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The discoveries of an x-ray
History of X rays Essay
The discoveries of an x-ray
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X-rays
This is a scientific report on x-rays, it’s history, uses, implications and other relevant facts. More relevance will be given to its medical uses/ importance as it was the most beneficial trait that x-rays brought.
X-rays were discovered in 1895 when Wilhelm Conrad Röentgen was doing some experiments with electron beams in a gas discharge tube and observed a glow in one of his fluorescent screens whenever the electron beam was on.
It was a fact that fluorescent material usually glowed in reaction to magnetic radiation but the gas discharge tube was surrounded by heavy black cardboard which was assumed by Roentgen to block most of the radiation. Confused and curious, Roentgen then put several objects between the tube and the glowing screen with nothing different happening, only after he put his hand he was able to see the silhouette of his bones projected on the fluorescent screen.
Not only he had discovered x-rays he had also discovered its most important use: allow doctors to examine patient’s bones, cavities and swallowed objects without having to cut them open – useful non-invasive method.
X-rays are invisible high-energy electromagnetic radiation that tend to act equally like a particle and a wave, which explains why x-ray detectors collect actual photons of x-ray light.
Fig. 1
The bones and teeth are denser than the skin or other soft tissue therefore they absorb more x-rays, when an x-rays film is put on one side of the body and x-rays are shot through the body only the radiation that goes through the softer tissues reaches the film and changes its colour, that is why it is possible to see the bones’ silhouette making it possible to diagnose broken or cracked bones. The examination of softer tissues like the...
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...rks.com/x-ray.htm> [Access date 20th October 2011]
[Access date 20th October 2011]
[Access date 20th October 2011]
Ron Kurtus, 2007. X-ray Health Risks. [online] Available at [Access date 22nd October 2011]
Fred Kavalier, 2003. X-rays and Radiation. [online] Available at [Access date 22nd October 2011]
Fig. 1 NASA, The Electromagnetic Spectrum. [online] Available at:< URL:http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/images/EM_Spectrum3-new.jpg> [Access date 25th October 2011]
Fig. 2 [Access date 22th October 2011]
the effective doses from diagnostic CT procedures are typically estimated to be in the range of 1 to 10 mSv. This range is not much less than the lowest doses of 5 to 20 mSv estimated to have been received by some of the Japanese survivors of the atomic bombs. These survivors, who are estimated to have experienced doses slightly larger than those encountered in CT, have demonstrated a small but increased radiation-related excess relative risk for
The X-ray was first discovered in 1895 by a German physicist named W.C. Roentgen (“The Discovery”). W.C. Roentgen was working in his lab one day in 1895 and decided to send a high electrical current through a cathode ray filled with special gas. He realized that a dim green colored light was being produced, and decided to hold the cathode ray just above his wife’s hand. When he did this he observed that the light was able to penetrate human skin, but would leave all the bones visible. There is a picture below of the X-ray of W.C. Roentgen’s wife’s hand (“The Discovery”). He named it the X-ray because he did not know the identity of what kind of ray it was. He just named it X, because of its use in solving unknowns in algebraic equations (“The Discovery”).
The role of the radiologist is one that has undergone numerous changes over the years and continues to evolve a rapid pace. Radiologists specialize in the diagnoses of disease through obtaining and interpreting medical images. There are a number of different devices and procedures at the disposal of a radiologist to aid him or her in these diagnoses’. Some images are obtained by using x-ray or other radioactive substances, others through the use of sound waves and the body’s natural magnetism. Another sector of radiology focuses on the treatment of certain diseases using radiation (RSNA). Due to vast clinical work and correlated studies, the radiologist may additionally sub-specialize in various areas. Some of these sub-specialties include breast imaging, cardiovascular, Computed Tomography (CT), diagnostic radiology, emergency, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), musculoskeletal, neuroradiology, nuclear medicine, pediatric radiology, radiobiology, and Ultrasound (Schenter). After spending a vast amount of time on research and going to internship at the hospital, I have come to realize that my passion in science has greatly intensified. Furthermore, both experiences helped to shape up my future goals more prominently than before, which is coupled with the fact that I have now established a profound interest in radiology, or rather nuclear medicine.
Since the beginning of the propitious world, the core aspect that keeps it thriving is the propensity for people to discover innovations; however, progress of the past is, systematically, detrimental to the future. Not long after the revolutionary invention of the X-ray in the late 19th Century, an unprecedented number of medical examiners noticed (unknown to the time) radiation burns all over their body; decades later, an extraordinary surge in cancer cases had arisen. Perhaps, during the course of these years, scientists and researchers desired to further progress the x-ray (into the immense subsidiaries that are here today), and disregarded any flaws in the apparatus. This systematic inclination continues into the present time as Gary Marshall and Shane Keene notes in their 2007 article, “New technologies allow for patients to be overexposed routinely, and also allow for repeats to be taken quickly, making it easier for a technologist to multiply the patients dose without considering the implications” (5). The gaffes of radiology are present not only in the diagnostic setting, but also in the surgical and therapeutic areas. Working with radiation, it is imperative that the staff is aware of mistakes that are potentially fatal not only for patients, but themselves. It is especially important for medical radiologists to be cognizant of pediatric patients. The standard practice of pediatric radiology in the United States is to follow the step-by step formula from which adult patients are treated and diagnosed. There are copious consequences for following this technique since a child naturally has less body mass and a weaker immune and lymphatic system to manage radiation and its adverse effects. Medical radiology, being a...
