This is the original radiograph taken of Röntgen’s wife’s hand. Her wedding ring is clearly visible. “I have seen my death!” was her reported reaction to seeing the image.

The x-ray has seen improvement since, but only in the delivery of its desired rendering. The basis for the technology, of course, has remained unchanged. It has proven to be of limitless use to the medical field, not to mention various other fields in which it is applied. The situations in which X-rays have been useful and lifesaving are likely innumerable. Here are some unique examples:

Patrick Lawler, as pictured above, made a dentist appointment for a toothache. Upon further examination this four-inch nail was discovered lodged in his cranium through the roof of his mouth. He had acquired the nail six days prior when a pneumatic nail gun misfired. When painkillers wouldn’t stake the “toothache” and blurry vision, he sought medical attention. Barely missing his right eye, doctors said he was lucky to be alive, much less able to see.

This is an X-ray image of twins conjoined at the head. At eleven months old, sisters Maria Teresa and Maria de Jesus Quiej-Alvarez came to the US with their family from their home in Guatemala to undergo dangerous separation surgery. Largely with the help of X-ray technology, their surgery was a success and they are alive today.

In some cases, radiographs can be used to see things that don’t belong – such as medical scissors in the abdomen of a 69 year-old woman. Pat Skinner, of Sydney, Australia, had part of her colon removed in May of 2001. Still complaining of immense pain 18 months later, she was X-rayed and to the horror of her physicians, a major surgical error was made apparent. The scissors were promptly removed by the very embarrassed medical staff, and Mrs. Skinner, not surprisingly, pursued legal recourse.

This case is the stuff of nightmares. 17 month-old Nicholas Holderman was playing at home with elder siblings when he fell and lodge his parents’ car keys in his face. One of the keys entered through an eye socket and punctured deep his brain. X-ray scans helped surgeons carefully remove the keys. Nicholas made a full recovery.

Sometimes the application of X-ray technology may not help save a person’s life, but it can help solve the mystery of their death.

This is an X-ray of the cranium of Chen Liu. He was found dead in the Georges River in Sydney, Australia in November 2008. This scan showed forensics investigators that Liu’s death was likely due to thirty nails found to have been shot into his skull with an automatic nail gun.

In a lighter case, college freshman Chris Foster apparently didn’t want to go home from the party he was attending. So, he swallowed his dorm key. Having no recollection of doing so, he eventually became sick and went to a clinic. An X-ray showed the cause and the location of his missing key. He was able to naturally “pass” it, and was luckily unharmed.

The benefits of X-ray technology are not only for humans, however.

This 12-foot Burmese python was saved through surgery after scans showed it had swallowed an entire queen-sized electric blanket.

This African pancake tortoise was found to have a large, potentially deadly bladder stone with this scan. With prompt surgery, she was able to heal and return to life at a normal tortoise pace.

This golden retriever was rushed to the vet by her family after she started coughing up blood. An X-ray showed a large object in her stomach. After a dose of syrup of Ipecac, the object came up. It was a Wiimote – the controller for the Wii videogame system.

X-ray technology has certainly changed the world of medicine and made many life-saving procedures possible. Without it, we would still be in the dark about much of what goes on where human eyes cannot see.

The millimeter wave technology used in some body scanners has little, if any, negative health effects on the human body. Scanners using this technology emit waves that are contained within the T-ray range of the wave spectrum, which causes certain materials, such as clothing, to appear translucent, and creates a three dimensional image of a subject’s body. Millimeter waves do not use radiation, and there is no evidence as of yet that suggests these waves cause or accelerate any form of cancer. There has been some speculation that the waves have an impact on a level of DNA strands, but this result has not been supported in any studies. The size and frequency of the waves used in these imaging scanners are generally considered insignificant to a person’s health, especially when compared to the possible health problems associated with cell phones, and the radiation passengers are exposed to by flying in airplanes themselves.

