tubes
containing radium be made Of rock salt
Mr.. Hammer in his treatise advances this
suggestion. Now. a box made of rock salt
sounds strange, but it is perfectly possible
and Mr.. Hammers laboratory contains
such box.
It is not unlikely that screens Of rock
salt will be widely used to protect inves-
tigators while tinkerng with the rays.
Lead is at present used as a shield in cancer
cases.
RADIUM IN MEDICINE.
As soon as it was learned that the radium
rays burned all live tissue exposed to them
long enough the possibility was presented
Of using radium to cure disease by killing
germs, thus opening way for Nature to
replace the diseased tissues. Following
this line attempts have been made to cure
cancer and lupus vuigaris. and with promis-
ing results.
Mr.. Hammer for some time has been
associated with several surgeons and doctors
in the treatment of cases of cancer and
tumor In the course of the treatment
there was first used radium of 1000 radio
activity and for the past month specimen
whose radio-activity il 100000 has been
employed. In each case the specimen
was the most powerful in the country at
the time it was first used.
Whether anything can be done with
radium to cure blindness is a problem.
THE Sun has already given to its readers
an account of the first work OF this kind
done hat of Mr.. Hammer and his associate,
DIR. Jenkins, in tho case Of Lille Spitznadel.
SO far there hrs been no positive proof
that radium rays have made the girl see
Mr., Hammer and DR.. Jenkins are con-
fident that their treatment of the girl with
radium has made it possible for her to
distinguish strong lights from absolute
darkness. Whether they will be able to
go any further in her case or in any other
they are not yet prepared to say They
have taken care not to hold out any false
and therefore doubly cruel hope, to the
thousands Of persons afflicted with blind
ness and eager to try any possible cure.
TESTS OF GEMS.
Another branch OF work with radium
rays which promises great fruit is the testing
of gems and stones. "a he of the most i'm
portant work OF that kind is already well
under way at the American Museum of
Natural History. The workers there will
Use the powerful specimen Of radium pre-
sented to the museum by Edward D. Adams
and put on exhibition only the other day
There are many gems, emeralds and
rubies for instance, which are, to all ap-
pearances, not responsive to the radium
rays. In an experiment carried on the
other day in the museum darkroom Director
Bumpus called tho attention OF a Sun re-
porter to the fact that whereas some da-