Explanation Of How An X-Ray Works

X-ray scans are a type of biotechnology which use X-rays, as the name suggests, to see inside the body to locate fractures or breaks in bones and cancer.  X-rays are a type of electromagnetic wave that has a very short wavelength of about 1 millimetre, and only gamma rays fall before X-rays on the electromagnetic spectrum.

**X-rays were discovered in 1895 by a German physicist named Rontgen**

This is a portrait of Rontgen

            Rontgen discovered that X-rays can be produced by firing a beam of electrons at a heavy target such as tungsten.  Since then, the practical uses for X-rays in the medical society have become very apparent.  By firing X-ray particles through the body and recording the images on a computer, we can look inside our body to locate things such as broken bones or swallowed objects.  The way this works is as follows:  The X-rays penetrate through your body and will illuminate certain things.  The muscle and fat tissue in your body is not very dense and will show up as grey.  The air in your body will simply be black.  Your bones, however, are very dense and will register as white on the scan.  Any foreign objects made of metal will also register white on the scan.  These images are recorded by having a photographic plate on the opposite side so that the particles will fall onto it and be recorded on a computer. 

An example of an X-ray radiograph is shown to the left. By examining the radiograph it can be seen how an X-ray works. As described earlier, the X-rays penetrated the hand shown in the scan and the muscle tissue shows up as a light grey colour. Then the rays came into contact with dense bones and show up as a bright white colour on the scan. Now that the X-ray has penetrated the hand and shows the inner makeup of the hand it can be analyzed. By analyzing this hand it can be seen that there is a fracture or break on the wrist of the patient. This is proven because on the radiograph the bone is seen to be broken and splintered into two parts.

X-rays are extremely useful for a couple of reasons.  They do not require large computers, complex machines and intensive preparation.  They simply require a machine to produce the X-rays, a sheet made of heavy materials to protect the parts of the body not being X-rayed, and a photographic plate to catch the particles.  This simplicity makes taking X-rays a quick and painless procedure that is inexpensive and reliable.  Another factor that makes X-rays such an excellent piece of technology is their ability to easily highlight any issues in a patient in a clear manner.  They do so by the stark contrast that appears on an X-ray photograph, since any break or fracture is highlighted by the fact that it is white against a black or dark grey background of muscle or fat. So unlike MRI’s or CT scans that have so many colours and images that require expert analysis, and X-ray can very effectively show any issues in a very easy to understand way.