Other body scanners use backscatter X-ray technology, which detects any radiation that a given object or subject may emit during the scan. The resulting two-dimensional image gives the observer a clear view of any materials that may be hidden by the subject beneath their clothing using ionized radiation. This radiation may have a negative effect on subatomic particles, causing them to react unnaturally. Though this form of X-ray does not produce the same radioactive damage as traditional X-ray devices, there is still some concern over long-lasting effects they may cause, particularly for people who are frequent fliers.

Ionized radiation, in high amounts with repeated exposure, can cause some serious biological damage, and though body scanners using backscatter X-rays use the waves in very small amounts, there is no known minimum to ensure that the rays will not damage tissue. Because there are no long-term experiments dealing with ionized radiation, the lasting effects of even small amounts of this radiation are unknown. Critics of full body scanners argue that, because of the lack of research regarding the dangers of extended exposure to ionized X-rays, they should not yet be implemented.

Supporters of full body scanners argue that all people are constantly exposed to radiation, even without the use of full body scanners. One study shows that an average person may be exposed to more radiation within an hour due to environmental radiation than when inside of a body scanner. In addition, flying in an airplane places passengers much nearer the sun and the potentially harmful radiation in its rays. The health effects caused by TSA scanners seem insignificant in comparison with these greater risks.

In the end however, the stress of a body scanner, whether for its privacy invasion or for its health risks, is not likely to stop travelers from flying anytime soon. The debate over health risks will continue until long-term studies can show negative results (or lack thereof) conclusively. The results of at least one of these studies will demonstrate, one way or another, the scanners’ effects on biological tissue. Until then, travelers should be prepared to see backscatter X-ray scanners or millimeter wave scanners next time they choose to fly.

“It’s fun to interact with doctors, physician assistants, and other staff,” says Linda Barker, a hospital X-ray technician. “And the patients themselves, of course. It’s not an absolute requirement, but I go out of my way to be friendly to these people who are often in pain or distress, and I think they appreciate the human touch, especially since so many people are anxious about all this heavy machinery operated by a person wearing a really bulky, protective lead apron.”

A Typical Workday for an X-Ray Technician

5:30 a.m. Linda arrives at work early to examine the files that came in overnight and calibrate the machinery. Everything seems to be in proper working order.

Linda puts on her protective lead gear and a small instrument that will monitor the amount of radiation that she’s exposed to throughout the day. “This little device will tell me if I get too hot for some reason. In four years, though, that’s never happened. The regulations and lead barriers keep me safe.”

6:00 a.m. The first patient is a little girl who injured her ankle on a merry-go-round; she’s wheeled into the room in a wheelchair. Linda greets the girl, saying, “You want me to look at your ankle, honey?” The girl nods.

Linda carefully raises the girl’s right leg and positions the equipment directly over it at just the right angle and height. She observes all regulations for keeping herself and the patient safe from unnecessary radiation, readies the machine, and tells the girl, “It’s just a big camera. You have to stay very still so I can get a clear picture, okay? Ready?”

Linda sets the controls, takes the X-ray, and praises the brave little girl.

8:00 a.m. Throughout the morning, Linda sees several more patients who’re being examined for bone fractures in various parts of the body: ribs, legs, arms.

10:15 a.m. Linda must take several X-rays of the spinal column, neck, and skull of each of four people involved in a serious car accident.

In each case Linda methodically reviews their files, takes the necessary safety precautions for minimizing radiation exposure, and positions the machinery carefully. A few of the patients are unconscious, so Linda works in silence.

1:00 p.m. Linda assists a doctor by mapping a major artery that the doctor is catheterizing to get through blockage. The patient is being prepared for surgery, and the doctor needs to be sure that the blood vessels are unimpeded.

2:30 p.m. Linda sees another child, this time a toddler who has eaten at least a few dimes and maybe other coins as well. The doctor needs to know what specifically the little boy swallowed. Linda readies the patient and the machine and takes the X-ray. It reveals no less than fourteen coins dispersed through the little boy’s digestive system. The pediatrician examines the X-rays and says, “No half dollars, at least.”

3:00 p.m. Linda goes home.