X-RAY MARTYR.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 11248, 11 April 1908, Page 1 (Supplement)

X-RAY MARTYR.

DOCTOR DESCRIBES HIS SUFFERINGS. HUMANITY'S GAIN FROM EXPERIMENTS. That "Peace hath hor victories no less lenowned than War" has become a cumnionplace. The fate of Dr HallEdwards, of Birmingham, reminds us 'of that campaigns of life-saving have their "Killed and Wounded" lihts as well as those oilier campaigns which have for their object the destruction of life. For several years Dr Hall-Edwards has suffered' what 'he himself describes as "excruciating, ever-present pain," caused by his constant work with the healing X-rays. At last the agony became so unbearable, and lm left arm so useless, that on Sunday ho had it cut off. Now it is a question whether he can save the right arm or whether that' will have to go too. This bravo man, who has shown him.self ready to face not only death, but what is worse than death, constant suffering, m the interest of humanity and knowledge, \yas ono of the pioneers of the X-ray treatment. It was ho who took the Rontgen-ray photograph (or radiograph) of the first case m which an operation was made possible by such means. Now such operations are of every-day occurrence. He went to • South Africa, as radiographer during the war and did' valuable work. It was soon after iho returned to England and began to doal with the rays m their directly curative action that he first felt the ill-effects: of his frequent exposure to the mysterious light which is so helpful m some circumstances and so hurtful m others. DUMB TORTURE. Warts began to appear on his fingers. Gradually they spread and caused continuous sores. He could only get snatches of sleep. Constantly he would be obliged to get up andi wander, about the , house m dumb torture. It a letter to a medical paper he spoke of the pain as being of a neuralgic character. "It never ceases, and is intensified from time to time % sudden stabs and jumps of such severity as to make one cry out." '. ' • At that time he had on the back of each hand from fifty to sixty warts. He could get no relief from drugs,, and. the warts were go sensitive and painful that they could not be sand-papared*. His only remedy was to soften them by means of a -lead lotion and opium poultice, .and then to scrape them off with a knue. ' This caused him intense agony, but he persisted m undergoing it so that he might be able to get on with his work. ."if or two or three days after such' an application the pain is increased, but tho fingers arc rendered much more pli able and mobile." That was all he thought of. "How can I continue my investigations and experiments? I must have my 1 fingers supple, no matter what Hie cost m suffering. I cannot give up now." ' •PROTECTION FOR EXPERI- ' -. M ENTERS. An 4 there are many more ''-who* liave suffered apd arc suffering m the ! same way. "I know a number. of such cases," Mr Alfred Dean, one of. the best-known makers of X-ray apparatus; said yesterday, "both here and on the Continent. There is a doctor m London , now who has, had several fingers taken off. But you must understand that aIV these sufferers have been men engaged m experiments. I myself had trouble with my hands some years ago, and it was* that which led me to go m for protective appliances. •'"■ „ "There is now no reason at all why anyone should be affected who* takes pro. per precautions. As for the ordinary operator, he is as safe as liis patient. ■The apparatus is so largely automatic that there is no risk to patients at all. .Unfortunately Dr Hall-Edyi-ards did not protect himself until it was' too late." The one cheering thought m the mind, as one contemplates the martyrdom of so many of those whcV; have brought tho X-rays to their , present uses is that they have their ' reward, -m the?|kuowledgc,vof the suffering' they have relieved. Set their pains against the thousands of cases which arc treated and cured "yearly by the healing rays and they are but as a. drop compared with an ocean. - r ■ Think of all - those whose lives are no longer ihaclit? a burden to them by lupus or rocjent ulcer. Thing o f the children cured of ringworm, and the men' with blotchy faces who have; got rid dl' that dreadful disfigurement known us "barber's rash." ThinK of. the cancer cases which havo been alleviated' and cyan cured. : And these, are only the beneficial re suits of the : direct uso of the X-rays. The tale of thoso who have profited, by radio-photography is even longer still. Numberless homes bless the men whose patient, courageous handling of this unknown and; dangerous agent has turned ,it to the service of mankind; Mr Clarence Dally, Mr Edison's laboratory assistant, died October, 1905, after seven years' silfrering; 'had an arm maputated m 1903. ■- ,\ Mr Edison himself-, had the 'focus of one eye disturbed and had Jumps on the skin; : Dr M. Radiguet had two fingers amputated, and d-ied m December, 1905, after months of agony. Mr Wilson and another investigator of the radiograph department of the London Hospital suffered m 1903 from inflammation of the hands; Dr Blacker, of. St. Thomas's Hospital, died m 1904, and operators at Guy's, St. Thomas's. King's College, the Middlesex, and London . Hospitals were affected. ' Mr Harry Cox and Mr Cbssor, makers of X-ray apparatus, suffered from ulleratcd hands. [A cable last week stated that a civil list pension of £120 had been awarded to Dr Hall-Edwards.]