Mercury Vapor Quartz Lamp Research Articles

The Transparency of Various Materials to Ultra-Violet Radiation

In the course of an investigation on the measurement of the intensity of ultra-violet radiation an examination was made of the transmission of the radiation through a number of well-known substances. The spectrograms taken supply information which may be welcomed by those concerned with ultra-violet light therapy. These have been collected and are presented together in this paper. In addition to the transmission of the radiation through crystals and other materials, which are not in common use, the paper deals with the various ultra-violet glasses now on the market and the results are arranged so that their transparency can readily be compared with that of ordinary window glass. The radiation is supplied by a quartz mercury vapour lamp of the K.B.B. atmospheric type operating at 2.2 amperes and 110 volts. The mercury arc provides a strong source of ultra-violet radiation extending to about 2,000 Å., and is very suitable for the present purpose. The spectrum of the arc, which was obtained by means of a Hilger quartz spectrograph,* consists of a number of intense emission lines superposed upon a weak continuous background. The spectrograms obtained show the limits of the absorption bands of the various fiters in the ultra-violet region with fair definition, and should prove useful in the selection of transmission screens suitable for therapeutic purposes.

Light Therapy in Mental Hospitals

The value of sunlight in the maintenance of health has been recognized from early ages, and history records sun-worship by many nations in the past as well as at the present time. In Europe records exist of the use of the light of the sun for medical and surgical purposes since before the Christian era, but it was only towards the end of the last century that its possibilities began to be studied and the value of the electric arc lamp as a substitute recognized. In 1893 Finsen demonstrated the value of sunlight and electric arc radiation in the treatment of lupus, and at the beginning of the present century Bernhard of Samaden treated wounds and tuberculous lesions with sunlight. In 1903 Rollier opened his first clinic at Leysin, where he obtained excellent results in the treatment of tuberculosis, especially of the surgical type, by insolation in the brilliant Alpine sunshine. In 1908 Gauvain introduced heliotherapy at Hayling Island and at Alton. Nagelschmidt used the air-cooled quartz mercury vapour lamp for general irradiation in the same year, and in 1913 Reyn commenced the use of the carbon arc for the same purpose. The value of ultra-violet rays in the cure of rickets was not recognized till demonstrated by Huldschinsky in 1918, though Palm (1), as early as 1890, urged that deficiency of sunshine was a cause of the condition.

The Action of Ultra-Violet Light and X Rays on the Spectrum of Pure and Activated Ergosterol

It is known that Vitamin D is formed when ergosterol is irradiated under suitable conditions with ultra-violet light. The only test for the presence of the vitamin is by somewhat laborious biological methods, although it is known that certain changes occur in the absorption spectrum of Ergosterol as a result of exposure to ultra-violet radiation. With the view to gaining more information about these spectral changes, we have made a number of experiments, the results of which form the subject of this paper. In addition, the affect of doses of X rays upon the spectrum of activated Ergosterol has also been investigated, as Morrison, peacock and Wright showed that X rays diminished the biological activity. In our experiments, ergosterol in alcoholic solution has been submitted to a variety of doses of radiation from a quartz mercury vapour lamp, and, in the first instance, the changes which occur in ergosterol under these circumstances will be described as they appear more complicated than has hitherto been s...

THE EFFECT OF ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT ON CORNEAL TUBERCULOSIS IN RABBITS

Experimental evidence which can shed light on the activity of the tubercle bacillus in tissue and its resistance to modern methods of therapy is of value. The advent of the use of heliotherapy has marked a great advance in the physiotherapy and control of many forms of local tuberculosis. A particularly significant addition to the medical armamentarium was the air-cooled quartz mercury vapor lamp, commonly spoken of as the ultraviolet lamp or the Alpine sun lamp. In the world at large, sunlight is the great destroyer of bacteria, and even in the animal body, if the effects of its indirect action are considered, it must be given first place. Sunlight in many countries, however, is available for only short periods of the year, and even then is an uncertain therapeutic and experimental agent, due to weather conditions. This has limited its value and led to the creation of substitute sources

