A History of X-Rays

Abstract

The X-ray is the oldest form of medical imaging. This form of imaging has greatly improved thanks to continuous innovation. X-rays have become more broadly applicable for diagnosis and treatment and are of increasing value to the medical world. 1895 Röntgen invents an X-ray technology that can see through parts of the human body. 1919 Philips starts producing X-ray tubes after the company was asked by Dutch hospitals during World War One to repair X-ray tubes. 1925 Early X-ray tubes are inadequate because they radiate X-rays in all directions. Philips develops a narrow tube with a layer of lead so that the radiation can only pass through a glass window, thereby protecting the patient from undesirable radiation and high voltages. 1927 The technique of angiography -X-ray examination of the blood vessels -is invented by the Portuguese doctor Egas Moniz from the University of Lisbon. Using X-rays, he visualizes the vasculature of the brain, using a catheter to inject contrast medium. 1929 Werner Forssmann receives recognition for being the first doctor to insert a catheter into a human heart. Forssmann performed this operation in 1929 while he worked in Eberswalde. He used himself as an experimental subject for the operation. He placed a catheter into a vein in his own arm, and from there, slid it into the right atrium of his own heart. He then dashed off to the radiology department for an X-ray as proof. Although he was dismissed for performing this experiment, this success won him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1954. 1946 Philips improves X-ray tubes by introducing a rotating anode. The anode is the part of the tube from which the X-ray radiation is emitted. A rotating anode achieves better heat distribution, allowing tubes to handle higher power levels (kW). This improved tube remained the standard type used in the medical world for years. 1951 Philips improves clarity and sharpness of X-ray images 400x by developing the first image intensifier. Prior to this development, doctors could only examine X-ray images in the dark and it took an average of 15 minutes before the image could be viewed properly. This delayed medical examinations, which made it unpleasant for both patients and doctors.