In 1895, German physics professor Wilhelm Röntgen produced and discovered X-rays while experimenting with Lenard tubes and Crookes tubes and began studying them. In his initial report, the first paper written on X-rays, Röntgen referred to the radiation as "X", to indicate that it was an unknown type of radiation.
The name stuck, although many of his colleagues suggested calling them Röntgen rays (over his great objections). Interestingly, they are still referred to as such in many languages. In 1901, Röntgen received the first Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery.
Today, X-rays are essential in various sectors such as health care and transportation security. People even use them to detect art forgeries!
To show you just how deeply they have penetrated our lives, Bored Panda put together a list of some of the most interesting X-ray images we could find on the Internet. From an Egyptian sarcophagus to a metal arm, let's take a closer look, shall we?
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Roommate Is A Radiology Major And Today They X-Rayed Flowers. Thought You Guys Might Enjoy
X-rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation, similar to visible light. But X-rays have higher energy than light and can pass through most objects, including the body. Medical X-rays are used to generate images of tissues and structures inside the body. If X-rays traveling through the body also pass through an x-ray detector on the other side of the patient, an image will be formed that represents the “shadows” formed by the objects inside the body.
5-Day Progression Of Covid Pneumonia
General practitioner, medical researcher, and founder of PrimeHealth Clinical Research, Iris Gorfinkel, M.D., told Bored Panda that probably the most common X-ray of all is the chest X-ray, simply because it's often done when people are coughing, especially longer than a couple of weeks. "Other common X-rays that are fairly routine are mammography (looking for breast cancer in women) and CAT scans (we'll do CAT scans of the chest, the abdomen, and that's often to look for various cancers as well)."
X-Ray Of A Pregnant Dog
The Radiology Waiting Room In Local Hospital Has The Usual Naff Floral Decor, Except... They’re X-Rays
Even though X-rays have saved countless lives and helped in a range of important discoveries, scientists have shown concern over the health implications of getting one. "No radiation is considered particularly healthy because ionizing radiation can interfere with the way cells divide and cause normal cells to become cancerous cells," Gorfinkel explained. "But the reality of the amount of radiation with various studies is that it's actually very low, and does not tend to do that unless they are constantly repeated."
X-Ray Of A Kiwi Bird With Its Egg
X-Ray Of A Stingray
Experts estimate that 0.4 percent of cancers in the U.S. are caused by CT scans and that an average CT scan might raise the chance of fatal cancer by 1 in 2,000. However, this figure pales in comparison to the natural incidence of fatal cancer in the US of 1 in 5.
"For the most part, for the vast majority of people getting X-rays, that's not a concern," Gorfinkel said. In other words, the risks are very little compared to the benefits of medical imaging.
X-Ray Of A Hammerhead Shark
I Have A Rare Disorder Called Cleidocranial Dysotosis. Got My First Dental X-Ray Today And I Have A Lot Of Extra Teeth
An X-Ray Of An Egyptian Sarcophagus Revealed A Kitten Inside
To give you some context, the Earth is constantly bombarded by cosmic radiation, including X-rays. These rays are not harmless but they are unavoidable, and the radiation is at such low levels that its effects are virtually unnoticed. "There was always an ambient amount of radiation, in other words, just walking around on planet Earth, we have exposure," Gorfinkel said.
X-Ray Scans Of A Painting Of The Young Charles II Of Spain Reveal That The Artist Painted Over An Earlier Painting When Charles Was A Few Years Younger
Daughter Demanded Peppa Pig Get X-Ray With Her
X-Rays Of Children's' Mouths Between The Ages Of 6-12 Years Still Hold Wonder For Me, Even After Being A Dentist For 10+ Years
I dream that I'm going to lose all of my adult teeth and regrow new ones
A chest X-ray is equivalent to a just few days of the amount of natural background radiation and a mammogram is three months worth. But a CAT scan of the abdomen, for example, is worth years of natural background radiation. Gorfinkel said it's important for people to realize that CAT scans, in general, are much higher in radiation than X-rays.
Advanced Rheumatoid Arthritis
My daughter was diagnosed with RA when she was 13. She is 29 now and has had three surgeries to improve her joints to help her be able to walk. Her toes looked much like this X-ray. This is a horrible illness that is invisible until it is at this point. The pain that these patients deal with every day is heartbreaking. People still give her dirty looks when she uses a handicap parking space. Imagine if your toes looked like this...don't you think you would want to walk as little as possible?
