200 
RONTGEN RAYS. 
practically studied how to work your tube. It is only by many failures 
that I have been successful in my work, and I hardly care to say 
“ successful,” for, although many useful results have been my lot, 
perfection is not yet arrived at. These tubes are like babies ; they 
require a good deal of feeding (with electricity), they require a good 
deal of attention, they require sometimes a good deal of warmth by 
means of a spirit or gas lamp—a little globule of mercury in the tube 
would assist this ; and then they sometimes faint, or there comes on a 
fit of hysterics, the electric current flies about in little waves and 
globules all over the glass, and you cannot get that little red spot in the 
reflecting anode of platinum. Until you get that little red-hot spot, 
from which all these peculiar rays are radiated, the tube is not worth a 
brass farthing for penetrating purposes. Now these tubes are not to be 
obtained really as you want them, only a certain per centage being good. 
I know that. I have been working with my friend Mr. Moore at the 
Miller Hospital, very cordially, and we have had many disappointments 
and failures. Indeed, I remember on one occasion (last March), when 
we were at a certain little hospital taking broken ribs (which were a 
success), a favourite tube broke, and I believe I am correct in stating 
that my colleague shed tears ! We were really fond of that tube, 
because we had done a great deal of good work with it. It is astonish¬ 
ing how easily you get into a bad temper over these rays ; I do not 
hesitate to say that the Rontgen ray tube produces language almost 
equal to golf. 
To take a photo or shadowgraph, the body to be acted on must be 
placed between the tube and the plate, film side next to the subject to 
be operated on, which again must be in actual contact with the black 
paper covering the plate. It is best to place the sensitive plate in a 
double bag of black paper, which should be chemically pure. 
Heating the tube by means of a spirit lamp is undoubtedly necessary 
if you wish to obtain the best results, such as cellular tissue of bones ; 
indication of muscles ; and sharp negative of ribs and spine, shoulder- 
bones, thigh-bones, trocanta, pelvis, skull, etc. It is curious to observe 
how the green phosphorescent electric fog clinging to the interior of 
tube lifts when strong heat is applied to the exterior. 
One might be tempted to say that here is force assuming form, and 
that the red-hot anode surrounded by a photosphere of electric atmos¬ 
phere or fog represents a miniature sun. 
The rule I follow for obtaining good shadow negatives is long 
exposure and long development with a diluted developer, hydro-quinone 
being most decidedly the best. 
You will notice that in several cases the prints that I shall distribute, 
after showing lantern slides on this large screen, show the structure of 
bones more or less perfectly. It is important to note that, although I 
have taken some 200 negatives, no action on the skin or hair of patients 
has taken place. 
(The following slides were then thrown on the screen, by means of 
an oxy-hydrogen focus lantern). 
Slide 1.—Hand of boy 4^ years old, showing incomplete ossification 
of bones. Carpal showing only 4. 
Slide 2.—Hand of boy 9 years, showing further development of carpal 
bones to 7. 
