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Discovery of radiation technology

Writer's picture: Keiichi KobayashiKeiichi Kobayashi

In November 1895, at the end of the 19th century, German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen was conducting experiments with vacuum discharge, which was popular at the time. He created anodes and cathodes with electrodes inside a vacuum tube, and when electricity was applied, a weak band of light was produced. Because this band of light was produced by the flow of electrons, the electrons could be observed visually, and so physicists all began conducting vacuum discharge experiments. Today, this experiment is so basic that it is taught in junior and senior high schools in Japan.


X-rays were thought to be some kind of electromagnetic wave emitted in addition to the flow of electrons. However, the band of light was weak, so the lights had to be turned off for observation. Also, since light diffuses in all directions, they covered the vacuum tube with a cardboard box and drilled holes so that light would only come out from those holes. However, when the fluorescent paint was placed in a completely unlit area in a dark room, it glowed faintly. Why would the fluorescent paint react in a place that was not exposed to light? Could it be that invisible electromagnetic waves were being emitted from the vacuum tube?


So we tried placing a book between the fluorescent paint and the vacuum tube covered in cardboard. The fluorescent paint still glowed. After placing several books on top, the fluorescent paint finally stopped glowing. It seems that these invisible electromagnetic waves could pass through paper. Then we placed a metal on top, but the fluorescent paint did not glow. It became clear that metal does not seem to let the light through. Through our observations, we gradually came to understand the following:


  • Can penetrate thick books over 1,000 pages and glass

  • Penetrates thin metal foils , the thickness of which depends on the type of metal

  • Shielded by lead

  • Making fluorescent substances emit light

  • Does not exhibit thermal effects


Roentgen wondered what these invisible electromagnetic waves were and wondered if they were mysterious rays, and called them X. This was the discovery of X-rays.


After this, Roentgen thought that perhaps this light would expose photographic film, so he placed various objects in front of the film and took pictures. He saw clear, transparent images of the various objects. But what would happen if he took a human? Roentgen then called his wife over and instructed her to place her left hand on the film, and took a picture. Her wedding ring and the bones of her left hand were clearly visible. When his wife saw the picture, she exclaimed, "I saw my own death."

This is because at that time, bones could only be seen after a person had died, and so she had this impression.


Thus, a technology had been discovered that allowed one to see inside the human body, especially bones. This news quickly spread around the world.


When scientific research is difficult, the general public often does not understand it and does not appreciate its greatness. However, X-ray research was something that anyone could understand - taking pictures of the inside of the human body - and it really amazed the whole world. This technology was quickly applied to medicine, and diagnostic radiology was established.


Roentgen was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1901. Roentgen believed that scientific advances should belong to all of humanity, so he did not patent the technology he developed, did not pursue personal economic gain, and donated all of the Nobel Prize money he received to the university where he conducted his research.


In Japan, Nagaoka Hantaro, who was studying in Germany, learned of this discovery immediately after it was discovered, and three months later, Mizuno Toshinojo, a professor at the former First Higher School in Tokyo, published it in a scientific journal. After the publication of Roentgen's research, young physicists in Japan desperately wanted to conduct X-ray irradiation experiments, so they made a strong effort. They were mainly young researchers from the former First Higher School (now the University of Tokyo) and the Third Higher School (now Kyoto University). However, at that time, Japan had only just begun to accept modern science from the West. It could not catch up with the scientific level of the West. To conduct X-ray experiments, it was necessary to be able to make vacuum tubes. There were no pumps to create a vacuum in the first place. There were also no storage batteries to pass electricity through the electrodes. Various technologies that Japan had never made were required, such as the technology of sensitive coils. However, just one year later, Japan succeeded in an X-ray irradiation experiment. As a result, the level of science and technology in Japan improved rapidly.



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