2016-11-08 Tue

Can you imagine a world without modern medical technology? Mostly a world without X-rays! Without it we would probably still be cutting into our flesh to see our bone injuries.

On 8th November 1895, Wilhelm Roentgen, a German professor of physics, was the first person to discover electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range commonly known as X-rays today.

W. C. Roentgen was working in his laboratory testing whether cathode rays could pass through glass when he noticed a glow coming from a nearby chemically coated screen. Even when the tube was covered in black paper and the room was completely dark, he noticed that a screen covered in the fluorescent material was illuminated by the rays.

He realized that he had produced an "invisible light," or ray, that was being emitted from the tube; a ray that was capable of passing through the heavy paper covering the tube. Through additional experiments, he also found that a number of objects could be penetrated by these rays. He named the new ray “X-ray”, because in mathematics "X" is used to indicate the unknown quantity.

He later proceeded to discover that these electromagnetic rays or X- Rays, that have wavelengths 1000 times shorter than that of the light rays, could pass human flesh but not higher-density substances such as bone. He used a photographic plate instead of a screen, and an image was captured.

The first “Roentgenogram” or an X-ray image ever created was that of his wife, Bertha’s hand. His discovery was called as a miracle and it revolutionized medical diagnoses and a set a foundation for radiology.

Today these electromagnetic radiations or X-rays are named after him as ‘Roentgen rays’ and in 2004 the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) named element 111, roentgenium, a radioactive element with multiple unstable isotopes, after him. W C Roentgen received the first Nobel Prize in physics in 1901.

Many countries have honoured Roentgen on stamps and coins. Some of the coins are: a 10 marks coin from Germany issued in 1995 to celebrate 100 years of this discovery, A 1 crown coin by Isle of Man issued in 1995.

India Post tool has honoured Roentgen on an INR 6 stamp issued in 1995. Other countries like Guinea-Bissau, Monaco, South Africa, Mexico, Korea etc too have issued stamps.