Show Rays X-Rays a s Discovered 50 Years Ago o Have I M ULY Applications N Newest p Use se Is to Reveal 1 FI Flaws vs in Steel Castings One hundred years ago March 27 Wilhelm Vilhelm Roentgen discoverer discoverer- of X-rays X was born and exactly 50 years ago November 8 he made his marvelous discovery of that wonderful wonder wonder- ful ray which has since proven a aboon aboon aboon boon to mankind and industry Roentgen called his discovery Xray Xray Xray X ray because he was at a loss to otherwise define this unknown quantity quantity quantity quan quan- of great penetrating power At Atthe Atthe Atthe the time newspapers everywhere published stories stones cartoons and even poems about the new wonder rays The acclaim of scientists especially medical men who foresaw how human suffering might be lessened lessened lessened less less- ened by the ministrations of these new rays made Roentgen famous overnight and honors were lavishly lavishly lavishly lav lav- thrust upon the truly modest modest modest mod mod- est professor Yet no one at that time dreamed that within half a century Roentgens Roentgen's Roentgens Roentgen's Roentgens Roentgen's gens gen's invention would be used by American industry in this war to build the toughest kind of fighting equipment ships equipment ships airplanes guns tanks and even ammunition to to pulverize pulverize pulverize pul pul- I German cities including Munich Munich Mu Mu- J nich where the professor once carried carried carried car car- ried on his research Roentgens Roentgen's discovery makes it possible to detect flaws in ordnance before it reaches the battlefront X-ray X producing a shadow image on sensitive photo-sensitive film film called called a radiograph ra ra- ra- ra reveals reveals such faults in metal as blow holes tears shrinkage shrinkage shrinkage shrink shrink- age cavities inclusions and cracks faults which could not be detected by the keenest eyes Perhaps second to Roentgen in X-ray X development is Dr W. W D. D Coolidge who until a month or two ago when he retired was director of General Electrics Electric's research laboratory laboratory laboratory labora labora- tory in Schenectady The Coolidge tube is world famous used in in hospitals hospitals hospitals hospi hospi- and by industries all over the world The husky glamour boy of industrial industrial industrial indus indus- trial radiography today is the 1000 volt shockproof unit In 15 minutes minutes minutes min min- utes it can inspect steel plates eight inches thick A few years ago radium radium radium radi radi- um at a gram was the only source of the same kind of short short- wave-length wave radiation Now radiation radiation radiation radia radia- tion from this powerful X-r X ray X-ray y ma ma- chine is equivalent to that produced I by 8 pounds of radium with the machine itself costing only a small fraction of what radium would cost even at the current rate of only a gram A year ago General Electric announced announced announced an an- an even larger X-ray X one of two million volts which will take I pictures through eight inches of steel in one minute Only two or three of these have been made but results have been such there is every every every ev ev- ery indication this bigger tube will soon gain the popularity and use of its one million volt predecessor And two million is not the limit for al already already already al- al ready Dr E. E E E. Charlton and his associate associate associate as as- W. W F. F Westendorf have perfected perfected perfected per per- a million volt X-ray X but particulars of this giant are shrouded shrouded shroud shroud- ed with secrecy until the war is over X-ray X still finds its widest use however in the fields of medicine There is practically no region of the body that is not subject to its searching eye for detection of disease disease disease dis dis- dis- dis ease or injury and the physicians surgeons and dentists utilize the X-ray X for accurate diagnosis and prognosis in a large number of of cases During the first 20 years after Roentgens Roentgen's discovery X-ray X work was largely done in hospitals and was relegated to all kinds of employees Today it is done by trained technicians technicians technicians under the supervision of a radiologist who is a physician especially especially especially espe espe- skilled in m the interpretation of X-ray X images of the body and in other medical uses of x |