SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XV. No. 366 



INSTANTANEOUS PHOTOGRAPHY. 



It is a psychological peculiarity of our eye to retain an 

 impression for some time after its source has ceased to exist: 

 thus, if a piece of glowing coal is quickly swimg aroimd in a 

 dark room, the eye perceives a circle of light. This is a proof 



It is only by meins of photographic apparatus that any single 

 and separate phase of motion can be seized and rendered 

 visible to the eye. Thus it becomes apparent that photography 

 enlarges the power of vision to an extent which is truly 

 wonderful . 



Of course, the sensitiveness of the photographic plate sur- 



INSTANTANEOUS PHOTOGRAPHS OF AN ATHLETE THROWING A JAVELIN. 



that the eye at a given moment does not see the glowing coal 

 at the place where it happens to be, but that the impression of 

 light of the previous position continues to prevail, thus giving 

 us a composite picture consisting of separate and successive 

 impressions. The same occurs in observing an animal in 

 motion, when the impression we receive is composed of the 

 momentary as well as the immediately preceding positions. 



passing that of the human eye so many times, it was quite 

 natural that the very first pictures made of men or animals in 

 motion showed many new positions which the eye had never 

 before been able to perceive, and artists as well as scientists 

 at once began to make use of photography for the purpose of 

 studying the phases of rapid animal motion. Prominent in 

 this field of investigation is Mr. Ottomar Anschuetz of Lissa, 



