Wilhelm Roentgen
The history of radiology is filled with wonder and discovery. Since ancient times, people have been curious about the body, its structure, and how it functions. This led to the many creative individuals who helped pave the way for radiology; from as early as first century Archimedes and his explanation on the reaction of solids to George Eastman who produced a patented roll of film. All of these discoveries and inventions helped give birth to the discovery of x-rays by Physicist, Wilhelm Roentgen. His discovery of a new kind of ray, spurred the age of modern physics and turned the world upside down in diagnostic medicine. Wilhelm Roetgen was born on March 27, 1845 in Lennnep, Germany. His parents were Fedrick and Charolette …show more content…
He became very curious about the cathode ray and started experimenting with Crookes tube at high voltages in a dark room. This is where he unintentionally observed a piece of paper sitting on a bench a few feet away from the Crookes tube begin to glow. This would continually occur after current passed through the tube in a short amount of time. Roentgen realized "that the fluorescence was some kind of ray, rather than light or electricity, escaping the Crookes tube" (Gurley and Callaway, 58). On Decemeber 28, 1985 he "...submitted a report entitled, "on a new kind of rays" to the Wurzburg Physico-Medical Society" (Gurley and Callaway, 58). Roentgen realized that this could revolutionize science. He started experimenting on his own hand to see what would happen. Roentgen found that "placing his hand between the tube and a piece of cardboard coated with barium platinocyanide, he could actually visualize the bones of his hand, thus demonstrating the primitive fluoroscopic screen" (Gurley and Callaway,58). Still unsure if his experiments were reproducible, he locked himself away for several weeks to prove that his work with the cathode rays were indeed valid. To further prove his point, he was able to convince Anna, his wife to "to place her hand on a cassette loaded with a photographic plate for approximately 15 minutes. Development of the plate proved again that Roentgen's experiments were successful" (Gurley and …show more content…
Thomas Edison experimented with fluoroscopy. This procedure allowed him to be able to use "...x-rays to image inner parts of the body in movement and motion" (Gurley and Callaway, 60). During this time radioactivity was discovered by Pierre and Marie Currie, and Henri Becquerel who were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903. Pierre Currie found that radium could kill diseased cells, which led to Marie Currie "...[refining] the knowledge of radioactivity and purified the radium metal. In 1911, she received a Nobel Prize for her work in chemistry" (Gurley and Callaway, 60). She provided mobile radiographic equipment for the French Military in World War I. Marie Curie was the first to train herself as an x-ray technician, than training French soldiers, as well as giving x-ray classes to American soldiers. Continuous improvements on the Roentgen x-rays led to specialties that we have today including computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear medicine, radiation therapy, ultrasound, neurovascular radiology, digital imaging and diagnostic radiography. Not to mention the refining of the equipment used and how fast images can be