Seven Thousand Ångström Units Plus
Ralph C. Walker · Radiology · 1932
BACK in the dim and distant past when man first made his appearance on this globe, he had no need for heat to keep himself warm and comfortable, for the earth was steaming and covered with a rank vegetation. Man had not yet learned to cook his food, for he had had no acquaintanceship with fire, and so still lived on herbs and shell fish. Terrific storms raged over the face of the earth, and the electrical discharges from the moistureladen clouds brought terror to his primitive heart, but no fires resulted from this fascinating display, owing to the great dampness of the vegetation. Later this condition gradually changed and man was made acquainted with the phenomenon of fire, which he worshipped, for he had grown to believe that it had been created by the gods of lightning, whose language he had partly understood in the terrible bolts. As the temperature of the atmosphere gradually decreased, man timidly approached these sacred fires and discovered that the heat was comforting to his be-numbed body. Still later in the process of evolution, we are told that at one time two wild animals engaged in a death struggle accidentally fell into one of these fires and that their bodies were partly consumed. The odor of roasted flesh stirred a something in the innermost part of the cave man, and approaching, he timidly poked with his finger at the half-burned body of one of the animals. His curiosity cost him a burn and he promptly stuck the injured member into his mouth. The results were surprising, for, in addition to having cooled his finger, there lingered a delicious taste. Being more cautious next time, he procured a stick and continued to experiment, with gratifying gastronomic reactions. An important moment in history was recorded, for the status of the cave man immediately changed from that of the hunted to that of the hunter. The beasts were pursued and their bodies consigned to the sacred fires until they were roasted, after which they were devoured. In tending these fires men found that their bodies were not only warmed, but that their bruises and contusions were greatly benefited. Thus from antiquity comes our first lesson in the use of “seven thousand ÅngstrÖm units plus.” The technic of conveying this modality to the body varies considerably. Primitive man probably first stood before the fire or slept in the warm ashes or on the heated ground. Later, we read, the early races placed heated stones in a pit dug in the ground, and, by pouring water on them, caused steam to be generated which was confined by means of coverings draped about the body—a forerunner of our modern steam baths.