The Cathode Ray Tube site
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History and Physics Instruments
electronic glassware
History and Physics Instruments
X-Ray tubes
Mysterious rays
Mysterious rays
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen
1845-1923
1845-1923
The first X- Ray picture.
It's the hand of Röntgen's wife Anna Bertha, she lived from 1839-1919. The picture was taken on 22 December 1895. Click at the hand to visit the Deutsches museum for more Röntgen info.
It's the hand of Röntgen's wife Anna Bertha, she lived from 1839-1919. The picture was taken on 22 December 1895. Click at the hand to visit the Deutsches museum for more Röntgen info.
Wilhelm Röntgens work room.
The first discoveries of the mysterious rays.
From as early 1879 many scientists were interested in the new discovered radiant matter (Cathode rays) by Sir William Crookes. Some of them may have witnessed X-rays normally produced by the Crookes tubes without knowing the existence of it due to destroying photographic plates in their work rooms. Also Prof. Herbert Jackson also noticed in London this effect accidentally,
no one of the researchers spend much attention on it except Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen. While working on a Crookes tube in
the evening of November 8, 1895, a plate of Barium Platino-Cyanide (fluorescent crystals) on a table six feet away in his workroom glowed when he activated the tube. Even after covering the tube with black cardboard it kept glowing. Röntgen named this strange phenomena X-Rays. In the next experiments he used a photographic plate and made his first X-Ray picture, the hand of his wife Anna Bertha. Soon after the announcement of Röntgen on December 28, 1895, A.A. Campbell Swinton did the same experiments in England with an X-Ray tube made by A.C. Cossor (a famous producer of high quality Crookes tubes) after the description of
Röntgen. It was a small pear shaped tube with two electrodes one in the form of a ring which can be seen against the wall on a photographic picture from The Windsor Magazine 1896 spring section. In the US the first X-ray photographs were made using a Puluj lamp by Edwin and Gilman Frost on February 3, 1896. Röntgen who gave the name to this rays but he never patented the invention was rewarded with the Nobel prize for Physics in 1901. In Germany a museum is dedicated to Wilhelm Röntgen and his work, including a complete biography (German) or here in English.
The paper which Röntgen published in 1895 On a New kind of Rays can be found at the site of mindfully.org.
The first officially produced X-Ray tube for Röntgen was made by Greiner und Friedrichs in Stützerbach.
From as early 1879 many scientists were interested in the new discovered radiant matter (Cathode rays) by Sir William Crookes. Some of them may have witnessed X-rays normally produced by the Crookes tubes without knowing the existence of it due to destroying photographic plates in their work rooms. Also Prof. Herbert Jackson also noticed in London this effect accidentally,
no one of the researchers spend much attention on it except Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen. While working on a Crookes tube in
the evening of November 8, 1895, a plate of Barium Platino-Cyanide (fluorescent crystals) on a table six feet away in his workroom glowed when he activated the tube. Even after covering the tube with black cardboard it kept glowing. Röntgen named this strange phenomena X-Rays. In the next experiments he used a photographic plate and made his first X-Ray picture, the hand of his wife Anna Bertha. Soon after the announcement of Röntgen on December 28, 1895, A.A. Campbell Swinton did the same experiments in England with an X-Ray tube made by A.C. Cossor (a famous producer of high quality Crookes tubes) after the description of
Röntgen. It was a small pear shaped tube with two electrodes one in the form of a ring which can be seen against the wall on a photographic picture from The Windsor Magazine 1896 spring section. In the US the first X-ray photographs were made using a Puluj lamp by Edwin and Gilman Frost on February 3, 1896. Röntgen who gave the name to this rays but he never patented the invention was rewarded with the Nobel prize for Physics in 1901. In Germany a museum is dedicated to Wilhelm Röntgen and his work, including a complete biography (German) or here in English.
The paper which Röntgen published in 1895 On a New kind of Rays can be found at the site of mindfully.org.
The first officially produced X-Ray tube for Röntgen was made by Greiner und Friedrichs in Stützerbach.
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Two early demonstration X-Ray tubes.
The larger tube made by Pressler has a length of about 25 centimeter and was used on schools mid 20th century. It has a regulator, a small glass compartment on the tube with a piece of charcoal which could be heated to correct the internal gas vacuum.
The small tube measures about 15 centimeter with 5 cm bulb and was probably part of a Physics experiment kit around 1900.
The larger tube made by Pressler has a length of about 25 centimeter and was used on schools mid 20th century. It has a regulator, a small glass compartment on the tube with a piece of charcoal which could be heated to correct the internal gas vacuum.