My Wife's A Ballerina, This Is Her X-Ray While En Pointe
Scoliosis Surgery, Before And After
Can’t imagine how painful and uncomfortable it would be to suffer such significant scoliosis.
"I view them as invasive tests, even though people don't feel anything going on. Considering that a CAT scan of the chest or a CAT scan of the abdomen is equivalent to three years of natural background radiation, they should be done with careful thought—they shouldn't be just done willy nilly."
X-Ray Of A Seahorse
Pregnant Cat X-Ray
A Nice Clear X-Ray Showing My RNS Device, The Leads That Run To The Point Where My Seizures Originate
And also the brackets holding my skull together after my craniotomy (and the staples holding my scalp together).
My neurologist keeps asking me to have this surgery but I'm not sure if I am ready for this. I really hope you are doing well and wish you the best of the best. Please keep us updated.
@DiemondStar, wishing you all the best too. If you ever do go in for the surgery, please let us know, so that we can wish you luck.
Load More Replies...Makes me wanna upload my skull x-ray after having had two brain lobes removed. You can definitely see the holes.
I have a Spinal Cord Stimulator, have a photo like this. Though mine is in my lower left back, just above my bottom (not using a word that will be censored) For anyone that is curious, I have 16 leads, they are evenly spread through vertebrae L4, L5, S1 & S2. It is fascinating to see the device and leads. I love medical stuff, so it is cool to have a picture of the SCS in my own body. The reason why, is everything but cool though..
My best friend's epileptic and unfortunately he'll never be able to afford a surgery to help it. I hope you're doing well.
When You Accidentally X-Ray Anubis. Dog Moved At Just The Right Time During An X-Ray
X-Ray Of A Foot In Stilettos
Well, That Sucks A Lot
Snake Has A Kidney Tumor. Wanted To Share His X-Ray. Wish Him Luck In Surgery
Backscatter X-Ray Identifying Contraband In A Truck. An Operator Noticed Anomalies In The Right-Side Z Backscatter View, And Flagged This Vehicle For Further Inspection
Is it just the large blocks that are the contraband? So if they had been small they would have blended in?
This Is An X-Ray Of The Device Doctors Put In My Dad's Neck, Containing Undeveloped Bone Cells And Stem Cells To Regrow Parts Of His Spine. Science
I Got A Panoramic X-Ray Of My Teeth The Other Day. The Dentist Forgot To Have Me Remove My Glasses
X-Ray Of A Flamingo
X-Ray Of A Cat With Scoliosis, Causing Her To Be Round
Girl Was Nervous The X-Ray Machine Would Hurt So I Took A Quick Shot Of Her Stuffed Fox To Show It Was Fine
Miss Correct Posture, 1956. At A Chiropractic Convention In Chicago, The Contest Winners Were Picked For The Beauty Of Their X-Rays And Their Standing Posture
X-Ray Of My Metal Arm
I Took An X-Ray Today And They Told Me That My Wisdom Teeth Are Pretty Strange
A Man In China Had A Steel Spoon Lodged In His Esophagus For A Year, But Surprisingly, The Half-Swallowed Utensil Didn’t Cause Too Much Discomfort
I Took This X-Ray On A Covid+ Patient Hours After My Friend Tried To Tell Me Covid Isn't That Bad
A Tiger's Paw
Gravid Ball Python X-Ray
I Dislocated My Jaw... While Eating Cereal
Nikola Tesla's Foot In A Shoe, By Himself. Tesla Obtained The Image In 1896 With X-Rays Generated By His Own Vacuum Tube, Similar To Lenard’s Tube, At A Distance Of 8 Feet
This Guy Had Two Nails From A Nail Gun Hit His Leg, And They Both Missed His Femur And His Kneecap
An X-Ray Of My Cat's Intestines, Kinda Looks Like Santa In A Sleigh
Pre-Flight X-Ray Image Of Neil Armstrong's Moon Boots Taken On July 7, 1969
NASA x-rayed everything the astronauts wore in order to verify that there were no sharp objects embedded in the cloth that could puncture the pressure suit
An X-Ray Of A Ghost Bat
Just Received My X-Rays From Saturday’s Debacle. They Had To Cut My Ring Off Before Returning My Bones To Their Full Upright And Locked Position
My fingers are still sore/stiff/swollen but mostly functional
Cheese!
