The first method of counting atomic particles was by "scintillations." Using a microscope, early atomic physicists counted the tiny flashes of light that are made by particles from radium as they hit a fluorescent screen. As soon as Geiger tubes and other radiation detectors were developed, physicists gave up this tedious method. Counting scintillations by eye and microscope was about the most tiresome routine in physics.
Last week Dr. George B. Collins of the University of Rochester announced that he has developed an automatic scintillation counter with an electronic eye. Dr. Collins uses a disc of anthracene (a coal tar product that...
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