Whilst navigating the outer reaches of the internet, I came across the image above. I was instantly entranced by it especially when I read the story behind it. It is a photograph of the first clinical X-ray photograph taken in America.
On December 28th 1895 Wilhelm Röentgen announced the discovery of X-rays to the University of Wützburg, Bavaria. Word of this discovery spread and January 26, 1896 the New York newspaper the Sun ran an article about Röntgen’s discovery headlined “The New Photography.”
This was the article that caught the interest of H.H.H. Langill, a photographer. He approached Frank Austin, class of 1885, an assistant in Dartmouth College’s physics department, and offered him his photographic plates if Austin could find a suitable tube. At this time Dartmouth College possessed several tubes from Europe that were similar to the Crookes tube used in Röntgen’s experiments.
Austin began experimenting with the tubes, and he found only one that produced X-rays. The tube that produced these X-rays was known as a 'Puluj tube.' (invented by Professor Johann Puluj of the University of Vlenna). Surprisingly,Austin’s test showed that this tube was actually better than the tube used by Röntgen because it produced a greater quantity of X-rays. They also realised the potential of this discovery for medical diagnosis. Now all they needed was a patient.
Fortuitously (though not for him!) 14 year-old Eddie McCarthy fell whilst skating on the Connecticut River and injured his wrist. He was attended by Dr Gilman Frost, a professor at Dartmouth Medical School. Dr Frost's brother, Dr Edwin Frost had recently taken over the X-ray research from Austin and it was decided that Eddie was to be the first subject.
Dr G Frost explained the advantages of having his wrist X-rayed and Eddie consented to the procedure.
Incidentally the man looking at his pocket watch was not wondering if it was dinner time. He's timing the X-ray exposure.
