The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-11-20

said. His sufferings have done more
to bring to professional notice a correct
knowledge of things to be avoided thah
ANYTHING else In the history OF scientihc
research upon this subject.
I'm the beginning noticed that his race
began to wrinkle and his hair fell out.
Then dermatitis, or Inflammation of the
skin set IN and manifested itself IN
sore on the back of his left hand.
"There was no sensation of acute pain;
on1v n soreness and a numbness; IN
ether words, he had used his own person
continuously to test the tubes.
IAN effort was made to cure the skin
disease on the back of his hand, but 1t
grew worse, instead of better. Then ar
teris sclerosls, or thickening and hard-
ening of the arteries, set in.
There was no paralysis, but the drying
up of the blood vessels took away the
nourishment from the tissues and pre-
vented the sore on his left hand from
healing.
THE right hand was also affected,
even to the finger tips.
1.-THE trouble in his left hand finally de-
yeloped into skin cancer, and the whole
arm away up above the elbow was al
fected."
Mr.. Edison himself is afraid of X-rays.
He stopped experimenting with them long
before Dally's death, and when he nearly
losot his eyesight through the rays.
IT was looking for an improved crys-
tall" he said, land there were daily re-
suits that fascinated me. / kept my eye
glued to the microscope virtually all the
time.
IT used my left eye, and one day when
came out of the dark room and closed
my right eye for a moment everything
| looked double. I FASTENED to an occu-
lisit, who said that my eye was about
mile out of focus. 1 do not think 1t will
| ever be entirely well.
when / noticed the effect upon my eye
1 cautioned Daily, but he persisted, be-
| cause he was an enthusiast on the SUBJ
| 1ect and eventually death was the re-
| suit"
Prof Elihu Thomson, the noted cleo
| trician, has also suffered from the mys-
| terious burning power of the x-ray. In
| relating his experience, he said:
ScaIded Himself Testing the Rays.
II applied the x-rays for the space of
half an hour to one of the fingers of my
| left hand, and held the finger steadily in
the rays until l was tired l had not
the slightest feeling Of pain or any Ill
effects at all from the exposure. and
was convinced that there was no ground
| at all for the fears of some of my fellow
| scientists.
Mine days later 1 changed my tune.
| The finger mad become sore all over anu
panied me terribly. Then the skin be-
gan to peel IF. and the place was so SEN
sitive that | could not bear to touch It,
1t had the appearance and feeling of be-
ing scalded."
To many scientists 1t has been mat
ter of surprse that, while x-rays have
been known to cure cancer they will also
| produce cancer. BY some this Is ex-
| planned under the law Of "smilars," or,
In other words, that like cures like.
What IL dire results have followed ex-
| posures to the x-ray in many cases?'
asks Dr. Walter Johnson Of the Ameri-
can X-ray Association. What If limbs
have been lost by injudicious use? Shall
we give up and go back to the knife and
caustic of the past? No! Profting by
cur errors In the past we shall improve
our technique in the future, so that crude
and deiterious effects may be eliminated
and one more 'beneffcent agent credited
to science in the struggle against dis
ease"