Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02

THE CAMERAS NEW EYE


majority of persons, among whom may
be counted Photographic amateurs and pro-
fessionals. Although this artificial recording
eye is in many respects inferior to the human
organ of vision, it has been found that it can
| disclose matters beyond the ken of the lat
ter, even when aided by all other instru-
ments known to optical science. =
Recently these unique capabilities of the
Photographic eye have been turned to &C
| count in several marvellous and useful ways.
In such widely divergent branches of science
as medicine and astronomy valuable results
are being yielded by this means; while, as
detector of evidences of crime, it has been
found in some instances to be singularly
efficient.
The scene is a Government scientific
Laboratory. An electric bulb is switched on,
and reveals, among other technical para
phernalia, interchangeable instrument,
designed for the taking of the minutest dis
ease germs. This particular instrument,
however, is not of the usual type; for the
light by which the photographs are made is
invisible to the human eye. The scientist
| who presides in the laboratory kindly under
| takes to explain what to the unscientiflc
| might appear paradoxical statement. And
the method he uses is truly an impressive
and spectacular one.
Witchery of Science
SWITCHING off the Edison bulb, he
flashes on powerful arc light, the in
tensely white rays of which are DETECTED by
prism upon the wall, forming brilliantly
defined spectrum. The beautifully grad
uated colors, ranging from dark red at one
end to faintest violet at the other, glow
upon the otherwise black WALL the visible
dissection of the white light rays into their
component parts. 1t was strange to realize
that, as the scientist stated, there was shining
at each extremity of this visible spectrum
brilliant and potential radiance; each, to be
light. And the wall at each end remained,
| to all human perception, as black as the
proverbial hat.
But it was easy to demonstrate the aSSer
ton. Taking fuorescent screen, he held it
against the wall beyond the faintest tinge of
violet, and behold! it glowed with radiance
much more than any in the whole visible
spectrum. And far away from the spectrum
the magic screen still glowed in the dark
ness, even at a distance from the visible
light of several times the length of the en-
tire rainbow colored band. Truly it was
veritable witchery of science! And beyond
the dark red at the opposite end of the spec
trum was glowing light, not so brilliant,
but containing more heat than any visible
radiance.
Only recently have photographs been
made successfully with these infrared rays,
so called. Such photographs show intensely
black shadows; those made with ultraviolet
light, the existence of which the scientist
demonstrated SO picturesquely, disclose no
shadows at all. These strange light effects,
however, which have their learned explana-
ton, curious and interesting as they are,
proceeding from rays one cannot see with the
naked eye, yield in Importance to the fact
that ultraviolet photographs are now reveal
ing new knowledge concerning such oppo-
site subjects as the distant and silvery moon
and the microscopically minute disease
germ.
Precisely what will be revealed by the
camera eye, aided by this light alone, con-
corning the disease pests of humanity, only
the future can tell; for it is branch of in
vestigation that has practically just begun.
The light is known to exert germicidal action
in the case of some diseases, notably lupus
or skin tuberculosis, fact discovered by
Finsen and now used in curative treatment.
BY means of successive photographs, it is
manifestly possible to observe the presence
of this gerrnicidal action, while the range of
possible discovery extends to the finding of
germs hitherto invisible even with the most