“Accordingly, in company with Dr. Sicard of Paris, I began to experiment. We worked with animals until we were convinced of the correctness of our method. When we were sure that it was safe we tried it on human beings. I have used it in more than 5,000 cases in Europe without having a single adverse result.
“The lipiodol is injected into the brain cavity or the canal of the spinal cord or the bronchial tubes and then a regular X-ray photograph is made. The oil renders the injected part opaque to X-rays and they show up as sharp black images in the photographs.
“The method is of particular value when a patient is suffering from paralysis which has been caused by a pressure of a tumor or growth somewhere along the spinal cord. In this case a drop of the oil is injected into the spinal canal at the base of the brain. In a healthy patient it would immediately travel to the base of the spine. But in the paralyzed patient it only travels as far as the point of compression. The X-ray picture therefore reveals the drop of oil as a black spot. The surgeon then knows the exact spot at which to operate in order to find the growth causing the pressure, which in turn results in paralysis.
“In diagnosing the lungs with the use of lipiodol the injection in the bronchial tree enables the X-ray worker to tell at once whether the patient is suffering from diseases of the bronchial tubes themselves, or from diseases of the lung tissue, such as tuberculosis.”
It is gratifying to be able to relate that along with the improvements already described, progress has also been made in the preparation of photographic plates required by the radiographer. Until recently no photographic plate had been made which fully met the requirements of X-ray work, and there was little contrast in X-ray photographs. They were all much too sensitive to the longer (visible) wave lengths, and produced blurring effects.
Early in 1921 an excellent photographic plate, 25 times more rapid than anything previously known, was invented by Dr. Leonard A. Levey, a prominent member of the Roentgen Society. It makes an X-ray photograph of the vital organs of the living body whose movements have hitherto blurred the images on the ordinary photographic plate. Distinct pictures of the heart, lungs and stomach can now be made. Dr. Levey has made snapshot photographs of the heart, lungs and kidneys. All were taken in a flash with the X-rays on the new plate.
Dr. H. Becher has called the attention of Americans to the achievement of Dr. Schleussner, an eminent German authority in photochemical matters, who has succeeded, after years of investigation, in sensitizing photographic plates for X-ray use by an addition of certain organic salts which are absorbed by the grains of silver bromide on the photographic plate. The plate thus formed is very responsive to the soft rays of an X-ray tube. The soft rays are relatively longer than the hard Roentgen rays. One could compare the soft rays to blue-violet light, if their effects on this new photographic plate are used for the comparison. Photographs taken with such plates give very contrasting effects.
On the “Neo-Roentgen plate” the effect of the yellow light was almost nil. For this reason, developing the plate is considerably facilitated, as the plate can be exposed to yellow light and the attendant, who need not be a skilled operator, can examine the plate in a rather brilliant light without necessarily guessing at possible results. The examination of the plate under a ruby light is, therefore, completely done away with. It follows that if the new X-ray plate should come into general use, much clearer X-ray photographs would be possible; the time of exposure could be decreased; an unskilled operator could develop the plate in a room flooded with yellow light. Such improved plates are now being extensively used.
While not attempting to enumerate all the special affections to which X-ray therapy is now being successfully applied, a few uses may be mentioned.