The Electrical Engineer. Vol. XXV1. High Frequency Oscillators for Electro-therapeutic and Other Purposes.” OME theoretical posites oferd by currems of very Figh frenueney and observations waich Tceoally made while pursuing experiments with slterating currents, ae. well ts the stimulating infsence of the work of Here and of views Boialy put forth by Oliver Lodge, determined me some time ‘uring 889 to emer a systematic savestigetion Of igh re fiweney phenomena. and the rests soon reached were such 35, th jostly forther efforts towards providing the Inborttary with ‘ficient mois for carrying ow the renenech 1 this particular z inary into high frequeney est were duly described and are now

(Fig. ‘ree ct any irsegulorities, but when the number of breaks small or the action of the device imperfect, long and noiry ftreams appear which cause come discomiort The physio logical efects produced with appara of this king may be gracuated irom ¢ hardly perceptible action when the secondary 15 at a great distance from the primary, to a most vielent one when both eoils are placed st a emall distence In the latter ase only a lew seconds arc silfcieat to cause lesling af ‘warmth all over the body, 20d soon alter the person perspires irecly. T have repeatedly, in demonsrations to inends, = posed mysulf longer to the action of the oscillations, and’ cach time, afie: the lapse of aa hour or so, an immense fatigue, of ‘which itis difficalt 10 give an idea would take hald of me. Tt wwas greater than I experienced on some orcasions alter the mos straining and prolonged bodily exertion. 1 could scarcely take a stop and could keep the eyes open only with the greatest Giticulty. “T slept soundly aiterwarc, and the atter-shect wasNovember 27, 1898, certainly beneficial, but the medicine wat manifestly too strong to be uted drenuently, One shoali be eastiout ie performing such experiments for ‘more than one reason. At or nea: the surlace of the sii, Where the most intense action takes place, various chemical produets i. the chief being czene and nitrogen compoundr it iteell very destrective, this feature being Hustraced that the rubber jaslailon ef a wire is cestroyed £0 guickly a2 to make the use of such insulation entirely tmprac cable. The compounds of nitrogen, when moistary is prevent onsists Targely of mitrie aeid which might, by exctasive appli: on, prove hurtfal to aie skin, Se fat, 1 have not noted. ite urles ‘which could be traced direcily 10 ‘is cause, though on Several ozeasions burrs were procuted in al respecte similar to those whien were later observed and sttriouted te the Rontgea, rays This view is seemingly being abandoned, having ot been substandated by experimental fgets, and $0 also is the n0- ‘ion that these rays are transverse vibrations, But while invee- tigation is being terned ie what appears to be the rigtt div sion, seientiie men are aul at sca. ‘This state of things impedes the progress of the physicist i ‘egions and maker the alreagy hard tase of the physician stil more dificult and sneertain, Doe or two observations made’ wile pursing experiments widh the apparatus describec might be lound as deserving. men: tion here, “As before stated, when the ofciliations i the primary and secondary cinucits are ip synchronism, the points af highest potential are oa seme portion of the trminal 7,” Tae sytr ‘hronism being. perfeer and the lengin ot the secondary coil just equal to one-quarces of the wave length, these points will be exactly cn the free end of terminal T. that is the one sisusted farthest from the end af the wire sttiched to the terminal, Th this be so and if now the period of the oscillations in the pri- hry be stortened, the points of kighest potential will zezede towards the secondary coil, since the wave-length i= reduced and since the attachment of one end of the cecondary call to the ground determines the position of the nedal points that is, he points of east potential. Thus, by varying the period of vibration of the primary izewit in any manner, the points o! Highest petensal may be chifted accordingly along the termina! 7, waich has been shown, designedly, long to llusirate this fear ‘ure. The same phenomenon is, 0! course, produced if the body cf @ patient constitutes the terminal, and an assistant may by the motion of a handle cause the points of highest potential 10 shift along the body with any spece he may desire. When the faction 0! the col Is vigorous, the region of bigest potentisl is casly and unplessantly located by the discomfort or pain ex perienced, ane itis most eutious to fre! how the pain wanders ‘up and dows, or eventually across the bagy, fom had «hand, ii tie connection co the coll is accordingly’ made—in obecience fp the Movement of the Aandle contolling the ostillations ‘Though T have not odserved any tpecife action in experiments ‘of this kind, I have slays felt tnat this ffs: muight be capable of valuable use in electro-therapy. Another observation which promises to lead to celal results ig the following: Ae belore semarke ng the method desciibed, te body of & person may be sup jected without danger to’ electrical pressutet vastly in excess of any producible by ordinary apparatus, for they may afeount ‘millon volts, at hat been shows in setual practice Now, when 2 conducting body is clertiged co 9 high a degr small particles, which may be aghering firmly to its surla ae tom off with violence and throva to distances which ca bbe only