The Coolidge examiner., 1931-07-24
Machines That Are
Almost Human
The X-Ray
BY E. C. TAYLOR

HE X-ray tube, one Of the Won
l. ders of modern science, has
been made to perform uncanny and
weird stunts. 1t searches through
the darkness of material things in
the world, and disclOSes their
hidden defects and construction TO
men, enabling physicians and sur
geOns to correct human ills and en-
gineers to correct faults in man
made products.
Scientists have used the Xray
extensively in the operation OF
many robots, those mechanical
thinking machines" that have
startled the world in this age Of
wonders.
N-rays, or ROntgen rays, are
radiatiOns which, in the gen
eral spectrum of electr;Cmagneu,
waves, occur after the ultraviolet
rays as the radiatiOns pass toward
the shorter wave lengths. The!
are more easily understood ~
"black light" light that is invisible
to the human eye.
These rays pass through solid Oh
jects. When they pass through
gases they make the gases conduct
ors of electricity. They photo
graph the insides of human beings
steel plates and concrete Scien
fists use them to study the struc
ture of atoms. those energetic, mi
mute particles of which this world
Of ours is composed.
X-rays were discovered in lSn!
by Prof. Wilhelm Konrad Rontgen
professor of physics at the univer
sity Of Wurzburg, Bavaria. He
placed a black cardboard over the
black" end of a spectrum project
ing machine, and discovered that
those rays were visible through the
wall Of the next room.
Physicians and surgeons were
quick to make use of these strange
rays. With their aid they were
able to photograph the insides of
the human body. and now nearly
every one has weird photographs
taken before a tooth is pulled or
a surgeon operates on him for ap-
pendicitis. With X-ray tubes, doc
tors can see the human body at
work. watch the heart beating and
the stomach performing its task.
Industry has benefited as much
as medical science. Thsse X-ray
tubes take photographs of the in
sides of manufacturing materials
and prevent huge waste and count
less accidents. Their light can
pierce a 5-inch plate of solid steel.
They disclose weaknesses in weld
ed metals. and such articles as
fuses for explosives, that must he
accurately constructed inside be
fore they perform their function,
are carefully inspected through the
use of the X-ray after they are
manufactured.
In the manufacture of airplane
parts the X-ray tubes have saved
many lives by disclosing weak
nesSeS in construction of propellers
and in struts for wings.
During the World war they en-.
abled engineers to cut up strange
ammunition, captured shells whose
explosive centers were unknown
to the engineers. The shells were
photographed, that is, photographed
by X-ray tubes, and then examined
without risk of accident.
X-ray tubes are also in general
use by jewellers. They tell real
diamonds and pearls from imita-
ton stones. Customs officers use
the rays to investigate the con-
tents of sealed packages.
The X-ray tubes recently have
given to the world several paint
ings by old masters. They looked
through pictures painted over old
masters and photographed the val
liable works of art underneath.
DR.. George L. Clark, professor
Of chemistry at the University of
Illinois. has put this wOnder-work-
ing tube into a camera. and it has
photographed atoms. which are so
small that millions of them cannot
be seen by the human eye.
His device takes photographs In
one hour that formerly took one
hundred hours. and in One-fiftieth
Of a second that formerly took
two hours. This machine shows
atoms at work In turning cellu.
lose syntheticalIy into artificial
silk. The device opens wide field
TO industrial development
Scientists now are working with
X-ray tubes to capture scenes of
the past out of the air and make
them visible to people living on
the world today. The burning of
Rome, even the crossing IF the Red
sea by the Israelites and possibly
the flood, with Noah leading the
animals into the Ark may be picked
out of the air and revisualized Sci
entists contend the light waves
never die, although SOUND waves
do, and that it may be possible to
recapture the light waves from his
toric scenes of the ages and make
them visible again.