Diagnostic Medicine X-Rays, History, Uses & Principles
             X-ray technology has developed over the past hundred years into a vital technology used in our everyday lives. The mysterious origins of the X-ray date back to the turn of the 19th century when German physicist, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen stumbled upon this technology. X-ray technology has helped airport security s scan luggage, aid physicists in the study of atomic and molecular structure, and has helped astronomers investigate the astrophysical universe. It has proved invaluable in the fields of astronomy, defense, security, maintenance, and inspection. However, in this report I will focus on the X-rays role in medical diagnostics.
             In 1895 Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovered a light wave capable of penetrating certain mediums and allowing an inside look at the human body. Wilhelm, a German professor of physics was performing independent experiments with vacuum tubes and cathode rays, when he happened to notice an object across the room glowing when his "cardboard-shrouded tube was charged." Next, he tested paper, wood and aluminum and noticed the same effect. Professor Röntgen realized these rays were "invisible electro-magnetic rays", capable of making certain materials glow through his cardboard box and wooden door. He exposed a myriad of objects to these rays, including his weight box, a wire coil and even his gun. Röntgen realized the potential significance of his discovery, and confided in a friend, "I have discovered something interesting, but I do not know whether or not my observations are correct." His prophesy came to fruition one week later when an X-ray photograph of his wife's hand clearly showed her bones and wedding ring. Ecstatic, Röntgen forwarded his report to the president of the Wurzburg Physical-Medical Society. Accompanying his written report he enclosed experimental radiographs and the X-ray image...