History of Radiology

Many of of us have ungone some form of X-ray over our life-time.  When you enter the Military, a new job physical or just an annual check up with your private physician, you encounter the world of Radiology. Along with the routine blood, urine and EKG exams, you possibly have had a chest X-ray.  I bet you even had to endure dental X-rays, to check on the possible abcess or other manifestation with your teeth.

Regardless of the reason for having X-rays, you may not be that familiar with the origin or person who actually discovered X-rays.  Radiology officially began in November  1895, by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, a German Physist. In fact, experiments prior to Roentgen's discovery, took place as early as 1785 by a Welsh mathematician William Morgan, who actually made the first steps during the 1850's.

Roentgen was credited with his presentations to the scientific community. WIthin a year of Roentgen's work, 1000 scientific papers were published regarding X-rays. Not only did people have interest in diagnostic uses, but using X-ray as a method of therapeutic treament was activily explored.  In fact, JAMA carried an article in 1896, discussing the theories of therapeutic x-ray use.

As in any earlier explorations of a new method of treatment, there were unfortunate harmful results and death. The early x-ray tubes (cathode rays), lacked the protection needed and the standards for exposure were had not been established. In the early applications of x-ray use, the operators used their own hands to test the apparatus.  Protection measures were gradually introduced after 1903 and  professional associations for operators were formed to provide training.