Roentgen X-Ray Tube
date: label: Date made
content: ca 1896
name: label: discovered x-rays
content: Roentgen, W. C.
label: maker
content: Roentgen, W. C.
notes: label: Description
content: This is one of the first x-ray tubes used by physicist Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen (1845-1923), who discovered this new form of radiation at the University of Wurzburg in Germany, on November 8, 1895. While experimenting with cathode rays by passing an electric current through a glass vacuum tube covered with black paper, he noticed an unexpected green glow on a little screen covered with phosphorescent paint lying on his bench. He quickly realized that some mysterious invisible rays were leaving the tube, going through the black paper, and causing the screen to become luminous. These unknown, or "x" rays were shown to pass easily through wood, cloth, and paper, but not denser material. He showed that they could even pass through the skin and reveal the bones of the human hand. The medical diagnostic and therapeutic implications of the x-ray were realized quickly. X-ray imaging remains the most widely used form of body imaging today.
label: Description
content: This tube was purchased from a private owner in Germany and presented to the Smithsonian Institution in 1956 by the General Electric Company's X-ray Department of Milwaukee, Wisc.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: Place Made
content: Germany: Bavaria, Würzburg
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Medicine
label: See more items in
content: Health & Medicine
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: Kendrick, Kathleen M. and Peter C. Liebhold. Smithsonian Treasures of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of General Electric Company
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MG.M-06905
label: catalog number
content: M-06905
label: accession number
content: 204068
objectType: label: Object Name
content: x-ray tube
label: Object Name
content: tube, x-ray
label: Other Terms
content: Case, Tube, Roentgen; x-ray tube; Diagnostic Medicine
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: glass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 6 in x 7 in x 10 in; 15.24 cm x 17.78 cm x 25.4 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall, case: 5 3/4 in x 10 1/4 in x 7 3/4 in; 14.605 cm x 26.035 cm x 19.685 cm