OVERDOSES OF X RAYS

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8289, 18 September 1903, Page 1

OVERDOSES OF X RAYS

Mi* Edison is not the only penson i<> suffer from the mysterious powem of tin*- ltontgeu ray.". Two goiitlemm in the radiograph department of the London Hospital have fallen victims to its baneful it:ilhii-iic<', with tho result that they had to take, an enforced holiday and that the use of the rays for direct examination of ,injurie« has been abandoned. The rays are now employed to take photographs, from which the surgeon works, thus avoiding the meps.sity of manipulating the limb while the rays aro actually playing on. it. Gloves with lead foil sewn into the. back were tried, but thpjr were found to impede the hands to such ai» extent that they were discarded. Mr WM 6on, one of the' two gentlemen who used t' make direct examinations with the rays at the hospital, explained that he had not doiitf this class *fcf work for the last eighteen months, yeit his hands showed but little signs of improving. Hot fomentations weio still necessary, and it was practically certain that his finger nails would never grow properly again. The fir«t. symptom of Xray poisoning is a troublesome inflammation of the hands, accompanied by swellings resembling chilblains, depression of spirits, and insomnia. The nails, too, aro affected. —a ridgo being generated. After the. mat ter has been removed the nails seems partially to perish, the injury to the matrix impairing future growth. The trouble is chiefly noticeable in the finger-tips, decreasing towards the wrist, but slight evidences nro generally tt> be found on most parts of thw body. The eyes, too, aro apt to nuffei from the ray -flicker. Eeparded pathologically, the results of the, X-rays seem to be cumulative, .being up to a certain point highly beneficial and beyond Chat the reverse. Although the hieh-fri-quency treatment has rot provd to Iks the panacea for the "burrr" of the X-rays, as it undoubtedly is f i r irruptive. or blood diseases, it unquestionably mitigatos them.