Evening star., 1938-10-23

rash produced by the disease and poison was
spreading over the surface of her body For
days her fever had run past the danger point,
and the fight to halt infection had become
race with death Though the best sterillzlng
solutions were used it seemed in vain.
There's one more thing Id like to try.
the doctor said. "Dr. Harvey {. Rentscher
is experimenting with an ultraviolet lamp.
and tests have shown that it relieves some
skin conditions without seriously harminq
tissues or causing pain.
The physician brought in what seemed at
first glance an ordinary electric bulb. But at
the large end bubble of glass thinner than
any used in lamp before, made a window
about an inch across The chld's and phys-
can s eyes were protected by shades from the
invisible radiation accompanying the eelle
blue light in the bulb. Holding the thin
glass close to the infected spots the doctor
passed it slowly over them. The child felt
nothing but gentle warmth. Overnight her
fever began to fall In three days 1t had gone
and the sores were healing. None OF the usual
scars remained when she recovered.
That was one of the first and most spec
which is now being announced to the public
for the first time and which already Is beng
studied with great interest by medical men,
And when | heard the story of the miracle
that the lamp had made possible. | was So
interested that ! got PERMISSION to meet the
inventor. who is the head OF the laboratory OF
the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacture
ing Company's lamp division. found HIM IN
his Bloomfield, n. J.. workshop. genlal
modest man, quietly enthusiastic about his
job
I'VE wanted something that would Kill
germs after they got busy on the SKIN OF men
or animals or the surface OF plants - and
that wouldn't badly lnjure the patient. he
explained when | asked him about the new
lamp Our first task was to find out what
part of the ultraviolet rays would do this
work You see ultraviolet isn't Just one single
color 1t a whole series of Colors. or ether
wave lengths If we used the whole ultra
violet series at once, it would Kill germs all
right but 1t might also harm the patient, Like
firing shrapnel shell at mosquito on some
body S brow.
so we began measuring the different ultra
violet wave lengths. or wave bands. locating
them on the etherwave scale and testing
them for their uses. For the particular pur-
pose we had in mind we finally selected
wave length only about two-thirds OF what
we had been trying but the glass that we used
was much too thick it simply absorbed
these particular waves, wouldn't let them
through. We fixed that by blowing the bubble
in the end of the bulb until the glass was only
4Ot to 100 millionths of an inch thick. then we
sucked it back into the shell so it wouldn't
be broken.
passed an hour hearing of what that lamp
had done and the greater wonders one might
perhaps hope for" 1t gave me the thrill
once got from Jules Verne. 1t has not only
checked dangerous infection like the little
measles victims; it has quickly
cleared up many other troubles
without the old tedious, often
painful remedies. | was par
ticularly struck by the hope
for gentle substitute for old
fashioned treatment of wounds
:: : : !: ; :: !: :: : : !: r. : : !: !: 9: 8:
Think of the relief of merely .Si@l
exposing wound to sooth- Fuss
ing invisible ray. EXN
This lamp may be a boon to IS
the farmer, in fighting crop S%FSS
pests. Experiments in clearing GefS3aN62