In 1890, Professor Arthur Willis Goodspeed, a professor of physics at Pennsylvania USA was working with an English born photographer, William N Jennings, when they accidentally produced a Röntgen Ray picture. Unfortunately, the significance of their findings were overlooked, and the formal discovery of X-rays was credited to Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895. The discovery has since transformed the practice of medicine, and over the course of the past 130 years, the development of new radiological techniques has continued to grow. The impact has been seen in virtually every hospital in the world, from the routine use of ultrasound for pregnancy scans, through to the diagnosis of complex medical issues such as brain tumours. More subtly, X-rays were also used in the discovery of DNA and in military combat, and their social influence through popular culture can be seen in cartoons, books, movies and art. Written by two radiologists who have a passion for the history of their field, The History of Radiology is a beautifully illustrated review of the remarkable developments within radiology and the scientists and pioneers who were involved. This engaging and authoritative history will appeal to a wide audience including medical students studying for the Diploma in the History of Medicine of the Society of Apothecaries (DHMSA), doctors, medical physicists, medical historians and radiographers.

It was one of the great moments of humanity when Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845– 1923) discovered a new kind of radiation on 8 November 1895. He himself modestly called them “X-rays”. Röntgen’s name and his rays became world famous. On 10 December 1901, Röntgen received the first Nobel Prize in Physics. X-rays have lost none of their appeal since then. They still permeate all areas of science, technology and medicine and accompany us in our everyday lives. However, Röntgen’s scientific work cannot be reduced to this one great discovery alone. He was an excellent natural scientist, and his spirit of research is still an example for many scientists today. Röntgen’s very special interest in precision physics is also more topical than ever. This carefully curated volume offers a multifaceted view of an outstanding natural scientist and provides insights into his personal legacy.

This book, which will appeal to all with an interest in the history of radiology and physics, casts new light on the life and career of Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, showing how his personality was shaped by his youth in the Netherlands and his teachers in Switzerland. Beyond this, it explores the technical developments relevant to the birth of radiology in the late nineteenth century and examines the impact of the discovery of X-rays on a broad range of scientific research. Röntgen (1845-1923) was born in Lennep, Germany, but emigrated with his family to the Netherlands in 1848. As a 17-year-old he moved to Utrecht, entering the Technical School and living at the home of Dr. Jan Willem Gunning. In this well-educated family he was stimulated to continue his studies at university. In 1868 he received a diploma from the Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich and just a year later completed a PhD in physics. He followed his mentor, August Kundt, to the universities of Würzburg (1870) and Strasburg (1872) and married Anna Ludwig in 1872. In 1879 Röntgen gained his first professorship at a German University, in Giessen, followed by a chair in Würzburg in 1888. Here he discovered X-rays in 1895, for which he received the first Nobel Prize in physics in 1901. From 1900 until his retirement in 1921 he occupied the chair of physics at the Munich University.