X-Ray Tube
notes: label: Description
content: Cold cathode, three electrode glass x-ray tube with gas auto regulation designed by Henry Grainger Piffard (1842-1910), a dermatologist who taught at New York University, and the first American to use x-rays to treat skin diseases. Piffard called it a "safety" tube because it had thick glass lead glass walls that would reduce exposure to the operator. The useful beam exited only through the bottom of the tube. The tube was used with one of two interchangeable lead glass accessories that would collimate the x-ray beam. The glass collimators had different apertures so to allow different beam areas. The unusual extra chamber increased the total gas volume of the tube so to minimize the impact of pressure fluctuations. This example, now discolored from use, was probably made by E. Machlett & Son, of New York City.
label: Description
content: Ref: Henry G. Piffard, “Radio-Praxis,” Medical Record 63 (March 7, 1903): 361-366.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Medicine
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of the American College of Radiology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1978.0435.062
label: accession number
content: 1978.0435
label: catalog number
content: 1978.0435.062
label: collector/donor number
content: 2972
objectType: label: Object Name
content: tube, x-ray
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 3 1/4 in x 14 1/2 in x 7 in; 8.255 cm x 36.83 cm x 17.78 cm