conjectured, T'Ané that not only firmly séhsring mat ter, a6 paint, for instance, is thrown of but erea the particles cf ‘the toughest metals are torn of Such accion: have been thought (0 be restricted to a vacuous inclosure, but with 2 pow- erful coil they occur also in the ordinary stmotphers, The fects mentioned would make it reasonable 1o expect that this txine. ordinary eect which, in other ways, 1 have aireacy” usefully applied, will licewse prove 10 be el value in electrotherapy, ‘The continuous improvement of the inttramente and the study of the phenomenon may shortly lead to the establishment of & novel mode of hygienle treatment which would permit aa ic stantaneous cleaning of the skin of a person, simply by eon necting tie same to, or possibly, by merely placing he perton in the visiity of = source of intense clectrial oscillations, dns having the eect of throwing off, in a twinkle of the eye, dust fof partices of any extraneous matter achering to: the ‘bods. sch more by adope. THE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER 479 Such 2 result brought sbout in = practicable menner would Without doubt, be of incalculable value in hygiene and woule be an sficieat and time-saving suoscitute for a water beth, a2¢ particularly appreciated by those whose contentment consists is lundertaking tore then they ean accomplish High irequency impulses produce poweriul inductive actions aac in viriue of this ieature they lend themseives in other vay fo the uses of the tl ‘These inductive eccts ate either als ‘The former diminish much more rapidly with the distance—with the square of the sanie—the later are reduced sisaply in proportion to the die- tence On the other hind, the former grow with the square of intensity of the source, while the leter increnee in 2 simple pro- orion with the intensity: Both of thees eflects may be wtilced for establishing a field of strong action extending through con- siderable space, as through 2 large aall, and such an arrangement might be suitible jor use in hospitals er insstuuone of thie Jeind, where it is decimble co treat ¢ number of peticnts at the Fig. 6 illustrates the manner, as I have shown it originally, in which such 2 fd cf electrostatic aetion i established In this diag-am G fe 2 generator of currants of very high feequene Cs condenser for counteracting the sell-indaction of the circuit whieh includes the prieisry of an mguction coil, the seeons ich bas Iwo plates Ut of large surkice connected to ite terminals. Well Inown adjustments being observed, a very sirorg action occurs chie‘y in the space Detweea the plates, and the boty of 2 person is subjected to rapid variations of Do- tential and surgings ol current, which produce, even at 2 grest distance, marked physiologies! efiecte, In my Aree experiments Lesed two metal plates es shows, but later T found it preferable {o replace them Dy two large hollow spheres of brass covered with wax oi a thickness of about two inches. ‘The cables lead- ing to the terminals of tlie zecondary coil were similarly cov_ fered, co thot any of them coule be approached without danger fof the insulation breaking’ down in uuls manner the un- pleasant shocks, to which the experimenter was exposed when Using the plates. were prevented. In Fig. 7 a plan for suvilarly stiicing the dynamic inéuetive cffccts of higlt frequency currents ig lilusirated, As ‘the free {quencies obtainable irom an alternator are not as high 2s is Cesited, conversion by means of condensers is recerted to. “The Giagram will be understood at = glance from the forsgoing de scription. Ib only need be stted that the primary py through which the condensers are made co dienarge, # formed by 2 thick stranded cable of low seitindvetion and resictance, and passes all around the hall. Any number ef zecendary eoile's 3 5 cach consisting generally of a single layer ol rather thick wire, may be provided. 1 have found it pracueable 19 use THE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER. Vol. XXVI. No. 550 iment, and some one going just a step farther than I have gone nay be insiatly destroyed. For, conuitions may exist simiar (fo these observable with 2 vacuum bulb. I: may be placed in the fielé of the loop, however intensely energized. and s0 1 sono path for the current ie formed, twill remain cocl and eer: sume practielly no eacrgy. But the moment the frst feeble urrent pasies, most of the energy of the oseilations rushes to ‘he place of consumption, It by any action whatever, 2 con ‘ducting path were formed within the living tavue or donee of ahs heady ie would result ia the instant destraction of these and death of the foolhardy experimenter. Such + method of Kcll- ing, if were rendered practicable, would be absclutely.pain- Jess, Now, why ia.it that in 2 space ja which suck violeat tar- oil is going ov living tissue remains uninjured? One might Fay the curvents cannot pass because of the great selFiaduction offered by the large coaducting mass, But this it eaarot be, Decsuce a mats of metal offers 2 still higher sellinduction and E hented just the same, Ose might argue the tazver offer #00 great a resistance. Dut this agein cannot be the reason, for all Evidence shows that the tissues condect well enough, ad be: Hes, bodies of approximately the same resistance are raised toa high temperature. One might attribute the apparent harm- Iecssness of the ostillations to the high epecife heat of the tissue, bur even a rough