Peculiarities of X Rays

1901

There are many curious things about X rays which seem to puzzle even the scientists. Signor Briguiti, who has been making experiments with them at Rome, says that the visibility of a substance to the eye is no criterion of its visibility to the X rays. The rays cannot see through glass, which is transparent to the eye, whereas aluminum, which is opaque to the eye, is transparent to the X rays. The rays can see a splinter of glass in the hand, but not a splinter of wood. Most inks are transparent to the rays, including printer's ink, but some of them are opaque. The rays can see through a postoffice directory, but if a paper with words written on it be put in the middle of the directory the rays will reveal these words and nothing behind them.

Comment: In 1901, postoffice was one word like that. Weird looking, I know.