Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1915-01-06
THE x-RAY.

warning and completely astoundet
even the most astute and learned
scientists of the time. But we car
now see that it was the perfectly logi
cal sequence of long series of dis
coveries, following numberless expert
ments by many individuals with &
scientific toy known as the Geisslel
tube. Geissler had demonstrated the
peculiar behavior of electric dis
charges through different gases con
fined in sealed tube and under vari
GUS degrees of vacuum, whereby the
spark became more or less steady
stream.
Following Geissler, Sir William
Crookes became the chief investigator
along these lines, and by means OF
miniature wind-wheels and turbines in
his improved tubes, now known as
Crookes tubes, demonstrated that the
current of electricity flowing from the
negative pole and known as the cath
ode stream could be transformed into
kinetic energy. Radiant matter" was
the term used by Crookes to describe
the highly raref1ed gas, or ultra case
Gus matter" which he found to pro-
duce certain peculiar mechanical and
luminous effects when q charge OF high
potential electricity was passed
through it.
As with all new thoughts, the idea
na Aaroo1u off 70 n1nI nv nf fha
scientific men of the time, who strenu-
ously argued against it and endeavored
to prove that both the theory and the
demonstrations amounted to nothing.
But few choice spirits pressed on.
Lenard demonstrated that the cath
ode stream could be detected outside
the tube as we'll as within 1t and that
it could be DETECTED or attracted by
a magnet. A professor Of physics IN
the University of Wurzburg. In Ba-
varia, w. X. Roentgen, noted in 1895
that substances such as potassium
platinocyanide became luminous when
brought near to tube exhausted to a.
vacuum so that the glass was brightly
hosphorescent. About this time also
he noticed that large number Of pho
tographic plates placed within range
Of a Crookes tube with which he was
were logged, although
hey were simply protected from light
~ the usual light-tight plate holders.
Ind he began to suspect connection
between the two phenomena. A few
more experiments and the idea crystal
ized-he viewed his own bones
through the flesh of his hand and
Of the new ray was born
November s, 1895.
Because the ray which produced
showed him the bones in
he living human body, affected photo
raphic plates while Enclosed in light
light boxes and could not be reflect
d, refracted nor DETECTED by mag
let, Roentgen knew that he had dis
overed a new and unbroken ray and
g therefore called it the X-ray.
1t may be asked how it Is possible
, distinguish between such radiations
t different wave lengths. This is
chieved through demonstrating by
leans Of photography, or a fuorescent
Green, or the electroscope, the "pene-
'ating power" or hardness" of the
hort wave emanations after travers-
lg various thicknesses of a medium
hitch absorbs X-rays, such as. for ex-
mple, aluminium. The shorter the
ave length the harder" the ray.
nd the harder" the ray the greater
s penetrating power. Soddy has DEM
the penetration of one-half
oh steel. This discovery of the CON-
lex character of the X-ray tube ema-
atoms and those from radiant sub
ances in general created the need
a system for designating the differ
It rays, and they have therefore been
lmed alpha, beta, gamma from the
reek alphabet corresponding with
II a, b and c.
The original X-ray tube shot the
US from the cathode directly against
9 glass at the opposite end; subse-
emily a metal target known as the
ti-cathode was introduced to re-
i've the rays, but the bombardment
om the stream Of corpuscles or cleo
ons was SO intense that the target
rs soon raised to white heat, and
would become necessary to stop the
ton. For these and other reasons
itch we will discover later radium
tn its gamma rays seemed to offer I
rtain advantages over the X-ray {
be, but recently Dessauer Of Frank. {
,t-on-Main has perfected a tube by /
itch he can produce rays practically l
,ntical with the gamma ray from I
1ium or mesothorium, the ratio Of {
rdness being as 1 to IL. These {
suits were obtained by employing a {
ecial and highly efficient water COOL /
, device in the anticathode.