X-Ray Of A LED Bulb From Philips
Chest X-Ray Of Attempted Suicide By Injecting Elemental Mercury (Quicksilver) Intravenously
This is an oversimplified analogy but imagine injecting stainless steel if it was liquid at room temperature. Pure mercury is still toxic but less reactive than mercury compounds. The main challenge is removing the physical mercury before it reacts or causes a physical blockage somewhere.
I Love How Sinister These Cute, Innocent Dolls Look Under X-Ray. It Shows Their True Colours
This peek-a-boo doll shrieks that over and over again even with just one squeeze. It also covers its eyes. If only it would cover my ears
X-Ray Of A Plant As A Decoration At My Local Hospital
Ineffective Gold Thread Acupuncture Treatment For Osteoarthritis Of The Left Knee
Wait... Those squigly lines are gold threads? Can somebody please explain?
My Son Got Shot In The Face By A BB Gun Two Years Ago (Accidentally). Found The BB Today
My stepdad had a BB in his forehead from when he was a kid. He could move it around under the skin.
X-Ray Techs Were Amazed At My Cervical Spine Imaging Given Extreme Hyper Mobility
This Person Broke This On Sunday And Came In On Thursday
X-Rays Before And After Spinal Fusion Surgery For Scoliosis. I Had Surgery At 12 After The Curvature Continued Getting Worse Despite Interventions Being Taken
15 years since surgery and I have no back-related issues. The only issues are caused by the scar tissue from the auto-bone graft from my hip
X-Ray Of My Arm After Amputation, Thanks To Driver Who Fell Asleep At The Wheel
My Wife Took Our Cat To The Vet And My Son Told The Vet His Toy Dinosaur Was Feeling Poorly So The Vet Gave It An X-Ray
X-Ray Of A Panda Hand vs. A Human Hand; Pandas Have An Extra "Thumb" To Help Grip Bamboo Stalks
Bullet In Knee After 14 Years. A 46-Year-Old Man With A Prior Gunshot Wound To The Left Knee Presented With Worsening Knee Pain
Radiographs showed fragmentation of the bullet into innumerable metallic particles
My (Nearly 60-Years-Old) Father's Arm After Being Thwomped By A Cow This Morning
Just A Bunch Of Grapes. Green Ones To Be Slightly More Specific
This X-Ray Of A Male Veiled Chameleon Shows The Internal Structure Of Its Casque (Structure On The Head) Which Is Used To Collect Dew, Funneling It Towards The Mouth
Missing Dentures Found In Man's Throat 8 Days After Surgery
Doctor’s Office Christmas Card Is An X-Ray Made To Look Like Rudolph
Polydactyl Claw X-Ray
Wasp X-Ray
Thought I Had Jammed My Pinky. At The Doc's Office The Next Day, She Told Me To Come With Her To The X-Ray Room And To Bring My Camera
She said it was a 'spiral fracture' and that she doesn't get to see many of those (she's my PCP). I was quickly referred over to ortho
I Give This Post Two Thumbs Up
A Wooden Adjustable Doll. Some Interesting Bits In The Inside
Lipsticks! I Love That They Added Some Weight To A Couple To Make Them Feel Expensive
My Heart Rat Had To Have X-Rays. This One's The Most Humorous. She Gave 2 Poops
My X-Rays Before Braces In August 2018 To Now August 2020
My Newborn Son's X-Ray At 1 Day Old
X-Ray Of A Photographer And Camera
Snake X-Ray
80’s Video Monitor/TV Screen. I Found One Small Enough To X-Ray. This One Brought Me Joy. I Hope It Does For You Too
X-Ray Of A Coconut
X-Ray Of A Turtle With Eggs
Panoramic X-Ray Of A Child (Adult Teeth Growing In)
My Chest X-Ray After 3 Pacemaker Surgeries, A Median Sternotomy And Valve Repair
Moon Snail Shell. This Was Collected By A Friend Off Of Savary Island B.C.
X-Ray Of A Hedgehog With Balloon Syndrome
Patient Went To Take Vitamins She Had In Her Pocket, Scooped Up The Ring In There As Well
Fun fact, the reason the ring was in her pocket in the first place was because the center stone fell out and she was going to take it to the jewelers.
Damn, she's good at swallowing; would have thought she'd gag on a ring straight away
The Little Girl Swallowed A Coin
I had to go to the emergency room one time, the kid in the room next to us had a coin being removed out of her throat. the screams were terrifying even a room over.
