Discussion [on Goldsmith and Dickey]

Messrs. Goldsmith and Dickey have undoubtedly broken new ground in their work on physiological reception of radio signals, and altho the results thus far obtained do not indicate that their method will generally replace aural reception or the more recent Hoxie recorder, it is certainly within the bounds of possibility that some such form of reception may develop into a practical thing for special cases of reception. In discussing the pioneer work of this character, one is tempted to go beyond the confines of the paper itself, and to consider the possibilities of physiological signal reception by the various senses. In conclusion, it occurs to me that a form of local energy (not the heterodyne) might be applied to physiological reception. Some years ago Professor Fessenden suggested the use of a Poulsen telegraphone as a detector, in which the steel wire carried a continuous audio-frequency record, which was obliterated by the received signals, so that by sending inverted morse, that is, the spaces instead of the characters, a reversed and readable record was obtained. It is possible that something of this sort might be applied here. It seems that high frequency currents act rather to dull and inhibit the action of nerve and muscle than to stimulate, so that by superposing the signal upon some form of continuous local stimulus (not necessarily electrical), it might be possible to increase the speed and sensitiveness of the method.