Dr. H. Becher has called the attention of Americans to the achievement of Dr. Schleussner, an eminent German authority in photochemical matters, who has succeeded, after years of investigation, in sensitizing photographic plates for X-ray use by an addition of certain organic salts which are absorbed by the grains of silver bromide on the photographic plate. The plate thus formed is very responsive to the soft rays of an X-ray tube. The soft rays are relatively longer than the hard Roentgen rays. One could compare the soft rays to blue-violet light, if their effects on this new photographic plate are used for the comparison. Photographs taken with such plates give very contrasting effects. On the “Neo-Roentgen plate” the effect of the yellow light was almost nil. For this reason, developing the plate is considerably facilitated, as the plate can be exposed to yellow light and the attendant, who need not be a skilled operator, can examine the plate in a rather brilliant light without necessarily guessing at possible results. The examination of the plate under a ruby light is, therefore, completely done away with. It follows that if the new X-ray plate should come into general use, much clearer X-ray photographs would be possible; the time of exposure could be decreased; an unskilled operator could develop the plate in a room flooded with yellow light. Such improved plates are now being extensively used. While not attempting to enumerate all the special affections to which X-ray therapy is now being successfully applied, a few uses may be mentioned. X-RAYS CURE WHOOPING COUGH In a preliminary report published in the _Medical and Surgical Journal_ (Boston), Dr. Henry I. Bowditch and Dr. Ralph D. Leonard express the belief that a valuable cure for whooping cough has been found in X-ray treatment of this disease, which has stubbornly resisted most, if not all, of the other remedies applied. Definite improvement was noted in most of 26 cases of active pertussis (whooping cough) treated with the X-ray, the subjects of which ranged in age from three months to 40 years, with disease stages from one to ten weeks. The physicians added that they could not give any rational explanation of the action through which the X-ray appeared to produce beneficial results. The report said: “Each patient received three or four applications of the X-ray at intervals of two or three days.” Many of these cases have not been observed sufficiently long to determine the final result. Nevertheless, “it is evident to us that there resulted a definite improvement in these patients which cannot be explained by mere accident.... It does not seem likely that [the beneficial result] is due to any direct bactericidal property of the X-ray.