Early Medical Radiography

After Röntgen announced his discovery in late 1895, X-ray images were quickly applied to medical problems. In the first months of 1896, physicians used them to identify fractures and locate bullets and other foreign objects, helping plan treatment without an exploratory incision. The technology did not become universally routine overnight: equipment was cumbersome, exposures were long, and imaging practice and interpretation were still developing. Radiography later became a foundational diagnostic tool, although clinicians today select imaging methods for the clinical question and account for radiation exposure.