X-Rays at Alcatraz

x-ray history Feb 14, 2024

An old, somewhat eerie photograph of an x-ray room that was used often at the Alcatraz prison, known for its maximum-security facilities and historical significance.

Alcatraz Island, located in San Francisco Bay, was developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison, and finally, as a federal prison from 1934 until 1963. During its 29 years of operation by the federal bureau of prisons, Alcatraz was designed to hold prisoners who continuously caused trouble at other federal prisons, essentially making it the last stop for the country's most incorrigible inmates.

Alcatraz gained a notorious reputation due to the harsh conditions caused by the cold, strong currents of the surrounding bay waters, which were assumed to be too treacherous for successful escape attempts. Some of the most famous inmates included notorious criminals like Al Capone and Robert Franklin Stroud, the "Birdman of Alcatraz."

Al Capone, also known as "Scarface," was one...

Continue Reading...

The Dawn of Diagnostic Imaging: The Frost Brothers' Pioneering X-Ray Experiment

x-ray history Jan 26, 2024
 

In this picture, we witness three individuals absorbed in a groundbreaking medical procedure. At the heart of the scene is the innovative duo, Dr. Gilman Frost and his brother, Professor Edwin Frost, engrossed in the first clinical, diagnostic x-ray procedure carried out in the United States. The year is 1896, and the air is thick with anticipation and the promise of scientific discovery.

The setting is modest, a room that doubles as a laboratory, with scientific paraphernalia strewn about—glassware, books, and the primitive x-ray apparatus itself. A large, bulky machine sits on a table, complete with a cathode ray tube, the engine of this nascent technology. Dr. Gilman Frost, a physician with a vision for the future of diagnostics, is poised with a focus that belies the gravity of the moment. Beside him, Edwin Frost, whose expertise in physics is indispensable to the operation, assists with the adjustments of the machine. The subject of their attention is...

Continue Reading...

Then and Now | Chest X-Ray

 

Central Ray | perpendicular to the midsagittal plane entering the level of T7

Evaluation Criteria

  • Apices and costophrenic angles
  • Both lungs and 10 ribs visible above the diaphragm
  • Heart on the left side
  • Spinous process centered demonstrating no rotation of the body
  • Adequate air filling the lungs demonstrated by the dark contrast of the lung field.

Shielding: gonads

IR: 14x17in (35x43cm) Crosswise

SID: 72 inches (183cm)

Breathing: Suspended


The history of the PA view x-ray projection of the chest is a long and fascinating one. The first chest x-rays were taken in the early 1890s, shortly after the discovery of X-rays by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895. These early x-rays were of poor quality and did not provide much information about the internal structures of the chest.

In the early 1900s, a number of improvements were made to x-ray technology, including the development of the grid, which helped to reduce the amount of scattered radiation that reached the film. These...

Continue Reading...

History of the Crookes Tube and Its Revolutionary Impact

x-ray history Jan 04, 2024

The history of the Crookes tube is a fascinating journey through the world of 19th-century physics, marking significant advancements in our understanding of atomic structure and electromagnetic radiation. Here's an overview:

Invention and Early Development

  • 1869-1875: The Crookes tube was developed by Sir William Crookes, an English physicist. It evolved from earlier discharge tubes, notably the Geissler tube, invented in the 1850s.
  • Fundamental Design: The tube was a glass vacuum tube with electrodes at either end. When high voltage was applied, the low-pressure air (or other gases) inside the tube would ionize, allowing electricity to flow through the gas, creating a glow.

This represents the traditional design often associated with a Crookes tube, a device invented by William Crookes for studying electrical discharges in gases. While it's not definitively known which type of tube Wilhelm Röntgen used during his X-ray discovery, this model is widely believed to be the one....

Continue Reading...
Close

50% Complete

Two Step

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.