Did you know the X-ray was an accident?

On November 8th, 1895, German physicist, Wilhelm Roentgen accidentally discovered the X-ray.

 
While working in his laboratory in Würzburg conducting experiments with a Crookes tube – basically a glass gas bulb that gives off fluorescent light when a high-voltage current is passed through it – Roentgen noticed that the beam turned a screen nine feet away a greenish fluorescent color, despite the tube being shielded by heavy black cardboard.

He concluded, correctly, that he was dealing with a new kind of ray, one that cast the shadow of a solid object when passed through an opaque covering from its point of origin. Not knowing what kind of ray he was dealing with, exactly, led him to call it an X-ray. The name stuck.

To test his discovery, Roentgen made an X-ray image of his wife Bertha’s hand, clearly showing the bones of her hand and a pretty hefty wedding ring.

In the next couple of months, Roentgen published a paper about his discovery: “On a New Kind of Rays.” He made a presentation before the Würzburg Medical Society and X-rayed the hand of a prominent anatomist, who proposed naming the new ray after Roentgen. You don’t hear them called Roentgen rays much these days, but the term roentgenology is still current, and the roentgen is a radiological unit of measure.

X-rays are no longer a mystery, but a major tool of medical diagnosis. The X-ray of today has come a long way from where it started. Today, X-rays are clearer, more precise and even come in color and 3-D. The exposure from a digital X-ray machine is minimal compared to the the old analogue system when you needed a led apron to protect yourself. With today’s digital X-rays the exposure time is so short, the apron isn’t even necessary.

The use of the X-ray is an indispensable tool for dentists. It is critical in the diagnosis of tooth decay and other issues that are below the surface of the tooth and gum.