1 62 GENERAL PHYSIOLOGY 



the poles of a powerful electromagnet, has no antiseptic or 

 bactericidal effects whatever. 



"7. Alternating currents of a three-inch Ruhmkorff coil 

 passed through bouillon cultures for ten hours favor growth 

 and pigment production. 



"8. High frequency, high potential currents Tesla cur- 

 rents have neither antiseptic nor bactericidal properties 

 when passed around a bacterial suspension within a solenoid. 

 When exposed to the brush discharges, ozone is produced and 

 kills the bacteria. 



" 9. Bouillon and hydrocele fluid cultures in test tubes of 

 non-resistant forms of bacteria could not be killed by Rontgen 

 rays after forty-eight hours' exposure at a distance of 20 mm. 

 from the tube. 



" 10. Suspensions of bacteria in agar plates and exposed for 

 four hours to the rays, according to Rieder's plan, were not 

 killed. 



" ii. Tubercular sputum exposed to the Rontgen rays for 

 six hours, at a distance of 20 mm. from the tube, caused acute 

 miliary tuberculosis of all the guinea pigs inoculated with it." 



Rontgen Rays. In spite of many experiments and the 

 hopeful view of many, it has been very definitely shown that 

 the Rontgen rays have no bactericidal properties. Bacteria 

 may be exposed to these rays in culture media for practically 

 indefinite periods without being affected. The favorable 

 clinical results which have been obtained in the use of these 

 rays in infectious diseases must be explained upon some other 