QUARTZ LAMP THERAPY IN HUMAN RICKETS AND RACHITIC SPASMOPHILIA

The observation that we1made in one of our studies of last year in connection with the pathogenesis of rachitic spasmophilia, which showed that a single exposure of human low phosphorus rickets to mercury vapor quartz lamp ultraviolet rays caused the development of healing which continued, in a moderate degree, for a period of sixty-one days, made us realize that probably the different schedules for exposures in use at present in the treatment of rickets and rachitic spasmophilia are unnecessarily heavy. We were in a way prepared for this conclusion by the experience obtained from our work with cod liver oil, which taught us that much smaller doses of the material than those ordinarily given are adequate for the cure and prevention of rickets. One might imagine, too, that exposing infants and children to excessively large doses of ultraviolet rays might in some manner be harmful. Our main object,

The Transmission of Ultra-violet Light through Tracing Cloth

DURING an investigation of the effects of ultraviolet light on various types of blue print paper, it was found that ultra-violet light from a quartz mercury vapour lamp passed through ordinary commercial tracing cloth (or linen) to an extent both unexpected and surprising. A number of tracing cloths were obtained, and spectrograms were taken with three seconds exposure using a Hilger quartz spectrograph.

A COMPARISON OF COD LIVER OIL AND ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT FOR USE IN THE PREVENTION OF RICKETS

Numerous investigators have demonstrated that cod liver oil is the richest available natural source of fat-soluble vitamins. The antirachitic vitamin content of cod liver oil prepared and stored under proper conditions justifies its being considered as specific for rickets. More recently, investigators have demonstrated that ultraviolet light has definite therapeutic value in either the prophylactic or the curative treatment of patients with rickets. This is true of both the natural ultraviolet light present in sunshine and the ultraviolet light produced artificially by the mercury vapor quartz lamp and by some other sources of artificial light. As cod liver oil and ultraviolet light have been proved to be reliable agents for treatment in cases of rickets, the pediatrician naturally is interested to have information concerning the relative efficacy of cod liver oil and ultraviolet light as a source of antirachitic activity. This investigation was undertaken to obtain data which would shed

Effects of Irradiation of Crude Coal Tar by Quartz Mercury Vapor Lamps. I. Evidence of chemical changes as shown by changes in absorption spectra.

The stimulus to investigations on the possible changes in the absorption of crude coal tar when irradiated by air-cooled quartz mercury vapor lamps was furnished by the fact that a simple but apparently beneficial treatment for psoriasis consists in irradiating, with sources rich in ultraviolet light, affected areas which are covered with a thin film of crude coal tar ointment. Neither the ointment nor irradiation alone produces as marked results; hence the combination of the 2 is used simultaneously. The so-called crude coal tar ointment is made up of 2 drams each of crude coal tar and pulverized zinc oxide mixed with 2 ounces each of corn starch and petrolatum. It seemed highly probable that the only substance in this ointment which might give evidence of chemical change under ultraviolet irradiation was the crude coal tar and that, by investigations of a spectroscopic character, it might be possible to determine which portion of the crude coal tar was the active or stimulating agent. Thus far we have settled definitely only the question relative to changes in absorption spectra produced by irradiation with an aircooled quartz mercury vapor lamp. The lamp used was made by the Victor X-Ray Corporation and was operated at 90 volts at a distance of 17 cm. The apparatus for obtaining absorption spectra is shown in Fig. 1. A 0.5 kilowatt transformer is used for electrical excitation together with a suitable condenser which is joined in parallel (multiple) with a spark-gap consisting of one electrode of aluminum and one of nickel separated by a few millimeters. The photographic plates used for obtaining the spectrograms were made more sensitive to the extreme ultraviolet irradiation by treatment with oil. In the development of the plate the oil is carefully removed with anhydrous ether before it is immersed in the developer. Of the various possible solvents for crude coal tar, ether was chosen because it is least opaque to the ultraviolet region and does not change appreciably (if at all) when exposed to prolonged irradiation.

