SEEING THE LUNGS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 972, 12 November 1910, Page 13

SEEING THE LUNGS.

NEW X-RAYS TEST FOR , CONSUMPTION. In a jet-black room, with the darkness even more accentuated by the fitful flickers of a closely guarded X-rays tube, an impromptu demonstration was given at : Guy's Hospital, London, recently, showing the important part the Rontgen rays now play in the early diagnosis of tuberculosis of the lungs. Long before the sounds obtained by tapping on the. lungs, listening through tho stethoscope, and even the wonderful tuberculin test can- prove tho presence of the tubercle bacillps, the X-rays can warn the examining physician of the undermining process which is going on deep in t.he lungs. So accurate have been the results obtained that a careful X-rays examination of the chest is now the routine treatment for all new lung, cases the symptoms of which give. the slightest difficulty to the examining physicians in the receiving wards.

The patient takes his piaes oh a bicycle seat fixed on a pedestal. Close to his back, in a large black box which can be raised or lowered, of. swung to one side or the other, by a delicate system of balancing weights, is the X-rays tube. All but a small area of its luutiilous surface is protected by a load glass screen, so that only a narrow. stream of light falls on the patient's back.- When the patient is in position the examiner puts on a pair of thick lead glass spectacles to protect Ills eyes, pulls over his' hands a large pair of lead impregnated gloves, and wheels into position between himself and the patient a thick lead screen four feet ill height. With a movement of his foot he touches a button and tho room is in absolute darkness. Then ho waits ten minutes until his eyes get used to the darkness, for experience has taught that after the eyes have becofne thoroughly accustomed to the absence of white light the sensibility of the retina to the light of tho fluorescent X-rays Screen is increased from fifty to two hundred times. With another touch of the foot the Xravs cilMelit Is ttii'ned on and the hones and tissues of the patient's cljest are visible oil the screen. The upper parts of the 111 tigs, the' points most likely to be attacked first by tuberculosis, are then carefully studied. Tho patient is told to empty his lungs, of air by slowly exhaling his breath. Then as 110 slowly takes a deep iu-breath tlio lung tissues become more pervious to the rays, and the whole su'rfaco brightens in colour. The failure of any portion of the lung to brighten evenly with the rest of tho tissues shows sonw abnormality and strongly sureests deficiont air entry to the part, one of tho earliest signs of consumption.