The Washington times., 1919-03-30
Improved X-Ray
photographs
Now Enable
Physicians
to Watch from
Day to Day
the Progress Of
Your Illness as
You Get Better
or Grow Worse

ray shows many things not otherwise dis
coVerable, Of which Professor BARRON cites
many interesting examples.
There are a certain number Of latent
forms of tuberculosis which give abso.
lutely no signs" he says, although those
affected appear in perfect health. They
are the old, cured tuberculosis cases with
well-dehned LESSONS, the progress of which
has gone on often entirely unnoticed.
These facts have been well known ever
since Laennec demonstrated the fire.
quency Of these cicatricial LESSONS in au-
tOpsies All these LESSONS, clinically abb
sent, may be demonstrated by radioscopie
examination, which shows the existence Of
a previous attack Of tuberculosis until
then completely ignored.
pulmonary tuberculosis. often appear
ing slight and incipient In q patient, will
be proved by g radioscopic examination
to be more extensive and secondary to q
previous attack. The frequency Of radio
scopic changes in pulmonary tpictuTes OF
hospital cases is very great. Kelsch and
Boinon, in q military hospital accepting
only selectiVe cases Of young men, found
these pulmonary changes hftyone times
out Of 124 patients examined; that IL,
forty-one to one hundred. They do not
assert that all these anomalies are OF
tuberculous nature, but undoubtedly good
number Of them must be. In q civil hos.
pital receiving patients Of al ages the fire.
quency Of these anomalies is still more
marked.
THE study of these abnormal shadows
either at the apex or in limited portion
Of the lungs will often assist Us in de-
tecting these latent forms and in ascrfb-
ing to their true cause diseases which from
the abnormal appearance would have been
difficult of Interpretation"
Tumors, pus and water in the lung cavi-
ties are quickly detected by X-rays. A
number Of abnormal shadows are produced
by both tuberculosis and pneumonia.
The pleural cavity is only seen on the
screen when It is filled with fluid, as in
pleurisy, or with gas or with water and
gas. It tells the surgeon when puncture
of the thoraX is necessary in pleurisy, q
matter formerly difficult to decide.
In pleurisy the diseased side of the
lung Is seen to be completely clouded,
while the normal side is clear. The
respiratory movement Is abolished and
ordinarily clear places effaced by the
effusion.
falling shadow on the screen, due to
the falling limit of the effusion, is said to
reveal the lessening of ap attack of pleu-
risy better than any other kind of exam
ination. Another useful indication shown
by the rRdioscopic screen in pleurisy is
that the more the heart is seen to be
pushed over toward the healthy side, the
worse Is the attack.
The X-rays are most useful in showing
the prospects Of curing pleurisy and par
ticularly the development Of a purulent
condition, which has often caused death
from the disease when recovery was con-
fidently expected.
In purulent pleurisy, after operation. the
prospects Of recovery can be judged from
examination Of the lung expansion and
permeability or ability Of the organ to re-
ceive air. The outlook is favorable II per
meability and expansion are satisfactory
and quick recovery ought to be expected.
The outlook IL less favorable II expan.
sion is lacking, although permeability is
normal. An operation IL called for.
A fatal termination must be feared Il
both expansion and permeability are both
lacking. In this an opening of the ribs is
needed to reach the cavity. Examination