PHOTOSENSITIZATION OF ANIMALS AFTER THE INGESTION OF BUCKWHEAT

THE CHIEF POINTS PRESENTED IN THIS PAPER ARE: 1. Following the ingestion of buckwheat (plant or seed) varicolored guinea pigs, white swine and goats exhibited symptoms of photosensitization, the degree of sensitization being in the order given. 2. Rabbits, dogs, white mice and rats did not manifest symptoms of photosensitization. 3. The symptoms and reactions were: agitation, itching, scratching of the ears, weakness, urticaria with sloughing and symptoms similar to those in anaphylaxis. 4. Microscopic examinations showed the lack of marked pathologic change. The lesions, such as petechial hemorrhage of the lungs, brain, liver, stomach and kidneys, suggest that profound toxemia has been present. 5. Lesions were not found which appeared to be suggestive of malignant neoplasms. 6. Irradiation by a quartz mercury vapor lamp apparently develops a resistance to photosensitization, probably because of increased pigmentation induced by ultra-violet light. 7. From the nature of the physiologic and pathologic reactions produced under various filters and from a consideration of the percentages of transmission of solar energy in the visible spectrum, it would seem that the region of photosensitization lies between 580 millimicrons (yellow) and the red end of the spectrum. This conclusion, moreover, is substantiated by the fact that irradiation by a quartz mercury vapor lamp (which radiates no energy in the visible spectrum at a wave-length greater than 579 millimicrons) produces no symptoms or reactions. 8. Spectrophotometric determinations of alcoholic extracts of grass (non-toxic) and of buckwheat (toxic) show the presence of two additional bands in the absorption spectrum of buckwheat with maxima at about 540 and 600 millimicrons, respectively, together with the common absorption zones at 430 to 490 millimicrons and 630 to 690 millimicrons. 9. Spectrophotometric determinations of blood serums of sensitized animals show, besides the usual absorption bands peculiar to oxyhemoglobin (with maxima at 540 and 580 millimicrons respectively), two zones with maxima at 600 and 660 millimicrons respectively. 10. The fluorescence of chlorophyll per se, as suggested by previous investigators, is not, in all probability, the cause of the sensitization induced by buckwheat. 11. Hematoporphyrine is not the photodynamic substance in all probability. 12. Phylloporphyrine may be the photodynamic substance. In this regard, also, the possibility of cholehematin is not to be ruled out.

The Optical Analogue of the Compton Effect

THE presence in the light scattered by fluids, of wave-lengths different from those present in the incident light, is shown very clearly by the accompanying photographs (Fig. 1). In the illustration (1) represents the spectrum of the light from a quartz mercury vapour lamp, from which all wave-lengths greater than that of the indigo line have been filtered out. Thisline (4358 A.) is marked Din the spectrogram, and C is the group of lines 4047, 4078, and 4109 A. Spectrogram (2) shows the spectrum of the scattered light, the fluid used being toluene in this case. It will be seen that besides the lines present in the incident spectrum, there are several other lines present in the scattered spectrum. These are marked a, b, c in the figure, and in addition there is seen visually another group of lines which is of still greater wave-length and lies in a region outside that photographed. When a suitable filter was put in the incident light to cut off the 4358 line, this latter group also disappeared, showing that it derived its origin from the 4358 line in the incident radiation. Similarly, the group marked c in spectrogram (2) disappeared when the group of lines 4047, 4078 and 4109 was filtered out from the incident radiation by quinine solution, while the group due to 4358 A. continued to be seen. Thus the analogy with the Compton effect becomes clear, except that we are dealing with shifts of wave-length far larger than those met with in the X-ray region.

The Effect on Plants of Radiations From A Quartz Mercury Vapour Lamp

ABSTRACT A number of plants grown in the full daylight of a greenhouse have been exposed daily to the radiations of an Ulviarc mercury vapour lamp for very short time intervals, varying from 10 minutes to 30 seconds in the different experiments. Stunting and other formal and formative effects were seen with intervals of 1 minute and upwards. Exposures of 30 seconds on seedlings of Trifolium six weeks old appear to have no stunting effect and a favourable after-effect. Exposures of 2 minutes given to plants of Voandzeia receiving natural illumination for 7 hours or 5 hours daily have a more serious effect than when given to a plant receiving a 12-hour day.

Vitamins A and B in the Chinese Litchi Nut.

