X-ray

Benefits

Millions of lives have been saved as a result of faster and accurate diagnosis that would not have been possible without an x-ray machine. Some of the common uses of medical x-ray machines include; Looking for Lung and heart problems. The machine can display if someone has pneumonia, lung cancer or heart issues. Detect fractures and breaks. The machine can also show signs of cancer and osteoporosis on the bones. Dental treatment. They can see how far the decay is and also detect extra teeth and those that grow the wrong way.

The x-ray machine at the airport security checkpoint can detect strange items such as drugs, weapons, and even bombs hidden either in the luggage or inside the body.

Thanks to x-rays, other medical imaging techniques like CT scan, mammograms, fluoroscopy and ultrasound have come up. CT scans, in particular have become a significant part of medical diagnosis. X-rays can also be used to attack and damage cancerous cells. Radiation oncology is now a distinct medical specialty, often used to kill residual cancer cells after surgery or to shrink inoperable tumors.

Negative Impact

The radiation you get from x-ray, CT, and nuclear imaging is ionizing radiation — high-energy wavelengths or particles that penetrate tissue to reveal the body's internal organs and structures. Ionizing radiation can damage DNA, and although your cells repair most of the damage, they sometimes do the job imperfectly, leaving small areas of "misrepair." The result is DNA mutations that may contribute to cancer years down the road.

Invention History

Marie Curie (1897-1934) discovered radiation, which became crucial in X-ray technology, cancer treatments today. Curie won the Nobel Prize for her work, an accolade that was rarely awarded to a woman. Sadly, she was not aware of the dangers of radiation and died from exposure to it. She also collected X-ray machines from university laboratories and installed the units in ordinary vehicles. The mobile units, dubbed “Little Curies,” drew power from the cars’ engines and allowed medics (150 nurse-radiologists whom Curie had trained to help in the war effort) to drive close to the battlefields and quickly assess wounded soldiers, thereby determining who needed to be rushed to surgery.

References

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/x-ray/about/pac-20395303

https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/CRC/PDF/Public/6151.00.pdf

https://www.health.harvard.edu/cancer/radiation-risk-from-medical-imaging

https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/who/our-history/marie-curie-the-scientist