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THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. Vol. XII. No. 500,—April 3, 1868. CONTENTS. PAGE Photography and Disease 157 Actinic Light Transmitted by Different Kinds of Glass 158 Echoes of the Month. By an Old Photographer 158 Photographic Printing in Silver, Theoretical and Practical. By IV. T. Bovey 160 The Magic Lantern and Photography. By James Martin 161 Pictorial Effect in Photography. By II. P. Robinson 162 #Ao Photography as an Aid to Archebology. By J. ITenderson 163 Researches on Dry Plates. By M. Carey Lea 161 Proceedings of Societies—Oldham Photographic Society—Liver ¬ pool Amateur Photographic Association 166 Correspondence—Photography and Disease 167 Talk in the Studio 167 To Correspondents * 168 PHOTOGRAPHY AND DISEASE. The general tendency of the evidence furnished by the experience of photographers as stated in many letters, some of which we have published, confirms the position we assumed some weeks ago, in commenting on the cases then submitted for our advice. We expressed a conviction that the practice of photography, when pursued with a prudent atten tion to the conditions of health, was not necessarily injuri ous; but that the too frequent disregard of ventilation in the dark room and studio, the careless contact with danger ous poisons, and the neglect of regularity in taking food not uncommon amongst photographers, together with the con stant mental strain, were fruitful causes of debility and suffering. A letter from a gentleman in active practice as a physician, who is also an enthusiastic amateur photo grapher, confirms these views, and offers some valuable suggestions for the benefit of our readers. He says : — “ The question as to how far the practice of photography, under fair conditions, is prejudicial to health is not an easy one to answer without reliable and statistical evidence. I have myself been an ardent follower of the art for seventeen years, and till last year, when I was poisoned with cyanide of potassium, could trace no indisposition to its practice; but I am not disposed to regard it as altogether innocuous. “ That it might bo rendered comparatively harmless I believe, by ordinary precautions, such as thorough ventila tion of the dark room, and carefully protecting the hands by india-rubber gauntlets, or, as I formerly mentioned, by using horn forceps in the various operations of sensitizing paper, washing, and toning prints. No medical man can ignore the power, for good or evil, of solutions of nitrate of silver, gold, bichloride of mercury, iodine, cyanide, &c. In this instance it must be for evil, as these solutions in photographic work are all of more than average energy, and are used in quantities, and daily, far beyond the strength any prudent physician would venture to prescribe. “ We are all conscious of the penetrating odour of ether ; how for hours it saturates the system, and is unpleasantly perceptible to those not accustomed to its fumes. Long after we have quitted the dark room it permeates the breath, the hair, the skin, and perspiration ; and when we consider its ansthetic properties, designedly given for therapeutic purposes, it need surprise no one if its large and continued use in ill-ventilated studios cause depression, nervous tremors, indigestion, palpitations, vertigo, and a host of other recog nized but ill-understood phenomena, which culminate in the term 1 feeble health,’ so often characteristic of the pro fessional photographer’s condition. The dark room should be ventilated, not only from above, but bcloiv, to allow the heavy fumes of ether to escape; the hands, during the periods of developing, should be frequently washed, to free them from acetic acid and other impurities; and J. would earnestly suggest to professionals id make exercise—taken in the air daily, both before and after work is over—a part of their religion ; to sponge daily with cold water the whole surface of the body ; to be temperate in all things ; in fact, to neglect none of the usual rules of hygeine now, through the happy spread of the daily press and popular literature, so widely diffused among all classes. “ If these points are fairly considered and acted upon, I cannot think the practice of photography necessarily pre judicial, but I am not surprised that it should be otherwise when I observe in so many studios the supreme indifference to the merest precautions : hands boldly immersed through an afternoon’s toning into gold solutions; studios, one would almost think, purposely unventilated; bichloride and iodine intensifiers handled as if they were milk and water; lumps of cyanide rubbed over the hands to remove silver stains ; old collodion used to clean plates, as if the smarting of the eyes, caused by it, were a pleasing pastime ; and a total ignoring of all rules of cleanliness and care. “ There is also another phase of photography which I have never seen mentioned : how far the sight is effected, especially in out-door photography, by the sudden transition from the full blaze of sunshine to the comparative darkness of a tent. I have noticed some tents so ill-lighted that development seemed to me to be performed by instinct. The tent and dark room in my opinion should be suffi ciently illumined by non-actinic light as to enable the operator to read ordinary print with ease, so that all strain on the eyes should be avoided. I am afraid many photo graphers will yet rue the day when they subjected them selves with indifference—not to say ignorance—in spite of frequent warning, to such subtle and malign influences. The professional photographer generally knows little of chemical affinities and their potency, and recklessly deals with occult and poisonous materials. It behoves him, there fore, for his own sake, to ‘ tak tent,’ and secure for himself all the immunity possible from the often invisible but dangerous agencies that surround him.” It is not from any desire to excite the alarm of any of our readers, still less to increase the anxiety of the nervous, that we have given some prominence to this question. Our aim is rather, in regard to the latter, to allay apprehen sion, and point out that the exercise of their profession in volves no risk to health which may not be avoided by ordin ary prudence and care. The anxious and worrying nature of the photographer's duties —which, as a valued correspon dent, “ R. H. P.,” whose letter appears on another page, suggests, is a prolific cause of nervous debility—is not easily removed; but photographers may avoid unhealthy conditions without interfering with the efficiency of their general arrangements. Upon employers we would especially urge the importance of ventilation, for the sake of their own health as well as that of their assistants, and also as