. Electro-therapeutics and X-rays . ess trans-parent to the x-ray. GENERAL REMARKS ON THE X-RAY. The x-ray is a form of radiation having characteristic anddistinctive properties. It has the property of causing varioussubstances to fluoresce, affecting the ordinary photographicplates, like light (although itself invisible), and of penetrat-ing opaque bodies in various degrees, according to theirdensity and relative thickness ; platinum, lead and silver be-ing quite opaque, while aluminum, wood and paper are quitetransparent. Carbon in any form—as diamond or as coal orgraphite—is almost perfectl
. Electro-therapeutics and X-rays . ess trans-parent to the x-ray. GENERAL REMARKS ON THE X-RAY. The x-ray is a form of radiation having characteristic anddistinctive properties. It has the property of causing varioussubstances to fluoresce, affecting the ordinary photographicplates, like light (although itself invisible), and of penetrat-ing opaque bodies in various degrees, according to theirdensity and relative thickness ; platinum, lead and silver be-ing quite opaque, while aluminum, wood and paper are quitetransparent. Carbon in any form—as diamond or as coal orgraphite—is almost perfectly transparent to the x-ray, butlead is almost totally impenetrable by it; hence the great ad-vantage of the x-ray in searching for bullets in the body. Ingeneral, it may be said that the greater the density of theobject the greater its opacity to x-ray. The softer tissues of the body are easily penetrated by thex-rays, as also cartilage, but bone absorbs the ray to the ex-tent of causing a distinct shadow when surrounded by the. Plate I.—Showing a normal hand with a ring on third being denser than bone casts a darker shadow, thereby hidingthe bone shadow. The white spaces between the joints represent thecartilages. One thing which will arrest attention is the great distancewhich apparently intervenes between the bones. This is due to thefact that the articular cartilages being easily traversed by the raysdo not cast a shadow Notice especially the sesamoid bones—thesmall dark objects lying near the joints. Time of exposure, 45seconds; distance of tube from plate 16 inches. GENERAL REMARKS ON X-RAYS. 281 softer tissues. The x-rays will penetrate flesh and bone, butwill penetrate flesh much more easily than bone. Therefore,if the hand is placed between the fluoroscope and theCrookes tube and the x-ray is projected through the hand, itwill be seen by the fluoroscope that the bones cast more of ashadow than the transparent flesh and stand out in bold relief. The
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