3 Interesting Facts You Should Know About Radiology

Merriam-Webster defines radiology as a branch of medicine concerned with the use of radiant energy, like x-rays, or radioactive material in the diagnosis and treatment of disease.  Many people are familiar with x-rays, especially if they have had to undergo the procedure in order to diagnose a disease, broken bone, or other illness.

Here are three interesting facts you might not have known about radiology and radiology importance.

1. It has been around for a long time

By a long time, we mean about  120 years ago. It was discovered by a German physicist named Wilhelm Rontgen on November 8, 1895.  He was apparently experimenting with Lenard tubes and Crookes tubes and the pathway of electricity. He coined the term “x-ray” because the type of way was unknown, and we still use that term until today. He discovered it by seeing how a screen was glowing from the rays even if the room was dark. And did you know that the first person to ever get x-ray is his wife? The first x-ray was that of her hand, and he was able to take an x-ray of it by placing her hand on a photographic plate. When the wife saw the picture of her hand, it is claimed that she uttered the words “I have seen my death.” Despite being the one who discovered it, Roentgen apparently refused to patent the X-ray. Doing so would have limited its use and eventually its development because not many people would be able to use it. Roentgen saw the value of discovery and knew that it would benefit humanity.                                              

2. It has proven to be invaluable in the field of medicine 

Weeks after it was discovered, many doctors and scientists in Europe saw the value of the x-ray and began to use it soon after. And 120 years later, the x-ray still has proven to be invaluable in the field of medicine. It is one of the most important and most useful medical technology. Because of the discovery of the x-ray, the structure of the DNA was discovered. Not only that, but it has helped diagnose diseases such as tuberculosis. Also, before the x-ray, the idea of having brain surgery was said to be foreign in the field of medicine. But further development of the x-ray technology by Dr, Harvey Cushing of Harvard led to diagnostic clinical x-rays where he used x-rays to locate and remove tumors.

3. It is one of the fastest growing careers 

Because of its importance to the field, more and more people are looking to start a career in radiology. Radiologists are in demand because clinics, doctors, and hospitals are always in need of them. They read not just x-rays, but also CT scans and MRIs in order to diagnose an illness or an injury of a patient. There is always room for growth in this field, and even CNN has reported that it is one of the top 50 jobs in America today.

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