Published By: Rinks

7 Things You Did Not Know About X-Rays

The mystery of the X rays and how much do you really know about it?

X-Ray is more than just the skeleton image of your bones! Even though humans have made massive progress in medical science with the invention of X rays, there are several different things about Xrays that is still a mystery to us layman.

The X Stands For Unknown-

The scientist Roentgen named his discovery X strahlen to denote the mathematical symbol of an unknown quantity. Even though now lots have been discovered about the ray, there is still lots to be known. It is also known as Roentgens ray.

X-Ray Machines Were Put To Use Immediately-

For a long time, surgeries were a challenge for humans without the proper understanding of what is wrong with the body. European surgeons used X rays to determine foreign bodies like bullets and needles that penetrated the body and were difficult to operate without proper diagnosis. There were many cases where children had swallowed certain things, which could be seen only through X rays.

Initially, People Thought They Were Harmless-

After the popularity of X-ray, people considered it to be as harmless as ordinary light. With experience, people who had more exposure to X rays were diagnosed with skin cancer, and then it was taken seriously.

X-Ray Revolutionized The Treatment Of TB-

Before the advent of antibiotics for tuberculosis, the disease was considered almost untreatable. People working in coal mines had subjected themselves to many health risks that would go undetected and pile up as a disease. The early detection through X rays helped save a lot of people from the disease. X rays allowed doctors to see the shades and lung clusters that saved more lives than ever.

X Rays Can Kill Cancer Cells-

Early experiments showed that X rays could burn cancerous cells and cure them. Soon doctors started getting moles, and unwanted skin patches with x rays focused on a beam to provide radio waves.

They Help Find The Structure Of DNA-

The double helix shape of the DNA was provided by X-ray- crystallography. It is formed by bouncing off the three-dimensional atoms' atoms within the crystal lattice to create a shadow image.

They Have Helped See Beyond Space-

With dozens of telescopes that have been launched in space, X rays have helped look at dark matter, the milky way and space that has helped open the scope of space study.