quaatitative estimace from expesimeats with otter bodies shows that this view is untenable. The only plaas- {le explanation T have £0 far found is that the tissues are con- deasers, This only can tecouat for she absence of injurious scion Dur it fs remarkable tat, as soon as heterogeneous cGreuit is constituted, as by taking in the hands a bar of metal ind forming = closed loop im this manner, the passege of the currents through the arme ie felt, and other physiclogies! eBecte re distinctly noted. The strongest action is, of course, secured ‘when the-excitig loop makes only one turn, unless the con- nections take up 2 considerable portion of the total length of the sireai, in which cae the experimester should sttile upon the least aumber of tums by carefully estiauting whet he loser by increasing the number of tums, and what he gains by utili ing thus 2 preater proportion of the total length of the circuit Tt should be borne in mind that, when she exatting ceil har = considerable aumber of turns and i> of some lengthy the eects of electrostatic induction may preponderae, as there may exist 4 very great diflerenee of poteatisi—a hugdred thousand volts onimarenetween the frat and (att tus, However, these later Cfscts eve slways present even when a tingle turn is employed, ‘When 2 person is placed within such a loop, any pieces of metal, though of small bulk, sre perceptibly warmed. Without doubt they would be also bested-paricwtarly if they were cf Tron—when embedded in living ssue, and this suggests. the possibilty of surgical treatment by this method. It might be Dossible fo sterilize wounds, of to locate, or even to extract me Lilie objects, or to perform sther operations of this Kind withix the sphere of the surgeoa’s duties ia this novel manner. Most oj the results enumerated, and many others still more remsritble, are made porsible osiy by atiising the discharge: ofa condenser. It is probable that but a very few—evea among those who sre working in these identical felds—ully appreciate what 2 Wonderful instrament such a condenser is in reality. Tet me convey sn idea to this efeet, One may take 2 cone ll enough 10 go in one’s vest podlst, and by skal it fie may create an cleccrical pressure vastly inex: cesi—a hundred times grester if necessary—than any producible by the largest static machine ever const (Or, he may. take the ame condenser asd, using Hin 2 dierent way, be may obiain fom i currents against which those of the most poweriul welding machine are utter iasgaifcant Those whe sre imbued with poplar notions as to the pressures of static ma- chines and corrente ostsinable with 2 commercia! traneformer, will be astonished at this statement—yet the «ruth of itis eee ‘Such rests are obtsinable, and exily, Decrwse the enn diseiarge the stored energy in af ineoneeivably short time. Nothing like this property is known ia. physi janes. “A compressed spring, oF a storage battery, or any ether form of device capable of storing energy, they could, things undreamt of at preseat might be accom: plished by their means. ‘The nearest condenser is Siclent explosion of sacha compound bear with the disetarge or explosion of 2 coméeas the prosverer which sre produced ia the detonaticn of = chemNovember 17, 1898. ical compound are measured in tens of tont pet agunare inch, those which may be caused by condenser discharges may ameuat te thoussndis of tons per square inch, and if a chemical could be Snide which would explode a2 quickly at a condenser cin be Gocharged, under conditions which are resisable—an ounce of in would quite ceraialy br suMicient io render useless the largest batleshin.— * ‘That importaut realizations would fallow from the use of = ‘instrument possessing such ideal properties T have been con ‘need since long ago, but I alse recognized early that grest Reales would have te be overcome before it could replace perlect implements row weed ia the arti lor the manifold wanslormations of electrical energy. Tuese_ dificulies were many, The condensers themselves as usually manulsctured, Sieve inefficient, the conductors wasteful, the best insulation ins Miequaig, and the soadivons for the mast efficient conversion ‘weve hard to acjust and to maimtzin. One difficulty, however, hich was mere setious than the others, aad so which © called Strention when | Artt Ceseribed this system of energy transicr ration, wer found in the deviees nececeorly used fer controling the charges ard discharges of the condenser. They were wart ing ia efeiency and relablity and threatened to prove a decid Grevback, greaty restrcing the use of te system and depriv= Ing it of tansy valuable features. Fora number of years T have tried te muster this difeully, During this time « great number ff such deviees were experimented pos, Many of them prom- fied well st first, only te prove inadequate in the end. Reluc~ frtiy, T came task por 2m den on waich I Aad worked loag Tr was to replace the ordinary brushes and commit~ Segments by fuid contacts. I hae encounterce difieultiee then, bat the intervening years in te laboratory were not Spent in yain, and I mace headway. Fisst it was necessary 1 provide for 2 ereslation of the Maid, bu: forcing it through Bye pump. proved itecl dmpractizal.” Then the happy i presented itielf to meke she pumping device an integral part of the cleat interrapter, inelosing both in a receptacle to pre~ seat oydation. Next seme simple ways of maintaining the cir- Culstlon, as by