THE X IN X-RAYS

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 124, 26 May 1923, Page 10

THE X IN X-RAYS

A« is oftan the case with great scientific discoveries, Rontgen only won the race for. immortal fame by a short head. Dr. Clendinm'n, of Melbourne (says the London "Daily Telegraph"), had arrived at practically identical results as Rontgen without so much as having ever heard his name, and. had' actually posted notes on them to England when the news of the German's discovery arrived. When Rontgen, while experimenting with a highly exhausted vacuum tube, found that certain substances ■ were made luminous, in spite of opaque'objects between them and the tube, he called the ray 3 which caused the luminescence " X rays," X standing as usual for tho unknown quantity. Since then the X has been solved—at least, there is general agreement that the rays are no different in nature from" those of heat, light; radium, and " wireless." All are ether waves or vibrations/ differing intrinsicnlly only in frequency, and X rays, according to this theory, are able to penetrate opaque substances because they are so short (or o£ such high frequency) that they are not defracted or reflected as light rays are. But we still call them X rays rather than Rontgen rays. Few discoveries have had greater consequences. First an medicine and then in industry it enabled us to see inside things without pulling them to pieces. . It contributed largely towards tho formulation of the ,new theory of matter _ and atomic structure, and its combination with the spectroscope has given science a wonderful weapon capable of analysing equally well the constituents of a dye and of a 6tar.