The Chinese hazel or litchi nut (Litchi Chinensis) has long been cultivated for medicinal and edible purposes in the Orient, and has attained a certain vogue in this country. A study of the therapeutic and food values of this fruit was made by Read, who describes the nut as “nearly globose with a dull brick-red pericarp which, when ruptured, exposes a sweet, brown, fleshy arillus surrounding a glossy chestnut-brown obicular seed ….”1 If this fleshy edible part corresponds in nutritive value to most of the fruits used in the American dietary, it should constitute a source of certain of the accessory food factors. The present study deals with the assay for vitamins A and B in the litchi nut.Young rats 25 to 30 days old, weighing 40 to 50 grams, were given the following diets:The growth of rats on the first ration was rather prolonged, lasting from 40 to 50 days before cessation. The diet was then irradiated with light from a quartz mercury vapor lamp, with the result that growth was immediately resumed for ...

EFFECT OF ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT ON OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AND ON TOTAL METABOLISM

The effect of ultraviolet light on the physiologic functions of the cell is a problem of fundamental importance. One of these functions is that of cellular respiration and heat production. In this article are reported experiments made to determine whether the total metabolism of the human organism is affected by maximum exposures of ultraviolet light from a quartz mercury vapor lamp. The earlier work of K. A. Hasselbalch on animals and that of A. Durig on man would indicate that light has little effect on the total metabolism. The opinion of clinicians employing ultraviolet irradiations therapeutically is that this form of wave length results in a stimulating action. However, there are few exact measurements. Harris1has found that the full irradiations from a quartz mercury vapor lamp are without appreciable effect on the total metabolism as judged from carbon dioxide production over short periods of time, while the ultraviolet rays

The Antirachitic Effect of December Sunlight: Seasonal Variation.

It was first shown by Huldschinsky1 that rays from the mercury vapor quartz lamp produced a definite antirachitic effect on rachitic infants. Hess and Unger2 demonstrated that the sun's rays also prevented infantile rickets. This beneficial effect of the sun was confirmed with carefully controlled animal experiments by Powers, Park, Shipley, McCollum and Simmonds.3 Hess and Weinstock4 found that the rays which exerted this curative effect were shorter than 313 millimicrons. This means that the effective solar rays range only from 313 to 290 millimicrons in length, and constitute a very small percentage of the total solar radiation. As these very short rays are readily absorbed by smoke, dust and moisture in the atmosphere, the ultraviolet content of the sun's rays is markedly reduced in the winter months, when the sun is low in the sky, and the rays consequently have to pass through a greater distance of our atmosphere.5, 6 It is, therefore, reasonable to expect that the antirachitic effect of sunlight wi...

The Influence of Ultraviolet Light Upon Blood Platelets in Young Rabbits.

Summary(1) Exposure to the mercury vapor quartz lamp has produced, within less than a week, a distinct platelet increase, in 6 normal young rabbits.(2) This increase varied from 40 to 100 per cent of the original normal, but always amounted to at least twice that of the normal variation in the animal. The platelet count returned to normal rather rapidly after having reached its maximum.(3) The red cells, at first decreased, began to rise at about the time of the platelet peak, returned to normal within 6 days, reached a million above normal in 2 weeks and in 2 cases maintained this level for 3 weeks after cessation of radiation.

Endocrine Glands of Rabbits Fed Cod Liver Oil or Irradiated Cholesterol.

Studies on the indirect effects of ultra violet light on growth, and its therapeutic action in rickets and tetany in children have received new impetus recently from the independent observations of Hess and Weinstock, and of Steenbock and his collaborators that diets which are deficient in certain respects may be made complete by irradiation with light of short wave lengths, or by the addition of certain irradiated substances, such as cholesterol. The light of the quartz mercury vapor lamp has been found to have definite secondary effects upon some of the endocrine tissues, also, producing a notable hypertrophy of the hypophysis and the (external) parathyroid glands of normal rabbits. The question arises whether the affected glands mediate some of the metabolic effects ascribed to the radiations, and whether irradiated food materials, which appear to have effects similar to those of ultra violet light on growth and in disturbances of calcium and phosphorus metabolism, also act by a specific stimulation of certain endocrine glands. In these experiments we fed Norwegian cod liver oil, or irradiated cholesterol, to adult male rabbits for periods of several weeks, and at autopsy compared the weights of certain of their endocrine organs with those of normal rabbits, and of rabbits irradiated with a quartz mercury vapor lamp over similar periods of time. In addition to their regular diet, two groups of 6 and of 10 normal adult male rabbits (one group studied in April, the other in December) received 2 to 4 cc. of cod liver oil daily for periods of 3 to 4 weeks. Two groups of 17 and 14 normal rabbits, from the stock of Drs. Brown, Pearce, and Van Allen, examined coincidently with the experimental animals, served as controls.

