By permission of] [G. Houghton &
Son, High Holborn.
RADIOGRAPH OF THE HAND OF H.R.H. THE PRINCE OF WALES.
British surgeons have not been slow to avail themselves of the discovery, by Professor Röntgen, of certain non-luminous rays beyond the spectrum, which are capable of penetrating substances hitherto considered impermeable. By laying such a structure as a human limb upon a properly sensitised surface, and exposing it to these rays thrown from a tube excited by electricity, a permanent image is obtained of the bones and denser portions of the structure. By this means the exact position of any foreign substance, such as a bullet or needle, or the nature of a dislocation or fracture, may be ascertained with precision; and already it has been found possible to examine the condition of the internal organs of a living person.
In bringing to a close this brief survey of the reign of twelve lustres—the longest reign in the history of Great Britain—we may note with gratitude that not one of the many influences that have contributed to the moral or material well-being of the subjects of the empire shows any sign of abating in force. It is a task of no little difficulty and complexity to reconcile the rival, and sometimes conflicting, interests arising in a vast population, and, at the same time, to maintain our lead in the competitive industry of nations; yet it is one which the personal character of the Monarch, in conjunction with the constitutional development of the last sixty years justify the Legislature in undertaking with courage and good hope.
From a Photograph] [by H. N. King.