The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 40, August 12, 1897 - A Weekly Magazine for Boys and Girls by Various
page 20 of 40 (50%)
page 20 of 40 (50%)
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paying duty on them.
The senders had had no idea that the X rays would be used on the packages, and had arranged them so that on opening they would appear to contain nothing dutiable. One basket was labelled fruit. Had it been opened in the ordinary way the officers would have found nothing but apricots and plums, unless they went to the trouble of emptying the whole basket out--a thing that is seldom done. When the X rays got to work on this packet a pair of patent-leather shoes was revealed, hidden away amongst the fruit. Another bundle was labelled, "Specimens of clothing--without value." No sooner was it held before the X rays than it was seen that a quantity of cigarettes and English matches were rolled away inside the linen. All this was found out without so much as breaking a seal or untying a string. At the same time that the news of this excellent use for the X ray reached us, we observed statements from several prominent doctors and electricians, warning people of the danger of using this wonderful light without a proper knowledge of its properties. It seems that under certain circumstances the X ray is capable of inflicting a very serious wound. It acts in the same way as fire does, and burns the skin so severely that it is a very long time in healing. Nikola Tesla, the great electrician, says, however, that this trouble |
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