X-rays have helped modern medicine a lot, but early experiments to detect it cost people their own lives.
In December 1985, German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen submitted a preliminary report to the journal of the Würzburg Medical-Physiological Society, describing the discovery of “a new type of ray” . The never-before-seen type of radiation, which he named X-rays, can penetrate thousands of pages of wood and books, even the flesh of a human hand, casting shadows on the bones. Within weeks, the news spread around the world, sparking numerous debates in the journals about the new discovery and its potential applications in biomedical science.
The damaging effect of Roentgen rays on living tissue was speculated by the Italian physicist Angelo Battelli as early as March 1896. Many other engineers have raised concerns as well, but the X-ray discovery opens up so much potential that some scientists are willing to put their concerns aside to explore this groundbreaking discovery. One of the first to pay for the discovery was Clarence Madison Dally .
Dally was born in Woodbridge, New Jersey, in 1865. His father was a glassblower at the Edison Lamp Works in the nearby town of Harrison, making light bulbs. At the age of 17, he joined the army and served for 6 years in the Navy before being discharged. Returning to her hometown of Woodbridge in 1888, Dally began working with her father and three brothers at the Edison Lamp Works.
Edison peered through the fluorescent glass to observe the X-rays hitting Clarence Madison Dally’s hand. (Photo: Wellcome Images).
The first X-ray photograph was taken by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen.
When Roentgen announced the discovery of X-rays in 1895, Thomas Edison quickly realized its importance and suggested that this could be instrumental in improving the incandescent lamp. Edison was particularly interested in one of Roentgen’s experiments, in which the researcher coated a barium platinocyanide crystal on a glass screen and beamed X-rays in. The crystal would glow in the dark when exposed to X-rays. Edison was convinced that if he found the right fluorescent agent, he could make the screen light up enough to illuminate an entire room.
Reportedly, because of the first pristine X-ray images of another scientist, Edison decided to research this new technology. He needed a hand to experiment, but he could not use his hand as a model because he had to observe and use his hands to work.
Therefore, his assistant, Dally Clarence – a person who is extremely interested in X-ray technology, always feels ready to become an experimenter for Edison. According to the records, while Dally always wanted to test the most powerful X-ray tubes, Edison tried to test the less powerful ones.
Therefore, Dally’s left hand, after many exposures to radiation, is always covered with burns. However, curiosity for new discoveries has always fascinated people. Edison’s other assistants once said that whenever they see Dally, they see his hand doing an experiment. A few years later, Edison invented the first fluorescent lamp that helped see the bones beneath the flesh.
Despite her worsening condition, Dally still wishes to dedicate herself to science. At only 35 years old, Dally has lost most of his hair, and he also looks older than his peers. His left hand was always red and painful, and sores spread to his arms and face. The changes in the assistant’s condition were written in his diary every day by Edison.
Dally’s left hand, after many exposures to radiation, is always covered with burns.
Because his left hand was too weak, Dally used his stronger right hand to continue the experiment. But, just a short time later, his right hand was always red and painful, so he had to soak them in cold water every night to ease the pain and to be able to sleep. A few years later, doctors performed an operation to remove skin from Dally’s leg and transplant it into the decaying left hand, but the results were not positive.
According to the results of modern science, because of radiation exposure, Dally got skin cancer. He had to amputate his left hand, a few months later, he had to continue to amputate 4 fingers on his right hand. In 1903, he amputated his right hand. A year later, he passed away at the age of 39, eight years since he was first exposed to X-rays. The last years of his life, despite having to amputated his arm, no longer working in the laboratory, but Dally still expressed his feelings. Edison that he could support scientific experiments for the rest of his life.
After the death of the assistant, Edison was quite traumatized.
“Don’t tell me about X-rays,” he said.
“I’m afraid of them”.