Late in 1896 Elihu Thomson induced a dermatitis on his own finger, and concluded that the rays themselves had caused it. For many men and women it was already too late. Even then it was difficult to believe in a direct carcinogenic effect from X rays. Throughout these earliest years, as the obituaries of radiology pioneers appeared with somber regularity in the journals, researchers worked to untangle the paradox by which the new discovery could kill as well as cure. Hand-held fluoroscopy was a common source of exposure in the 1890s.
Some early apparatus seems to have been designed for maximum exposure.
Edison's longtime assistant in X-ray manufacture and testing, that observers finally agreed that the magic rays could kill as well as cure. By that time it was already too late for many of the roentgen ray pioneers. 1-51 Early efforts at protection involved lead screens, heavy aprons, metal helmets, and other paraphernalia which made the already hot and sometimes noxious practice of radiology even more difficult. Inc. All Rights reserved. Inc. These pages appear courtesy of The Section of Radiologic Computing and Imaging Science, Department of Radiology , Penn State University College of Medicine .