Children's Corner and Medical Imaging


The Invisible Rays Producing Visible Pictures

One century ago, Wilhelm Konrad Roentgen discovered the X-ray (called that because X meant they didn't know what it was) which began the use of energy to visualize medical problems in patients. The subspecialty of medicine which developed from this discovery is Radiology. With X-rays both then and now, the rays themselves (a form of energy) are not visible with the eye. Another method or material must be used to convert the information to a visible or useable form. X-rays typically use film or screens combined with TV to make the structures penetrated by Ray visible.

X-rays are used in a variety of ways to make regular pictures, angiograms (study of blood vessels), or CT scans. Other forms of energy such as ultrasound magnetic waves, and isotopes are used to also make pictures.

This section of our WEB page has been created for FUN!!!!! There are a number of images displayed here of X-rays of different items. These include plants, animals, and objects. Many of these are provided by the University Hospitals of Cleveland Radiology Department and others by Dr. Bruce Lattimer of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. We thought you might appreciate the beauty of these images even if you don't enjoy our more standard medical images noted in the other sections of this web site.

Also remember we will be changing these pictures about every two months so please visit us occasionally to see some imaging magic produced by the many invisible rays we use in radiology. If any visitor would like to have something unusual or clever X-rayed or scanned. Send an Email message using the comments section on the home page. We won't be able to accommodate all requests but we will try when we can.


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Contributions of X-rays from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History