Roentgenology

The term roentgenology takes its name from Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, and refers to study of the rays that developed, now known as X-rays, providing physicians with a new treatment modality, initially for diagnostics and then developing its use for therapy. Röntgen was born in 1845 in Lennep, Germany, and when he was young, his family moved to the Netherlands. He obtained his doctorate from the University of Zurich. He then became a lecturer at Strasbourg University before moving to the University of Giessen, then to the University of Würzburg where he was chair of the physics department, and then to the University of Munich where he remained throughout World War I, even though he apparently planned to migrate to the United States. In 1895, Röntgen, at Würzburg, began testing equipment which was to lead to his discovery of X-rays, the term “x” being used because of the unknown element in it. Indeed, Röntgen, who was awarded the first Nobel Prize for Physics in 1901, stated that he did not want the rays to be named after him.

In pathology, the term roentgenology was originally applied to the study and diagnosis using these rays (now called radiology), with the term roentgenologist being defined “in medicine as a physician who specializes in the use of X-rays in the diagnosis and treatment of disease.” However, it was not long before the term roentgenology came to be used to describe the medical problems people suffered as a result of exposure or overexposure to X-rays. Indeed, the term roentgenologist's cancer came to be applied to a form of cancer which affected the hands of the people who worked with X-rays. This led to a limit placed on the number of X-rays taken of an individual person in [Page 1499]order to limit his or her exposure. However, it also resulted in medical professionals working with X-rays to take major measures to reduce their exposure. This is affected by use of protective structures, lead shields, and the like, making radiology much safer for the patients and also for the radiologists and their assistants. In the United States, the American Roentgen Ray Society was founded in 1900 and operates from Slatestone Court, Leesburg, Virginia. It serves as the international organization of physicians and scientists working in radiology and related fields. The Society publishes the American Journal of Roentgenology each month.