10. Portable X-Ray Machine
At the turn of the 20th century, X-Ray devices were the cutting edge of medical technology, with Wilhelm Röntgen only discovering X-Rays in 1895. Medical practitioners were quick to see how the miraculous new photographs produced with X-Rays could be used to diagnose and perhaps even treat numerous ailments. However, little was understood, especially within the medical community, about the dangers of the newly discovered X-Rays. Much like the other recent discovery of radium, all eyes were on the benefits with little thought given to the risks.
In the 1902 medical text, A system of instruction in X-ray methods and medical uses of light, hot-air, vibration and high-frequency currents : a pictorial system of teaching by clinical instruction plates with explanatory text, doctors are instructed in how to become self-taught X-Ray experts. The author denounces the lack of education manuals on the subject and offers a pictorial guide on how to learn to perform X-Rays including the correct dosing of the radiation. Yes, doctors in 1902 were learning how to dose radiation out of an extended pamphlet.
In the photo of the portable X-Ray, it is clear that the doctor and patient both have no safety equipment to reduce radiation exposure. One also wonders if this practitioner was self-taught in the science of X-Rays and how accurate his radiation dosage is.