Invention of X-Ray - Essay Example

As early as 1895 Wilhelm Roentgen, a German Physicist accidentally invented X-Ray when he was carrying out an experiment with electron beams in a gas discharge tube. Notably, this physicist observed a glow in the fluorescent screen after turning on the electron beam. There was nothing peculiar with this turn of events since under normal circumstances fluorescent materials always glow in reaction to electromagnetic radiation. What surprised Roentgen however is the fact that he had surrounded his tube with a heavy black cardboard assuming that the cardboard would have blocked most of the radiation. He then replaced the cardboard with other objects but surprisingly he observed the same results. He finally positions his hand in front of the tube and to his shock; he saw the silhouette of his bones projected onto the fluorescent screen. This was double amazing since he discovered X-rays and their most beneficial application at the same time.

His discovery triggered an important medical advancement in human history. He helped solve the dilemma of examining body parts underlying the skin without the necessity of opening them up through an operation. X-ray makes it real for doctors to view the human body and examine broken bones, cavities as well as swallowed objects. This inventory was a major development in the medical world. It stood to solve anomalies previously solved through operations only. It helps prevent the use of unnecessary operations. With advanced X –rays, a doctor can now safely examine even softer tissues such as the lungs, blood vessels, and the intestines located at delicate parts of the body.

Notably, x-rays like visible light rays are wavelike forms of electromagnetic energy carried by particles known as photons. The difference between visible rays and X-rays is exhibited in the energy level of the particular photons. Notably, as the electrons move inside the atoms, they produce both visible and X-rays. As Tom asserts, these electrons occupy dissimilar energy levels, or orbitals, around an atom’s nucleus. According to Tom, as the atom drops to a lower orbital, it releases some energy in the form of a photon. He further posits that the energy in such a photon depends on how far the photon has dropped between the orbitals. Tom adds that the collision of an atom and a photon leads to the absorption of the photon’s energy by the atom prompting the electron to jump to a higher energy level. Further, as the electron falls back to its original energy level, it releases extra energy in the form of a light photon. X-ray photons have too much energy that enables them to pass through most things including the human body.

According to Tom, the “heart” of an X-ray machine is an electrode pair, a cathode, and an anode that sits inside a glass vacuum tube. He further advances that the cathode is a heated filament similar to an older fluorescent lamp. The x-ray machine passes current through the filament, heating it up, and in the process sputters electrons on the surface of the filament. The positively charged anode, a flat disc made of tungsten, draws the electrons across the tube. The voltage difference between the cathode and the anode is extremely high. This makes the electrons fly through the tube with a great deal of force. When a speeding electron collides with a tungsten atom, it knocks loose an electron in one of the atom’s lower orbitals. An electron in a higher orbital immediately falls to the lower energy level, releasing its extra energy in the form of a photon. The drop by this electron is a big one and therefore the photon has a high energy level in the name of an X-ray photon. Free electrons can also generate photons without hitting an atom. An atom’s nucleus may attract a speeding electron just enough to alter its course. Like a comet whipping around the sun, the electron slows down and changes direction as it speeds past the atom. This “braking” action causes the electron to emit excess energy in the form of an X—ray photon. The high-impact collisions involved in X-ray production generate a lot of heat. A motor rotates the anode to keep it from melting.

There is a cool oil bath surrounding the envelope for the purpose of absorbing excess heat. A thick lead shield surrounds the entire mechanism for the purpose of preventing the X-ray from escaping in all directions. There is a small window located at the shield allowing some X-ray photons to escape in a narrow beam. This beam is filtered as it heads toward the human body. As the beam penetrates the body, a camera located on the other side records the pattern of X-ray light penetrating the body. A salient feature of X-ray images is that areas exposed to more light appear darker than those exposed to little light do. Hard materials like bones appear whiter while soft ones appear black or gray. Doctors manage to focus on different materials by varying the intensity of the X-ray beam.

Nothing would have been more advantageous to the world of medicine at that time than the invention of the X-ray. It has played a significant role and contributed immensely to medicine. Doctors are able to examine broken bones, cavities as well as accidentally swallowed objects in the human body easily and safely. Remarkably, X-ray is now applicable to delicate softer tissues like the lungs and the intestines. It rules out unnecessary operations, which could be the only other applicable option. A medical world without an X-ray would be terrible. A vast majority could be asking themselves how such inventions came into existence.