In the radiology profession first you must write the patient’s file. This includes information about insurance, medical history, what the required x-ray is for and where it is going to be taken on the body. Writing in this way is similar to writing a small research paper. You must do research on the patients and there history and what insurance they have. Writing the report is important because the information must be accurate so the patient can be helped as much as possible. If the information about medical history is incorrect it can cause a huge problem for the patient. For example, if the patient is claustrophobic they would need to get an open room x-ray where the patient isn’t in an enclosed tube so they don’t have a panic attack and potentially injure themselves and others. It is very important to make sure the report has the correct area of where the x-ray needs to be taken. Having the wrong part of the body x-...
Driver, (2013), described the DEXA scanner as a machine that produces two x-ray beams of high and low energy levels. Much like fluoroscopy, the x-ray from the DEXA scanner comes from underneath the patient, and the scanner has a very low x-ray dose. Earlier versions of the DEXA scanner emitted radiation which required up to five minutes to scan an area of interest, but the more advanced machines can take as ...
Computed tomography (CT) and Radionuclide imaging (RNI) are both a form of diagnostic imaging. Since they have been first introduced in medical imaging they both suffered a huge development over the years in terms of image acquisition and also patient radiation protection. The following essay it is going to focus on just a few important things that make CT and RNI similar and different in the same time. However this subject can be discussed in much depth, the focus is going to be on the similarities and differences of the physics imaging methods and also a small awareness of biological effects and radiation protection.
Today I’m going to inform you about X-ray Technology its history and how it been advancing since it’s been invented. Also will inform you how it is currently helping doctors and their patients.
Apart of becoming a new patient at a dental office is taking an x-ray and some may have question along with taking an x-ray, like “will I be affected by the x-ray?” or “will I get cancer?”, “how long will it take” “are x-ray’s safe?”, the list goes on and on. So in this paper we will talk about different types of radiation affects such as affects on children and pregnant women as well as some things that may help reduce some of the radiation that may harm the human body.
Roentgen realized that the cathode rays couldn’t cause this reaction, because the screen was too far. He theorized that invisible rays that came from the Crookes caused the fluorescent glow. Later, Roentgen discovered that these rays were capable of penetrating a few objects. He decided to use the rays on his own hand, and he was able to see the contrast between opaque bones and the translucent flesh. He found that the rays could pass through human tissue, causing bones and metals to be visible. Instead of using a screen, Roentgen used a
A spectrum is an image or distribution of colour of any electromagnetic radiation arranged in a progressive series according to wavelength.
the X ray was invented, a device having the same purpose as today's iron lung,
As x-rays exit the patient, they interact with a cesium iodide input phosphor which converts the x-ray energy into visible light. Cesium iodide crystals are a tightly packed layer of linear needles which help improve spatial resolution by allowing little light dispersion. Attached to the input phosphor is the photocathode. Bushong describes the photocathode as, “a thin metal layer usually composed of cesium and antinomy compounds that respond to stimulation of input phosphor light by the emission of electrons.” (Bushong, 2013, p. 405). This phenomenon of electron emission following light stimulation is called photoemission. The emission of just one electron through photoemission is dependent upon numerous light photons. The amount of electrons produced by the photocathode is directly proportional to how much light reaches it from the input phosphor, which is directly proportional to the intensity of the initial x-ray beam. These electrons will be accelerated to the anode where they will pass through a small hole to the output phosphor. The output phosphor, made of zinc cadmium sulfide, is where the electrons produced through photoemission will interact and produce light. It is extremely
f) Markel, H. (2012). ‘I have seen my death’: How the world discovered the X-ray. [PBS.org Article]. URL http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/i-have-seen-my-death-how-the-world-discovered-the-x-ray/
There is quite a bit of history involving gamma ray radiation. We have learned that gamma rays that come from space are mostly absorbed by Earth's atmosphere, which means that gamma ray astronomy couldn’t be developed until we could study it from the outside (Mattson, Barbra). The first gamma ray telescope was made and sent into space in 1961, as it turns out it picked up less than 100 gamma ray photons that seemed to be coming from all directions in the universe (Mattson, Barbra). The first successful detection of gamma ray radiation in space was in 1967 by the gamma ray detector aboard the OSO-3 satellite, it detected 621 dealings with gamma rays (Mattson, Barbra). Later on the SAS-2 and COS-B satellites provided more gamma ray radiation data (Mattson, Barbra). The data from these satellites confirmed earlier data found on the gamma rays background, it also produced the first detailed map of the sky at gamma ray wave le...