The Worst Case Of Rheumatoid Arthritis I've Ever Seen
Anne Geddes Baby Bear Toy. I Hope You Saw This In The Morning And Not Right Before Bed
Hedgehog (Dark Spot Is Gas In The Stomach)
6 Years Ago Today I Had A Surgery To Straighten Up My Spine, This Is The Before And After Result. I Gained 5 Cm With The Process
I Went For A Sinus X-Ray And They Said I Didn't Need To Takes Out All My Piercings, This Is What It Looked Like
Steel Boned Corset. I Can’t Believe This Is Clothing
Finally Cropped Out All My Personal Info So, Enjoy This X-Ray
Not Every Day You See A Prosthetic Breaking
Screech Owl
Godzilla, King Of The Monsters
Father In Law Is A Radiologist. Put This In His X-Ray Stack For My Hand
My Daughter's X-Ray Last Year When She Was 5 Years Old. I Was Amazed At Seeing This
My Friends X-Ray After Being Shot With A Shotgun
That birdshot hit with quite a bit of force to have broken his humerus.
Winnie Jungbluth, At 5 Years Old “She's Exhibiting Nesting Behavior But Hasn't Laid Any Eggs And We Are Worried About Her”
Went Through 21 Years Thinking I Never Broke A Bone Until An X-Ray For A Shoulder Problem Revealed This Atrocity, It Broke And Healed Without Me Knowing, Was Nice Knowing You
It could happened when he/she was a baby. You'd think you'd notice but if it happens at birth, it can easily be missed
A Woman I Work With Had An X-Ray Done To Her Foot For Her Arthritis... Found This Surprise. Apparently It's Been There For Over 30 Years
So My Patient Wouldn’t Let Me X-Ray Her Unless I Promised To X-Ray Her Pony After
X-Ray Of A Pregnant Dog
Xray Of My Little Finger Dislocated
I Have 5 Wisdom Teeth
Digestion In The Process - X-Ray Of A Diamond Python
An Old X Ray Of My Pacemaker/Defibrillator. I’ve Since Gotten A New Heart And Don’t Need It Anymore
Don't Punch Things Folks
A Well Loved Pair Of Capezio Tap Shoes
My (33 Year Old) X Rays Showing My Remaining Baby Teeth
Fat-Tailed Gecko
This Is My X-Ray After I Ate A Quarter After Stealing It From My Brother When I Was 5
I Finally Got X-Rays Of My Leg After Amputation
Does the bone heal over into a more rounded shape on the end eventually? My inner woodworker really wants to round over the sharp edges.
This X-Ray Of My Hedgehog
“You can do it with a giraffe if you stand on a stool, but the hedgehog can never be b*ggered at all!”
It Would Be Pointless For A Guessing Game, So Here’s A Twix
My Cat Louis Ate A Key. Don't Worry, He Is Okay Post-Enterotomy
A Nespresso Machine
Dads Leg Xray
How Fat My Cat Looks In His X-Ray
My Snake Is Full Of Eggs
Today I Took A Dental X-Ray For A Child. This Is How The Milk Teeth Change Permanently. The Picture Clearly Shows How The Premolar Comes Out
Swamy X-Ray From When I Was 3 And Swallowed An AA Battery
My Little Pony Collection. They’re My Daughter’s Newer Ones. We Blew Up My Sister’s Original Ones Back In The Day
As I Am No Botanist, Here Is An X-Ray Of A Random House Plant
Since We’re Posting Cool X-Rays (Possibly A Gila Monster)
My Gecko Got X-Rays The Other Day And Thought You Guys Might Like To See
Wow, the bones are so tiny. I have a leopard gecko as well but I didn’t think his tail bones especially were that small.
Saxophone
i know some people that play saxophones. takes lots of finger coordination with all the buttons.
X-Ray From The Dentist Shows A BB From When I Got Shot In The Face About 15 Years Ago
X-Ray Of Blow Dart In My Hand
Cat Pooping During An Xray
This Is An Xray Of My Old Cochlear Implant. Unfortunately It Didn't Work, So It Was Removed. But It Is Pretty Wild To See All Of The Parts That Were In My Head
ED Patient From A While Ago Who Stabbed Himself In The Leg - AP Showed The Knife Sitting Around 2 cm Medially To The Femur
Dwarf Mongoose
I Went To The Dentist For Tooth Pain, I Got My X-Rays Taken And The Dental Assistant Said My Wisdom Teeth Were "Like Something Out Of A Textbook"
A Bike Going Through The Security X-Ray At The Malaga Airport
Black & Decker Coffee Maker
Sunbeam Heating Blanket
A Baseball
An X-Ray Of My Dog's (Naturally) Bent Tail
3 of my cats have messed up tails too. I'm guessing they look the same!
