Röntgen discovers X-rays

In Würzburg in 1895, Röntgen found that a fluorescent screen glowed near a discharge tube even when black paper covered the tube. He moved objects between tube and screen, testing paper, wood and other materials and changing distances. The radiation affected photographic material but behaved differently from visible light. Repeated experiments established its properties. Röntgen used X to name the unknown rays and circulated a report at the end of the year.

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Materials absorbed the rays differently, leaving distinct outlines on photographic images. A hand image showed bones and a ring, recording internal structures without an incision. Reports, translations and pictures circulated in 1896, and investigators quickly repeated the experiments. Physicians explored fractures, foreign objects and other structures. Imaging required coordinated placement of the source, the body and the photographic material so that a picture could be related to the area being examined.

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Early users encountered tissue injuries, and research gradually clarified biological effects. Exposure control, improved equipment and staff protection became part of imaging practice. Clinicians learned to read two-dimensional projections, compare views and combine images with symptoms and examinations. Later detectors and computing changed image production further. Radiology developed its own training and services, allowing internal structures to be stored, compared and shared between professionals considering a patient’s condition.

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