Cheap X-Ray Film

DHiT Fact for Today:
"The use of X-rays for medical purposes (to develop into the field of radiation therapy) was pioneered by Major John Hall-Edwards in Birmingham, England. In 1908, he had to have his left arm amputated owing to the spread of X-ray dermatitis. The X-ray microscope was invented in the 1950s."

DHiT X-RAY FACT:
"X-rays are useful in the detection of pathology of the skeletal system as well as for detecting some disease processes in soft tissue."

DHiT Random Fact: When the Sun shines on us at a certain angle, our shadow is projected onto the ground. Similarly, when X-ray light shines on us, it goes through our skin, but allows shadows of our bones to be projected onto and captured by film.

The earliest uses of X rays were based on the discoveries made by Roentgen, namely their ability to distinguish bone and teeth from flesh in X-ray photographs. When an X-ray beam is focused on a person's hand or jaw, for example, the beam passes through flesh rather easily but is absorbed by bones or teeth. The picture produced in this case consists of light areas that represent bone and teeth and dark areas that represent flesh. Some applications of this principle in medicine are the diagnosis of broken bones and torn ligaments, the detection of breast cancer in women, or the discovery of cavities and impacted wisdom teeth.