An X-ray machine is a device that uses X-rays for imaging and other applications, most prominently in medicine. The German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-rays in 1895 while experimenting with a Crookes tube, an electrical discharge device, and one of the first radiographs he produced captured his wife's hand, showing both her wedding ring and the bones beneath it. The American physicist Henry Louis Smith gave a formal public demonstration of an X-ray machine on January 18, 1896, and during the First World War the scientist Marie Curie advanced the technology further by developing mobile X-ray units, mounted in vehicles nicknamed radiological cars, to bring medical imaging to military field hospitals.
Facts
SignificanceWilhelm Röntgen chose not to patent the discovery that made the X-ray machine possible, following the example of Marie and Pierre Curie, so that its medical and industrial applications could spread freely rather than being controlled by one patent holder. 2 FAQs
Did Wilhelm Röntgen patent X-rays?
No. He never took out any patents on X-rays.
No. Röntgen never took out any patents on X-rays, to ensure that the world could freely benefit from his work.
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Source X-ray machine (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Sources
1. X-ray machine (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationHistory section
In 1895, Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-rays emanating from Crookes tubes and the many uses for X-rays were immediately apparent.
In Field: Biomedical Engineering, Lead section
In medical applications, X-ray machines are used by radiographers to acquire x-ray images of the internal structures (e.g., bones) of living organisms, and also in sterilization.
In Group: Medical Imaging Systems, Lead
An X-ray machine is a device that uses X-rays for a variety of applications including medicine, X-ray fluorescence, electronic assembly inspection, and measurement of material thickness in manufacturing operations.
View the Source 2. Wilhelm Röntgen (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationDiscovery of X-rays sectionQuote, Discovery of X-rays section
Like Marie and Pierre Curie, he refused to take out patents related to his discovery of X-rays, as he wanted society as a whole to benefit from practical applications of the phenomenon.
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