Here’s What A Canine Skull X-Ray Looks Like
This Xray I Have Of A Pregnant Woman
You Can See My Smart Watch In The X-Ray Of My Broken Arm
My 4-Year-Old Daughter’s Dental X-Ray Image
X-Rayed A Turtle
X-Rays Of My Spinal Fusion Surgery Before And After
Had A BB Removed From My Arm After 20-ish Years, Here’s The X-Ray And Post Op Culprit
Got Bored At Work And X-Rayed My Flash Drive
X-Ray Of My Bunion. I Thought It Was Interesting
the most interesting bit isn't the bunion but how two of her foot bones have fused together
A Bunch Of Random Pens. My Favourite Is Third From The Left, You Can See The Little Crystals Really Well On The X-Ray
An X-Ray Of My Parrot
X-Ray Of A Nintendo Switch I Took, Thought Some Of You Might Find It Interesting
Dental 3D X-Ray On A Child
The Vet Forgot To Take Off My Pug's (Fake) Pearl Necklace Before An X-Ray
Forgot To Take Out My Bars Before A Chest X-Ray Today
A Friend Of Mine Asked Me To X-Ray Products To See If We Were Getting Ripped Off. So Far The Biggest Rip Off Has Been This Extinguisher
Somebody is probably going to chime in and say it’s filled only 75% for a reason, but they’re likely just a shill for big fire extinguisher
The "empty space" is the pressurized gas that propels the fire retardant!
My Nipple Piercing On My Chest X-Ray
The Extra Row Of Teeth In The X-Ray Of My 7-Year-Old Kid
Someone Took "The Key To The Heart Is Through The Stomach" A Bit Too Literally
Had My Septum Ring Flipped Up Inside My Nose During An Xray And This Is How The X Rays Came Out
one time, in 5th grade, i dislocated my pinky while playing ball. i don't wanna say it was sideways but....how do i put this. so there are 3 bones in your pinky, right? imagine the top 2 bones NEXT to the bottom 3rd bone. yeah so imagine that. freaky right? but the strange thing is, that it didn't even hurt. i felt totally normal. it only hurts when i pull it or try to move it. i went to the ER and they straight up put a needle in my pinky. 2, actually. it became numb, and they popped it back it place. and it was the most satisfying sound ever. it also swelled and i had to wait 6 weeks for it to go back to normal. and thru the whole thing, i didn't even cry. THE END
About half of these fascinated me. The other half filled me with a deep sense of existential dread.
About 10 years I had foot surgery to remove a neuroma and file down a bunionette. It took forever to heal and I thought it was strange since I'm a fast healer. A few month ago I broke my pinky toe. When they took the xrays I found out that instead of filing down the bunionette, the doctor had just cut off the entire end of the bone. It certainly explains why it took so long to heal.
Wow! Was it malpractice, or was it just that he had to alter the procedure for good reasons, but neglected to tell you?
Load More Replies...one time, in 5th grade, i dislocated my pinky while playing ball. i don't wanna say it was sideways but....how do i put this. so there are 3 bones in your pinky, right? imagine the top 2 bones NEXT to the bottom 3rd bone. yeah so imagine that. freaky right? but the strange thing is, that it didn't even hurt. i felt totally normal. it only hurts when i pull it or try to move it. i went to the ER and they straight up put a needle in my pinky. 2, actually. it became numb, and they popped it back it place. and it was the most satisfying sound ever. it also swelled and i had to wait 6 weeks for it to go back to normal. and thru the whole thing, i didn't even cry. THE END
About half of these fascinated me. The other half filled me with a deep sense of existential dread.
About 10 years I had foot surgery to remove a neuroma and file down a bunionette. It took forever to heal and I thought it was strange since I'm a fast healer. A few month ago I broke my pinky toe. When they took the xrays I found out that instead of filing down the bunionette, the doctor had just cut off the entire end of the bone. It certainly explains why it took so long to heal.
Wow! Was it malpractice, or was it just that he had to alter the procedure for good reasons, but neglected to tell you?
Load More Replies...