Mysterious rays
In November 1895, professor of physics Wilhelm Roentgen discovered a rather interesting form of radiation. Rays could freely penetrate through an opaque body, paper, iron, and most importantly, through living tissue! The very next year, with the help of them, the scientist was able to "photograph" his own brush, having received its image on a photographic plate. He could not believe his eyes. "Photography" clearly showed every bone, every phalanx of a finger. X-ray himself called his mysterious find "X-rays."
The unusual discovery quickly found its application in various fields of medicine and science. And today,
x-rays are used everywhere to obtain "images" of human organs, which are located deep in the body. By the way, the merit of Wilhelm Roentgen is not only in the discovery of radiation, later called his last name, but also in the development of an
x-ray tube. The scientist was awarded the Nobel Prize for colossal discoveries in the field of physics. We have not had a great inventor for a long time, and his invention is still alive. But the question is how often can I do an x-ray? This is, after all, radiation! Is this procedure dangerous?
How often can I do an X-ray and is it dangerous to my health?To begin with, we note that we undergo such examinations over our lives several dozen times, for example, fluorography. Meanwhile, almost 70% of all diagnoses are due to X-rays. They diagnose a particular disease, its scale, determine the stage of the disease, etc. X-ray received its widespread use, of course, in the field of traumatology. It is with these rays that one can determine both the presence of the fracture itself and the degree of need for surgical intervention.
Both benefit and harm ...
Imagine how often you can do an x-ray, if it is needed almost always and everywhere! Under the control of these rays, surgeons perform operations on vessels that are only visible in this way, because you can never find with the naked eye exactly where the vessel has narrowed and how it can be expanded. But, mind you, “you can” does not mean “you need”! Do not flatter yourself too much on this score, because for whatever necessary purposes radiation is not used - from it, without any doubt, radiation damage occurs. At the same time, no one has died from a single exposure while undergoing fluorography; you and I during the summer receive a much larger dose of harmful radiation, sunbathing on the beach under the scorching sun.
How often can x-rays be given to children and pregnant women
No way! Absolutely nothing! Remember that children under 15 years of age, as well as pregnant women, are not subject to any x-ray studies. But it will not do any harm to nursing mothers, since harmful rays do not have a radiation effect on breast milk. If for some reason the baby still needs to be irradiated (for example, to take a picture of the lungs), then this is done strictly provided that the whole body of the baby is protected from harmful radiation. Only the area necessary for the picture remains open (in our case, the back of the baby).
X-rays in Moscow, as, incidentally, in other cities of Russia, are of two types: -scopy and -graphy. In the first case, the doctor examines his patient in the mode of what is called “online”, i.e. directly under x-rays. In the second - a picture is taken and it is he who is considered, and not the person himself.