Chicago's Northwestern University last week announced successful tests
of a “sunburnometer,” a recording device to measure the intensity
of the ultraviolet component of the sun's light which causes sunburn. The
sunburn-causing wave lengths can be considered as the “health
band” in the solar spectrum, mainly because it contains the still
narrower band which produces vitamin D in the skin. Developed by
Professors Walter S. Huxford and Robert Cashman, the “sunburnometer”
is noi sensitive to visible light or to the short radiation on the
other side of the sunburn band. It may also be used to test the
efficacy of ultraviolet lamps for indoor treatment. Although the meter contains a new type of photoelectric cell, of pure
magnesium enclosed in corex glass, ultraviolet recorder: themselves
are not especially new. But Professors Huxford & Cashman have started
right out to get geographic comparisons. They find, for example, that
Iowa and Nebraska are richer in sunburning sunlight than the Chicago
region, that the uplands of South Dakota are richer still. They
indicate their willingness to put their heads in a lion's mouth of
uproarious dispute by comparing the healthfulness of Florida's
sunshine with California's.
