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South Australian Medical Heritage Society Inc

Website for the Virtual Museum

Old x-ray equipment in South Australia

Acknowledgments: We are grateful to Dr Bernard
Vaughan who kindly provided the following text and
photographs. We are also grateful to the Department of
Physics at the University of Adelaide and to David Buob,
president of the Glenside Historical Society who allowed us
to photograph some of the items .

The news of the discovery of x-rays by Professor Conrad Roentgen in December

1895 reached the colony of South Australia when the following cable from
London was published in the “South Australian Register”.

London 30 Jan. 1986. “Great interest is being excited by experiments

in the application to medical purposes of Roentgen’s newly
discovered method of photographing through opaque substances. It
seems the results of the most astounding character have been
obtainable. Gall stones and bladder stones have been detected , and
injuries to the bones easily seen through the flesh”.

Professor Wilheim Conrad Roentgen

X-ray by William Bragg of a hand May

1886

(Two pictures from “X.Ray Pioneers of

Australia” published By Watson & Sons
Ltd 1946)

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William Bragg, professor of Physics at Adelaide University, was the first South
Australian to repeat Professor Roentgen’s experiments. At first he used Crooks
Tubes made by Mr AL Rogers, his laboratory assistant, and later in May used
tubes manufactured by Reynolds and Branson of Leeds UK. These had been
brought back by Mr S Barbour, a local business man representing FW Faulding &
Company who happened to be in England earlier in the year.

On May 28th. using Barbour’s tubes and a 12” Ruhmkorff coil Professor Bragg
succeeded in obtaining an x-ray photograph of his hand which was published in
the “Australasian”. On June 17th Professor Bragg delivered a public lecture &
demonstration.
Sir William Bragg, and his son Sir Lawrence Bragg were jointly awarded the Nobel
Prize for their research in X. Ray crystallography in 1915. An exhibition of
Professor William Bragg’s apparatus is to be set up in the Physics department of
Adelaide University in 2006. The following photographs of early X.Ray tubes which
are stored in the Physics department of Adelaide University

[[ to be inserted - Public display and lecture on x.rays , Painting by

R.A.Thomas]]

The following illustrations are of early X-Ray tubes kept in the department of
Physics of Adelaide University. Until 1913 the tubes were evacuated to less than a
millionth of an atmosphere, and contained a cathode and an anode. The electrons
in the cathode beam were derived from the remaining gas which became ionised.
X-Rays were produced when the accelerated electrons struck the anode. The
electricity was provided by a battery energising a “Ruhmkorff Coil” with a mercury
“make and break” powered by the magnetism produced by the low tension
windings, the rapidly fluctuating current inducing a very high voltage in the high
tension windings. The tubes “Crook’s Tubes” were named after the inventor.

A Crooks x-ray tube used by Professor William Bragg in his experiments

Crook’s tubes were erratic in behaviour, and the only adjustment was the duration
of the exposure. In 1913 William Coolidge working for “General Electric” in the
U.S.A. designed an X-Ray tube which is still the principle of the modern X-Ray
tube. It was completely evacuated and the electrons from the cathode were
produced by an electrically heated filament, so that the current could be regulated.
The cathode rays were focussed on to the anode which consisted of a tungsten
target embedded in a large piece of copper. The production of X-Rays is a very
inefficient process, with a lot of heat produced. The high tension voltage is now

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produced by a transformer, with the low tension voltage derived from the electric
mains via an autotransformer, allowing selection of the final Kilo-voltage. (60-110
KV.)

The circuit was self rectifying, but a diode valve was incorporated to prevent the
reverse current burning out the cathode. Modern Coolidge tubes have a rotating
anode which distributes the heat around the edge of a disc rotated by an induction
motor, The high tension voltage is now fully rectified.

An early
Coolidge tube
preserved in the
Physics
Department of
Adelaide
University. Note
cathode filament,
with focussing
shield & a heavy
anode.

A collection of old
x-ray tubes in
Adelaide
University Physics
Department.
There is a
Coolidge tube with
an anode heat sink
in the front on the
right.
Behind on the right
is a Crook’s tube with additional anodes to deflect the cathode rays on to the main copper
anode, a practice which was discontinued. The tube on the left is a Coolidge tube with a heavy
anode, and a heat finned sink to assist cooling.

The
Ruhmkorff
coil used by
William
Bragg in
early x ray
experiments
Heinrich
Ruhmkorff
(1803-1877)
invented an
induction
coil that
could
produce

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sparks more than a foot in length. This coil was used in the first radio transmitters and also to
energise Crook’s tubes for early x-ray experiments.

Now follow photographs of preserved early x-ray apparatus at present

stored in the museum section of Glenside Hospital

Collection of old x-ray equipment stored at Glenside Hospital

The generator & control of an “Elgen” mobile x-ray machine 1920.

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1920 Watson Victor generator

and screening stand with
fluoroscope (below)

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Phillips Stanford mobile 1960

Note light beam diaphragm

Citca mobile x-ray machine 1920

Note cooling vents for Coolidge tube anode

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Watson-Victor S.F.I.mobile unit 1951

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An
old
x-
ray

tube housing with a cone mounted on an adjustable arm. It was free to move up and down
on a column, which was free to move on floor and ceiling rails

A non-shockproof dental unit circa 1920

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-o0o-

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