The career of a radiographer is a diverse one that requires one to be mentally and physically prepared to deal with any situation. A radiographer could be performing the most simple x-ray of the hand then suddenly be in the emergency room taking x-rays that could be a matter of life or death to the patient. Radiology is more than just x-rays; sonography, CT scans and MRI scans which are different kinds of imaging radiographer's use. X-ray machines are also likely to be found in other places than hospitals. Airports use x-ray images to check luggage and archaeologists use the images to examine artifacts. Radiology is a career that has outstanding benefits for properly diagnosing patients. While at the same time, radiation can have harmful side effects. To understand more about radiology and it's imaging it's helpful to understand what it's history is.
"November 8, 1895, in Wurzburg Germany, Whilem Conrad Roentgen discovered x-rays, initiating a medical and scientific revolution." (Crenson **) Dozens of physicists had preformed the same experiment before but none had observed what Roentgen did that night while locked away in his laboratory. The experiment was simply to understand more about electricity and matter, but what he was not expecting to find was sheet of florescent paper glowing on the floor. Roentgen had accidentally discovered x-rays. X-rays, simply put, are negatively charged particles that are slowed as they pass near the nucleus or center of an atom. The images are produced by the reflections of the particles on to the florescent paper. Like in any new technology this new type of imaging quickly became popular with everyone. "By spring 1896, just a few months after Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen publicized his discovery of the mysterious rays, doctors around the world were peering at their patients" insides." (Crenson **) After Thomas Edison built the proper machine, called a fluoroscope, to produce and capture x-rays, it wasn't too uncommon to have department stores offering the internal portraits to their customers.
