Eddessa_Knight,
Hope you have a fabulous Friday!
Thank you for your recent post.
Tesla and the X-Ray.
X for the Unknown.
Thanks to years of research and development by many scientists and engineers, including Nikola Tesla, the X-ray machine was formally displayed by HL Smith on January 18, 1896.
Prior to this exhibition, Hermann von Helmholtz had formulated mathematical equations for X-rays; physicist Johann Hittorf observed tubes with energy rays extending from a negative electrode; William Crookes investigated the effects of energy discharges on rare gases; and Heinrich Hertz began experimenting and demonstrated that cathode rays could penetrate very thin metal foil such as aluminum.
Also, in 1887, Tesla began to investigate X-rays and devised the bremsstrahlung process, in which electromagnetic radiation is produced by the deceleration of a charged particle when deflected by another charged particle.
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/edn-moments/4405245/X-ray-machine-is-formally-displayed--January-18--1896
After Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovered X-rays in 1895, Edison directed his employee, a glassblower named Clarence Dally to develop a fluoroscope (then called the Edison X-ray focus tube). The device was a commercial success and ultimately became the basis of modern fluoroscopy used in hospitals today.
At the time, X-rays were not believed to be dangerous and Clarence had a habit of testing X-ray tubes on his hands. In 1900, he had developed lesion on his wrist that wouldn't heal after several skin grafts and was so tenacious that his hand had to be amputated. Edison kept Dally on his payroll, even when he was so sick that he couldn't work any more. Clarence's condition worsened and even after the amputations of both of his arms, he died of cancer.
Shaken, Edison stopped all work on fluoroscopes as revealed in a New York World interview in 1903:
"Don't talk to me about X-rays," he said. "I am afraid of them. I stopped experimenting with them two years ago, when I came near to losing my eyesight and Dally, my assistant practically lost the use of both of his arms. I am afraid of radium and polonium too, and I don't want to monkey with them." (Source: New York World)
http://www.neatorama.com/2008/02/11/10-fascinating-facts-about-edison/
Thomas Edison
X-rays -- Electromagnetic and ionizing radiation was heavily researched in the late 1800s, but Tesla researched the entire gamut. Everything from a precursor to Kirlian photography, which has the ability to document life force, to what we now use in medical diagnostics, this was a transformative invention of which Tesla played a central role. X-rays, like so many of Tesla's contributions, stemmed from his belief that everything we need to understand the universe is virtually around us at all times, but we need to use our minds to develop real-world devices to augment our innate perception of existence.
http://www.activistpost.com/2012/01/10-inventions-of-nikola-tesla-that.html