X-Ray Technic: From the Old to the New

Abstract

X-RAY technic, like X-ray equipment, has passed through an evolutionary stage from the beginning, in 1896, up to the present time, and the end is not yet in sight. Each year in the past has shown some progress and each year in the near future undoubtedly will continue to show progress. The first four or five years the static machine, with an occasional small induction coil, was used to supply the energy to the very inefficient tubes of that period. The static machines were erratic, being exceedingly susceptible to atmospheric conditions, especially humidity. They would work sometimes. It not infrequently required hours of patient endeavor upon the part of the operator to coax the machine into action. Calcium chloride was purchased by the keg for the purpose of subduing the humidity inside the case. In one case, at least, calcium carbide was used. It worked, but it is needless to say that the machine died a violent death; the operator fortunately recovered after the removal of about a pound of glass fragments. There were no meters for measuring the milliamperage and no means of measuring the variable gap in inches or in K.V.P. The time and distance factors could, of course, be measured and duplicated, but the fraction of a milliampere and the gap that might be put into action were purely speculative. During the first two or three years, one hand of the operator usually functioned as a penetrometer. The penetrating value of the X-ray energy from the tube was determined by looking at the shadow of the bones of the hand and wrist with the ordinary non-protected hand fluoroscope. The result of the use of this method by pioneer operators is too well known to need further mention here. There were no intensifying screens or films during the earlier days, and only ordinary photographic plates were available. If the vacuum of the tube did not climb too high or drop too low, if the tube did not puncture, if the patient could be strapped in a stationary position for a long enough time, if the motor man could be kept at his job, and provided extreme care was used in the developing process a fairly decent radiograph of an extremity might be obtained. It is necessary to use the words might be, because of the fact that there were several unknown factors creeping in here and there that upset all our plans from time to time. With most operators, little was accomplished with the head or trunk, although thousands of mighty good plates and much time were wasted in the effort. A very few operators were fortunate enough to be provided with large static machines and tubes to correspond and they were able to make some progress with the head and trunk, especially the chest. During this first stage of progress in the X-ray art the technician required the maximum of ingenuity, initiative, and patience in order to accomplish anything at all worth while.