The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-10-17
ANOTHER BLUE LIGHT CRAZE.

About twenty years ago. or perhaps little more. the country was almost overwhelmed by a new fad. of which General Alfred Pleasanton was the pro- mnlgator. He had won some fame in the war, but that was nothing to the notoriety he achieved as the discoverer of the blue light cure for everything. He found--that is. he thought he found that light-rays passing through blue rlass had a most wonderful power and effect on both human and vegetable tissues. The blue rays. 1t was claimed. would strengthen and develop plant life in c way that no one had ever imag- ined before. but that was but small part of the discovery. for 1t was vir- tually claimed that humanity needed nothing but blue light to ward off or cure all human ills.
 So far as we remember no explana- ton was given as to why our old Mother Nature made such a mistake as to give us white instead of blue light. but that doesn't matter now. The claim was made that blue rays were just what was needed and at once there was . decided increase in the demand for blue glass. Not only were the win days of hot-houses provided with 1t, but doors and windows of dwellings were fitted with panes of cerulean hue, ana men and women, with real or imas- inary diseases. ate. slept and rested in blue rays with the firm belief that dis ease and death would soon be unknown.
 Of course it was all fake. If there was any virtue in the blue rays 1t was 60 infinitestimal that no one could de- tect it, and the fad had a comparatively short life. Either the peculiar color had no effect or else the proper method of applying 1t was not discovered. But 1t seems that there Is to be . reerudes- eence, so to speak, of blue-lightism. and. to make 1t more likely to take, 1t applies to dentistry. and to some other painful surgical proceedings. The re- ported discovery halls from switser- land. and the principal point so far ex- plotted Is that by the proper use of blue light the most complicated dental operations arc rendered absolutely painless.
 Now, if there is any one portion of the human anatomy that Is thoroughly master of the person 1t is the teeth. Just why human beings were not made like fowls is one of the mysteries of life, but as there are several other mysteries we haven't learned all about we may let this one pass. It is enough to know that our teeth are our mas- tsrs. It Is not merely that they ache, though that is bad enough, for we claim that thers was never a sentient and sensible human being who could bear the toothaehe with anything like patience. man may march to death on the battle-field without a tremor; he may patiently endure the tirades of an angry woman; he may run for of- flee and get left without kicking; he may face Pullman porter and not turn a hair. but let the tootheache get a fair hold on him and he has no more backbone than a cabbage-snake. He couldn't be quiet if a circus parade was passing.
 It is much the same in dentistry. As much as a man hates toothache he will endure 1t for days, and try all sorts of alleged remedies before he can muster up courage to face a dentist. He can sit in a chair and have an arm or leg toHr 70 xxvffh q hut haxyfner a tooth out makes him yell like a wild Indian. He can have the most secret recesses of his internal economy pried into and investigated without batting an eye, but the smallest probe inserted into a decayed molar brings forth a sound like the shriek of a locomotive. Strange things teeth are. and they de- velop some wonderful peculiarities.
 But this new discovery is to cure all that and make dentistry a pleasant re- taxation from the strenuosities of life As we understand it, you sit down in a dark room and have rays of blue light fired into your eyes a few seconds and there you are. The dental butcher can dig and pry. saw and punch, file and pull till his breath gives out and you sit there and think of pleasant things. whistle Bedelia If he gives you a chance, and otherwise enjoy yourself. There is not only no shadow of pain. but on the contrary. there is a feeling of real enjoyment, and you can almost fancy yourself at the concert. It is the greatest discovery yet, if 1t isn't a fake, which we strongly suspect. If there is any truth in 1t we only hope 1t will come into use at once and the price be marked down within the reach of or- dinary mortals. Hoch der blue light!
 -e-@-O
 TWO PERTINENT QUESTIONS.