People's Pilot, Volume 6, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 November 1896 — THE BLIND SHALL SEE [ARTICLE]

THE BLIND SHALL SEE

60 SAYS EOISON, THE WIZARD OF MENLO PARK. Two Remarkable Experiments—Result to Be Reached by Means of X Rays. Within Three Tears He Hopes to Hare Completed His Experiments. Thomas A. Edison, the wizard of electricity, makes a startling announcement as the result of some remarkable experiments made in his West Orange (N. J.) laboratory. He asserts that within three years the blind shall see—that even men without eyes shall be able to see. The only prerequisite is Jhat the optic nerve shall be intact, and with this the case he pledges himself that the blind shall see, shall distinguish objects, shall know the difference between sunlight, moonlight and the dark, shall be able to"distinguish the difference between colors and shall recognize their friends. For the purpose of trying the experiments as to the effect of the Roentgen rays on the sightless, two men were selected and taken to the laboratory. Both were absolutely blind and had been so for years. One was Jacob Mahrbacher, a boiler maker, 85 years old, who lost the sight of one eye through the formation of an abscess as a result of a chip of iron lodging in the eye in 1892, while the other eye became affected by sympathy, and the sight of that also was soon ' totally iost. The other subject was Otto Kallensee, who has been blind for over 11 years. One of his eyes troubled him from babyhood. An abscess developed, and this caused the loss of the sight of both eyes in 1885. Mr. Edison and his assistants were all ready and waiting for the patients. The wizard greeted the men heartily and shook their hands warmly, assuring them that he would not promise that they should see, but that he hoped at least that they would be able to distinguish light from darkness. Both of the subjects said that they would welcome even this brief respite from the darkness into which they had been plunged and from which no hnman relief seemed possible. Little time was lost in preliminaries. The men were taken to the small room on the second floor where the X ray experiments are conducted, and there Mabrbacher was the first onq tried. He took a seat in a chair directly in front of and close to one of the Roentgen tubes. In obedience to the directions of Mr- Edison the current was flashed on and off at intervals of a few seconds. Each time when the current was turned on the room was flooded with the ghostly efflorescence of the Roentgen rays. Mr. Edison then said: “Do you see anything yet?” And the answer came in sorrowful accents: “No; I can see nothing. Allis dark.’ “Nevermind,” replied Mr. Edison, “we’ll try another and stronger tube. ’• A much more powerful tube was placed fn connection, and the current again turned on. Again.came the question: “Do you see anything yet?” A moment of suspense and silence, and then Mahrbacber exolaimed: “I see millions of little points before my; eyes like sparks. ” Still other tubes were tried, but nc better results were qbtained. Then Kallensee was placed in the chair and the current turned on the first tube. The patient did not see anything. The second more powerful tube was connected, and the instant that the current was turned on Kallensee fairly screamed-In his excitement: “I can see a light!” The light was turned on and off by a wave of the wizard’s hand, and each time there was a quick response from Kallensee: “Now it’s burning. Now it is not. ” This plainly showed that he saw something, bnfc there was no distinguisbment of objects—only of the sense of light. Various other tubes and the lights were tried, and, strange to say, the best results were obtained from ordinary incandescent lamps in red bulbs. These were described by Kallensee as showing more uniformly clear light impressions, although softer. This suggested a new idea to the wizard, land he spent some time in thought. Finally he said that he felt sure that he had caught the right idea.' Then a flash of intelligence spread over his face, and he said what will bring hope to thousands of afflicted men all over the world: “The blind, that class of men who possess intact nerves but deficient eyes, will be made to see, and that within three years. I shall now devote myself to specially prepared X rays that will, I feel sure, answer the purpose. Of course I do not claim that those blind will be enabled to read, but they will J)e able to distinguish persons and things. Constant research is being mad 6 in this field, and I doubt not that wonderful results will be attained. ‘Twill rig up a tube to be run in ice cold water that will be especially adapted to th 6 needs of these men, and I feel confident of success. Do not be discouraged, men. I know it is hard to be blind, but we’ll find a cure for you yet.” Physicians do not indorse Mr. Edison’s claims. They say that while it is possible that impressions of light may be obtained provided the optic nerve |s all right, the destruction of the retina of the eye removes the mirror in whioh the forms of surrounding objects are taken cognizance of, and this fact precludes, except in perhaps exceptional cases, any relief to the blind that would be at all satisfactory. Mr. Edison said that no one was more astonished at the results attained than he was. He had been led to the series of experiments by his own experience. Last week, after he had been in the X ray room a long time, his eyes began to tingle and smart. He pressed his hands on them to relieve the smarting, when, to his astonishment, he saw that the

bones in the bands were dearly visible, and that without the intervention of any fluorescent screen. . He tried the experiment of passing one hand over the other and found that he could see clearly through both, his eyes in the meantime being tightly closed. This suggested the experiment on the blind men, and he sent two, with the results above noted. Mr. Edison was asked about the possibilities of the future. He said that they were beyond calculation. The tubes that he is using are not well adapted for this kind of work. He thinks the long, round tubes, immersed in a freezing mixture, with the temperature well down to zero, may yield" better results, and he said that be would rig up such an apparatus in a week or two and then try the experiment again. While he is of the opinion that any such thing as complete sight to the blind is out of the question, he feels sure that an alleviation of their condition will be effected. He suggests that it is entirely within the field of probability that the blind may be enabled to read by means of metal plates in which the letters shall be illuminated by the light of the Roentgen rays. Farther than this he will not go.—New York Herald.