Rontgen Ray Eyes.

Te Aroha News, Volume XIV, Issue 2081, 1 March 1898, Page 2

Rontgen Ray Eyes .

The other day-a scientist at a gatHering iu London speculated on the possibility of glasses being constructed which would' endow the- human eye.-' with the powers of the mysterious. ‘ X-rays 7 discovered by Rontgen., And? now we are told that it is possible for-, the unaided;, eye to possess the power of seeing through things which are. not penetrable by- ordinary vision.. The story as told by Dr. Grasset, Professor of the Medical Faculty at-. Montpelier* France, is so marvellous: that we- should regard it as a stupid hoax if the professor had not so far* believed in it as to make it the subject of a communication to the Acade-V my of Science- and Letters of- Montpelier;. His tale is that a short time, ago he was informed by- Dr Fferroul,, of Narbonnoj, that he- knew a woman in his town who could read through, opaque substances. To,testfehe ;of his. colleague’s acquaintance, Dr.. , Grasset wrote on* half- a sheet of papp*-v Le ciel' profond refletfr en, eioilte IA Ik. larmes ; car nouspleu rayons ce soir de-nous-sentin trop. vivr&’ ! A Russian,'ra s German, and a Greek word followed ithe date, Montpellier, 2.8; Ociobrel--1897'.’ Dr Gi asset folded this, half' .sheet of paper in four-, so as to conceal; the writing completely, then, enveloped it in a sheet of lead; paper such as is; ’used to cover tablets of chocolate, and? iplaoedit in an ordinary envelopes. Tb. render it impossible for anyone to; open, the envelope without his kuow--•ing it* he stuck a nurse’s pin through! ;the envelope* and padlocked if with s black sealing-wax oyer the pin. The* seal he employed, was. one bearing the; arms of his family. Dr Grasset sent ;the- packet to Dr Ferroul in a bigger .envelope, which, also, contained; a, fewlines written on a card requesting him.; to present it to. his phenomenally- enfdowed friend and ask her to tell him, the contents, of the letter without openriing it.. Dr. Ferroul was j ust going out; to make his morning: round of medical visits, when Dr Grasset’s letter arrived. Ho opened the big envelope and found the enclosed sealed packet and the. card of instructions. He left them oh, .his table and. called at the house of his clear-sighted friend; who lived afci a. distance of a quarter, of a mile, to, ask her to* come in* the afternoon, to. read the contents of the letter- he had! received. To his astonishment, his* fnend tiered to read it then and there. Dr Ferroul, in. a letter to Dr* Grasset,. writes that he plaeedhiahand over the eyes of his friend, who, without his having in any way described the packet, said ‘ You have opened! the envelope? Dr Ferroul : r - ‘-Yes. but the letter to be read was in it/ and contained- in another envelope.* Th ® IT? : ‘ That onG ia closed with a big bjaek seal.’ Dr Ferroul :■ ‘ Yes Zl rS e^ nd :; 4 There is. lead: paper. This ia what is written Le ceil profondy etc. Then there are' letters as big as that—(she marked about a centimetre on his finger), then ul V° rd Ido not know, 5 then Montpellier,. 28 Octobre 189.7.’ The. younglady is described as having made. nT^ mi^k;e 8 : fi bq red ‘le soir ’• instead of cesoir, and she omitted the wordL °Pi B and .she was puzzled by t&® : Greek, Russian and German chak acters. Dr Ferroul [sent back th& packed unopened to Dr Grasset, who, th / resulfc of bis experi-. ment to the Academy of Sciences and Letters of Montpelier. That; learned body has appointed a Commission to take seated document of which, the. members of the Commission are not If t fe c ° ntent8 > with the object F ? rroul>B friend to reqd it without opening the envelope.