Southend mud has been "discovered." A London radiographer and X-ray specialist, Mr. H. J. Monson, first went to Southend—to use his own words—'"to investigate the smell," and found that the "'beach" gave off a marsh gas, and that there was ai] in the clay underneath. He has carried out a series of experiments, having been given permission by the Council to take away as man samples of the mud as he desired, and is convinced that the much-reviled substance contains radioactive properties. 7 In a conversation with a '"Westminster Gazette" representative, he said the mud showed phosphorescence, a fact which was known to everybody who had visited Southend. 3 "That property," he said, "is renowned for its curative effects. It is" certainly radio-active, but what rare earth it is that contains it has yet to be investigated. In my laboratory I have determined that by a special treatment olive oil will pick up the radio energy the mud, and that by merely applying the oil to the skin, relief and cure can be at once obtained from such diseases as sciatica, lumbago, and rheumatism. It is my intention to build a Hydro at Southend within a few months, where the cure may be obtained without the horrid mud baths, hitherto the prevailing custom. I am not yet sure whether radium itself is to be found in the mud."
Mr. Monson is convinced that oil will te found under the shale. He has proved that the mud is of great commercial value, too. It will increase the energy of petrol. By the action of emanations from X-rays," he said, "the Beta ray is produced, and this 1s passed on into petrol, thus giving an ionising effect. This action increases the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.