the patient resulted in the removal of half a dozen calculi about the size of a large pinhead, although diagnosis failed to show any presence of calculi whatever. For fixing purposes I have discarded the old acid hypo-bath. I have used for years and now use the following: Fixing salt bayer, 4 ounces; water, 16 ounces. This bath I find superior to anything I have ever tried. The film of the plate does not become tanned nor is any discoloration of the film apparent. Furthermore the bath fixes much FIG. 2. Overexposed (30 minutes) developed with Cramer's formula. more quickly than ordinary hypo and owing to its non-tanning properties it is more easily washed out. Added to these advantages is the fact that the bath remains perfectly clear, even after prolonged use. The advantages of working by the methods described above as compared with the old formulæ are many,-less time in development, perfect clearness, greater brilliancy, much superior printing qualities, freedom from fog or stains and, in fact, infinitely better negatives. In Edinol the radiographer has undoubtedly the most excellent medium for X-ray development ever introduced. In my regular work I have adopted the following rules: For exposure through the chest and pelvis I use the formula given above; for injuries and diseases of the bones or any subject where detail of the bones is essential I employ the following: Where uncertain exposures have been made, I have adopted the following stand-developer: Edinol Concentrated Developer Water 4 drachms .48 ounces In this bath the development takes place in about 30 minutes, and with it, it is possible to obtain the finest details even in extreme underexposures. As an example of what Edinol is capable of, see plates II and III. No. II is the result of development with the formula given by the Cramer Plate Co. for their X-ray plates for overexposures and called by them the "contrast developer." No. III, same exposure, was developed with the following: No. IV shows an underexposed picture of a hand one-half treated with the intensifier, the other half remaining just as it came out in development. Nothing need be said further, the plates speak for themselves. The writer has a collection of negatives, developed and treated by the above methods which are uniformly excellent and which have evoked expressions of admiration from many physicians. The quality of these negatives, I must admit, is not due so much to my skill as to the splendid properties of the chemicals I have used, in fact the veriest tyro can produce equally good results with "Edinol, the developer that thinks." CHARLES BRUSH, Metropolitan Hospital, Blackwell's Island, N. Y. PAPERS READ BEFORE THE AMERICAN Dr. Henry Hulst, Grand Rapids, Mich., followed with a paper entitled: "SKIAGRAPHY OF THE CHEST." Skiagraphy of the chest is a significant and valuable supplementary method of physical diagnosis. For obtaining pathologic detail it is of unusual value. The object should be as nearly at rest as possible. A momentary exposure of one second or less, during suspended respiration, is long enough. When skiagraphing limited portions of the chest wall use a diaphragm. To secure contrast, plate may be sandwiched between calcium tungstate screens. The induction coil is the best. The tube must be able to maintain its vacuum. The lowest tube that will do the work is the best for the purpose. Short exposure eliminates, to a certain extent, clouding. When the chest is at rest we avoid blurring of the lung detail. Time exposures defeat the very purpose of skiagraphy. Always test the tube by means of Walter's skiameter. *Continued from our January Issue. Dr. Mihran A. Kassabian, Philadelphia, read a paper entitled: "HOW TO OBTAIN AN INSTANTANEOUS SKIAGRAPH OF THE The coil is the most important part of the equipment. It will excite tube more effectively than will the static machine, which is lacking in many things. The coil should be one of twenty inches spark-producing capacity. The next most important part of the apparatus, without which the coil would be useless, is the interrupter. The electrolytic interrupter is the one that gives the best result in skiagraphy of the chest. It gives a rapid make-and-break, having from 8 to 16,000 vibrations per minute. The vibrations of the mechanic interrupter are too slow, and therefore the instrument is useless. A tube having a high degree of vacuum should be used. This means that the power of penetration is also high, a fact that has been proven highly essential in this rapid skiagraphy. The degree of penetrability is best measured by means of the fluorescent screen. Intensifying screens should be used only in those cases where the patient demands a short exposure. The plate must be a highly sensitized one. The author also exhibited a specially constructed table of his invention to be used for taking skiagrams. The patient can be placed in the best possible position without inconvenience, so that good skiagraphs are assured. Attached to the table and forming a part of it is an adjustable plate holder and diaphragm. In order to secure the best possible results from X-ray work Kassabian advised the use of a record blank that gives not only the usual information as to findings and diagnosis, but also, and more particularly, the exact technique that was used. In this way alone will our work be of profit to others, as well as to ourselves. He exhibited a blank that he uses for this purpose. DISCUSSION. The discussion on these two papers was opened by Dr. Gordon G. Burdick, Chicago. He said that better results are obtained from prolonged exposures rather than from the short. |