rotating # Sedy of mercury, presented them- Sslves, Then {learned how fo reduce the wear aad Ipeses which Sil existed. I fear tost these statements, indicating how much ‘ffort was spent in these seemingly insizaiacant details will not conver = Aigh Hea of my ability, but T eoniess that my patience wwas taxed to the stmaat. Finally, though, I hed the ettsietion ff produeing devices which are simple and reliable in their ope: tation, whith require practically 0 attention and which are Capable ‘of effecting tanclormation of considerable amounts ff energy with lair economy. tis not the best that can be dons, by ny means, but it fp sailsfoctory, and I feel that the hardest ‘ask is done, The physician will now be eble t9 obtain sx instrument suit- able to {ulfl many requirements. He will be able to use i i= tleciro-therapeube Westment in most of the ways enumerated. He will have the facility of providing himsel! wih coils suck se hs may dese te have for any particular purpose, which will five him any current or sny preamre be miey wish to obiain. Suen coils will consist of Dut a few (urns of wire, and the ex pence of preparing them will be quite insignificant. The instru fment will seo enable him to generate Romtger rays of muck Erualer power than obtainable with ordinary apparstus. A tube ‘mast sll be furnished by the manuiacturers which wil not Ueteriorate ard which will allow to concertrate large: amounts ct energy upon the electrodes, When this is done. acthing vill Stand in the way ol an extensive and eficient application of this beaudfal discovery which must ukimately prove itself of the highest value, not only at the hands of the Sirpeon, lout also of the elesvro-therapist ané, what is most important, of the bic- ferologie ‘To give © gencral ides of an instrament in which many of + the latter improvements are embedied, T would reier to Fig. 5, Which dlustrater the chief parts of te same in side elevation nd partelly in verticsl eross-rection, ‘The arrangement of the paris is the same as in the form of instrument exhibited on [ormer occasions -only the exciting’ coll with the vitratiog in- terrapter ie replaced by one of the improved cireuit oreakers to which reference hat been made ‘This device compricas © casting A with ¢ protruding sieeve B, which in & bushing supports 2 frecly routable shalt a.” The latter carries an armature within 2 stationary field magnet M sande the 199, 3 hollow iron pulley D, which contzins the THE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER a break proper. Within the sit 2, and concentrically with the same, is pleced « smaller suit by likewist ireely movable on ball-bearing: and supporting a weight E. This weight beiag fon one side and the sbaits z and b incieé :o the verticel, the Weight rembine stationary a¢ the pulley ie revated.” Fastened tc the weight E is e device R in the form of a scoop with tin walls, jarrow on the ené nearer to the pulley and wiver fon the other ené. A small quantity of mercary being placee {iS the pulley and the Intter rotated againet the marrow end 0” the scoop, 2 poriion of the fiuid is iaken up and thrown in thin and wide stream fowares the centre of the pulley. Te to) of the later is hermetically closed by an iron washer, as shown, thie washer capporing on 2 steel rod La disk F of the same metal provided with a number of thin contact blades K. The od Lis insciated by washers N irom the pallsy, ard for th onvenienee of filing in the mercury 2 small setew o is Bro ied, The bolt L forming one terminal of the cirait breaker miaected by a copper strip to the primary . The other end the primary col leads to one of the terminals of the cone denser C, contained in a compartment of a box A, ancther com- partment of the same being reserved fer switeh S and terminals Sf the instrament ‘The other terminal of the condencer iz con nected 10 the casting A and though i so pulley D. When the pulley is rotated, the contact blades K are brought rapidly Jnand out of contact with the stream o) ereury, thas closing And opening the eiresit in quick succession. With exch a device iris easy to obtain tea thousand makes and breaks per second and even more. The secondary ¢ is mace of two separate coils Std go arranged that ean be slipped oat, and a metal strip in itt middie connects it to the primary coil This is done t0 prevent the sccondery from bvealing down whet ens of the {erminals 1 overioaded, as k ofien ieppens ia Working Routgen bulbs. ‘This form of coil will withstand 9 very much grecter Aference of potential than ceils as ordinarily constructed ‘Tae motor hus both feld and armature Duilt of plster, 20 that ‘ean be weed on allemstiog as well a5 direct cicrent supply circuits, and the shafts are as acatly as possible vertical, so fo require the least care in oling. Ths, the only thing’ whieh: reilly requires some attention iz the commuteter of the motor, Bue where alicenating currents are always avaiable, this zouree Of possible trouble 1s easily done away. with. ‘The circuit connections of the instrament have been already chown and the niode of operation explained in periodicals. The lustal manner of connecting is Mlastrated in Fig. 8 sn which Ay Ay aft the terminals of the sopply chen, Ly a'self'indac on coll lor raising the pressure, which_s connvcted in series ‘with sondenrer C snd primary PP. The remaining. letters designate the parte correspondingly marked in Fig. 9 and will be understocd wih’ relerence tothe latter,