Wilhelm C. Röntgen's discovery in November 1895 of a new type of ray that made soft tissues transparent and revealed the bones immediately brought excited responses from physicians -Autopsia in vivo! - and the public and from a good number of charlatans as well. His original German publications were reprinted in English in Nature and Science within less than 3 months. Even before that, on Jan. 29, 1896, and only 23 days after the discovery had been announced in the daily press, x-rays began to be used in the treatment of breast cancer.1 Diagnostic and therapeutic apparatuses were identical, and neither had any protective shielding: the naked tube from which the radiation emanated was rigged on a stand in front of or behind the patient. The physician in this photograph from 1900, observing the patient's chest on a fluoroscopic screen, is a Dr. M.K. Kassabian, an American who later died of a carcinoma attributed to the dose of x-rays he had received.2 FIGURE
Warnings of the harmful effect of Röntgen radiation came as early as July 1896 but did not do much to deter enthusiasm about the mysterious rays. Complete tinker kits to produce this penetrating radiation could be bought in the United States by mail order for $15, delivered.3 It is not known how many people were hurt before the need for protection was recognized but, by 1904, more cautious minds had established norms and guidelines for radiography.