History & Facts About X-Rays
An X-ray is a quick, painless test that produces 2-dimensional images of internal body structures to help physicians diagnose and treat various medical conditions. During the procedure, electromagnetic radiation passes through the body and is absorbed in different amounts depending on the density of the material. Like bone or metal, dense tissue absorbs most X-rays and appears white in the image. X-rays that pass through air, like in the lungs and colon, aren’t absorbed and appear black on the image. Fat and muscle appear as shades of gray.
Physicist Wilhelm Rontgen accidentally discovered X-rays on November 8, 1895. Before their official discovery, X-rays were a type of unidentified radiation emanating from experimental discharge tubes. At his laboratory in Germany, Rontgen observed that invisible cathode rays caused a fluorescent effect on a small cardboard screen he had painted with barium platinocyanide. Rontgen spent subsequent weeks sleeping and eating in his laboratory as he investigated the many properties of the ray.
Rontgen termed his invention “X-rays.” “X” is a mathematical designation for something unknown.
In early 1896, Gilman Frost, professor of medicine at Dartmouth College, treated a young boy named Eddie McCarthy for a wrist injury. Gilman and his brother, Edwin Frost, a professor of physics at the college, exposed Eddie’s wrist to X-rays and could see the image of his broken bone on a gelatin photographic plate. Eddie McCarthy is considered to be the first patient to receive an X-ray for medical diagnosis and treatment.
A healthcare provider may recommend x-rays to look for bone fractures, some types of tumors, injuries or abnormal masses, and signs of pneumonia in the lungs.
Although patients are exposed to a small amount of radiation every time they receive an X-ray, the medical benefit of X-rays outweighs the risk. As such, there is no official limit to how many yearly X-rays a person can receive.
It is estimated that 3.6 billion X-rays are taken annually around the world. Approximately 127 million of those images occur in the U.S.
Chest X-rays are the most administered diagnostic X-rays. Chest X-rays produce images of the heart, lungs, airways, blood vessels, spine, and chest bones.
Imaging Specialists is Charleston’s only privately owned, free-standing imaging center. We stand by the idea that healthcare delivery should revolve around what the patient wants. Contact us today to schedule your X-ray needs!