Fractionation of Irradiated Cholesterol: Chemical Observations.

One of us recently reported1 that cholesterol, as a result of exposure in air to light from the mercury-vapor quartz lamp, reacted differently from the untreated cholesterol towards a reagent consisting of aniline and concentrated hydrochloric acid. With the aid of this color reaction, fractionation of irradiated cholesterol was undertaken. It was hoped that in this way an antirachitically active fraction might be obtained.After repeatedly recrystallizing irradiated cholesterol, it gave a negative color reaction, while the mother liquor, from the first recrystallization, gave a more intense reaction than did the irradiated cholesterol itself. The mother liquor was concentrated by evaporation and filtered. The final filtrate was yellow, removal of the remaining solvents on a water bath left a yellow oil. Recrystallization of purified cholesterol gave no such product. For convenience, it will be referred to as “U. V. oil of cholesterol” until a more suitable name is proposed.The yield of crude oil was about...

Effect of irradiated winter milk and cod liver oil on growth of young of milk-fed rats.

During an investigation pertaining to the mineral deficiencies of milk, it was observed that the young, born of milk fed rats in February and March, 1926, were smaller, and their rate of growth was far less rapid, than that of any which we had heretofore noted in a long series of milk fed animals. These young were furthermore much smaller than young born of these same mothers during October and September, 1925. The appearance of the young in all groups (6) were so strikingly similar, even though the milk modifications were somewhat unlike, that it seemed as if the difficulty must be inherent in the milk, and not in the added inorganic substances. This was further emphasized by the fact that in two cases in which the mother rats were being used as controls, the animals were receiving only milk with the customary iron and iodine additions. To determine what constituent of this particular “winter” milk was lacking, we reduced the number of young in each litter to four, and added to the milk rations of the mothers the following substances respectively: Ca3 (PO4)2, Vitamin B preparation, Yeast, and cod liver oil. In no case did we get satisfactory growth. Slight gains were observed with three of the cod liver oil groups. One group receiving the cod liver oil addition died, as did also the group receiving the Ca3(PO4)2. Besides the small and spindling appearance of these young, it was observed that the skin had a peculiar pink, yellow color, and the fur was very thin and peculiarly wiry. In spots it was quite gone, giving the animals a moth-eaten appearance. A somewhat similar condition in the fur of animals receiving a purified ration, containing cotton seed oil for its chief fat component, seemed to have been corrected by irradiating the food mixture with ultra violet light from a quartz mercury vapor lamp.

Photopharmacology. IV. Effect of radiation on digitalis.

The effects of various radiations on the potency and keeping qualities of digitalis were studied. The official tincture of digitalis was used in our experiments. The activity of the preparations was tested in two ways: on the one hand by the cat method, and, on the other hand by the new phytopharmacological method developed by the authors and described elsewhere.1 The effect of ultra violet rays was studied with a Krohmayer water-cooled mercury vapor quartz lamp and with the Hanovia Alpine Sun Lamp. Tincture of digitalis was radiated with these machines in quartz containers and in pyrex and ordinary glass test tubes for various length of time. The effect of ultra violet radiation was to produce a rapid deterioration of the tincture. Radiation for one hour with the Krohmayer lamp or with the Alpine Sun Lamp of digitalis in a quartz tube produced as much as 30 per cent deterioration in some cases. An analysis of the various rays short and long, in respect to their activity on digitalis, showed that the shor...

RICKETS IN INFANTS

About one year ago, Alfred F. Hess reported the interesting observation that when cotton and linseed oils are irradiated with the mercury vapor quartz lamp and then fed to rats along with a rickets-producing diet, they tend to prevent the development of rickets. More recently, Hess and Weinstock claim to have obtained similar results with a number of chemical substances, especially with cholesterol and phytosterol. Steenbock and his associates state that growth promoting and calcium depositing properties may be imparted to a large number of chemical substances by irradiation. All of these studies were made on animals. It is well known that cow's milk has practically no power to cure rickets in children. It seemed interesting, therefore, to determine whether sufficient antirachitic power to bring about actual cure of rickets in children can be imparted to milk by irradiation. TREATMENT AND DIET Eight children suffering from active, and in most