The Washington bee., 1908-10-24
HEALING POWER
OF BLUE LIGHT
Superior as a Ther1p ute Agent
to AL Other Forms, Says
DR.. Kline.
SAYS IT'S PENETRATION CT LIGHT
A Series of Interesting Experiments
Carried Out at Fort Dodge, Iowa
Rays So Cold They Can Be
Used Upon the Bare Body of the
Patient.

Fort Dodge, IOya.-After seven
years of experimentation. Dr. T. W.
! Kline has reached the conclusion
that blue light offers the hest means
| Of obtaining the strongest light for
the treatment of disease. This. he
/ explains. is partly due to the fact
that the blue light is cold In COM
paTisOn with the white light.
With the large conuenser used
! at Boulder Lodge" says DR.. Kline,
/ the white light is so hot that it in
| stantly sets fire to wood. The same
ignt, after passing through a single
thickness of blue glass, is so cold
that it can be used upon the bare
boy of the patient without discom-
/ fort"
DR.. Kline also explains that by
means of a series OF experiments
with the sun rays passing Unro~g IN
] strips Of glass of different colors, 1t
was learned that the greatest per-
centage of actinic rays passed
thIotgh the blue gIass in comparison
with the other colored glasses He
ADDS:
Since the strongest possible &C
tinlc light, as free as possible from
heat, is desired, the blue light offers
| the best means of securing the
| strongest light for the treatment of
disease. 1t is for this reason that
we make use of the blue light, Gnd
the results here obtained are suhc-
tent to warrant its continuance un-
| til something better has been dem
onstrated."
The very great Inconvenience Of
obtaining the ultra violet rays and
the comparative ease of obtaining
the blue ray render the latter much
more available for use. Blue light,
being cold light and almost equally
| rich in actinic rays with white light,
1t has been our purpose to ascertain
rs nearly as possible the therapeu-
tic eject OF these rays.
II am not unmindful tuat the
penetrative power Of sunlight had
been denied. 1t has also been denied
that the earth is round, that matter
exists and that an inteli., ent creative
force lies behind the universe. We
have, on the contrary, been able to
| demonstrate that the actinic rays Of
sunlight, even when uncOncentrated,
have very great penetrative power.
These simple experiments were made
with tn kind cooperation of a num-
Der OF my professional colleagues:
Small Photographic negatives
containing prints of various objects
upon them were cut into sizes that
would readily permit their insertion
inside the mouth and against the in
neT surface of the cheek. The ply
sicians wrote their names upon these
negatives To the negatives small
pieces Of corresponding size to the
sensitized plates were bound and the
pieces thus prepared were inserted
into the mouths of the physicians,
the negative being placed against
the inner side OF the cheek and the
sensitized plate resting against the
outer surfaces of the teeth. Thus
arranged in the photographers dark
room and with a black Goth over the
mouth and nose and the mouth
tightly closed to prevent the entrance
of light, the physicians stepped in
to the sunlight and for fifteen sec
onds held their cheeks toward the
sun of a February day.
The reproductions of the views up
on the negatives and the signatures
Of the physicians photographed
through the thickness of their
cheeks are conclusive that the chem
ist rays Of ordinary sunshine have
great penetrative power when per
mitted to fall upon the surface of
the body"
He adds:
1T is well known that light inhab-
its the growth Of many forms OF
pathogenic bacteria, and when suf-
fciently strong destroys them, and
IT was believed that bacteria deluged
with actinic light would lose their
powers for doing harm. This In q
measure is true, but In the light Of
experience we must look for addi-
tIonal reasons for the improvement
manifested In these patients. While
the light does inhibit the growth Of
bacili this is perhaps one of the fac
tors in the cure
Very material benefit is no doubt
received by the patient in the bath
Ing Of all his blood in the powerful
actinic light During a treatment OF
/ twenty minutes duration all the
blood in his body passes many times
through tae parts upon which the
light is turned, and thus the direct
! results of the light are carried 10
the most remote portions of the or
| ganism.
We uset 80 iensed blue light
al Boulder D pulmonary tub
! erculosis. and other chronic