The small tube measures about 15 centimeter with 5 cm bulb and was probably part of a Physics experiment kit around 1900.
Close up of the electrodes
Another small X-Ray tube early 1900. bulb diameter 7cm
The platinum foil inside the tube.
The foil is a little deformed due to the heat generated by the stream of electrons.
It actually burned a hole in the foil.
The foil is a little deformed due to the heat generated by the stream of electrons.
It actually burned a hole in the foil.
The concave cathode
To converge the electron beam to focus on the small platinum anode.
To converge the electron beam to focus on the small platinum anode.
This early X-ray tube from the late 19th century was
developed by professor Herbert Jackson (1863-1936) in
1895, he worked at King's College in London and did
research on fluorescence and luminescence in vacuum
tubes. Jackson developed the typical concave cathode
as can be seen in the upper part of the tube.
During his research he accidentally discovered the X-
Ray phenomena prior to Röntgen, though he was not
aware of there significance.
A small piece of information is public at JSTOR.
developed by professor Herbert Jackson (1863-1936) in
1895, he worked at King's College in London and did
research on fluorescence and luminescence in vacuum
tubes. Jackson developed the typical concave cathode
as can be seen in the upper part of the tube.
During his research he accidentally discovered the X-
Ray phenomena prior to Röntgen, though he was not
aware of there significance.
A small piece of information is public at JSTOR.
Jackson focus tube ca 1896
A.A. Campbell Swinton demonstrates early X-Ray photography.
A.A.Campbell Swinton demonstrating an early X-Ray
tube for the Royal Photographic Society 11 febr 1896.
This picture is coming from The Windsor Magazine 1896
On the white paper in the back left the first pear shaped X-Ray tube to
the right a model after Hittorf. (picture courtesy Alastair Wright)
There is a tube of this model at the Science museum in London.
tube for the Royal Photographic Society 11 febr 1896.
This picture is coming from The Windsor Magazine 1896
On the white paper in the back left the first pear shaped X-Ray tube to
the right a model after Hittorf. (picture courtesy Alastair Wright)
There is a tube of this model at the Science museum in London.
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Large Early X-Ray tube
This early English tube has a length of about 50 cm with a simple tiny rod cathode and a heavy metal anode. the blue glass seals and platinum connections indicate a production date late 1800, so it is possibly an experimental tube from the time that the X-Rays were invented.
This tube was kindly donated by Ian Poole.
This early English tube has a length of about 50 cm with a simple tiny rod cathode and a heavy metal anode. the blue glass seals and platinum connections indicate a production date late 1800, so it is possibly an experimental tube from the time that the X-Rays were invented.
This tube was kindly donated by Ian Poole.
The heavy anode 15x15x15mm made to withstand the heat generated by the use has an unusually shape.
Looking at the deposit on the glass it could never had a sharp focussed ray.
Looking at the deposit on the glass it could never had a sharp focussed ray.
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See many more X-Ray tubes on the second X-ray tube page!
The picture on the right shows Professor Röntgen
at work "in the midst of an experiment on the new
light" with a tube similar as shown above.
The drawing is made by Walter. E. Hodgson
in 1896 for The Windsor Magazine.
at work "in the midst of an experiment on the new
light" with a tube similar as shown above.
The drawing is made by Walter. E. Hodgson
in 1896 for The Windsor Magazine.
The smallest X-ray tube I own
With a bulb diameter of only 4,5cm dates from early 1900. It was probably part of an experiment box sold by Bing or Meiser&Mertig
With a bulb diameter of only 4,5cm dates from early 1900. It was probably part of an experiment box sold by Bing or Meiser&Mertig
Advert from the Bing 1912 toy catalogue.[62]
Around 1900 many educational different Physics boxes were sold for amusement or Christmas gift. Many kids were experimenting with the newly discovered techniques like electricity and even X-rays without warning!
Around 1900 many educational different Physics boxes were sold for amusement or Christmas gift. Many kids were experimenting with the newly discovered techniques like electricity and even X-rays without warning!
Early Puluj phosphorescent lamp
This tube dates around 1885 and is made by Franz Müller successor of the workshop of Geissler in Bonn Germany.
Johan Puluj developed this tube in 1881 to demonstrate a new light source. Puluj presented Röntgen a lamp prior the announcement in 1895.
The small oval mica screen is covered with Calcium Wolframite CaWO4 also called Scheelite or Calcium Tungstate and lights up white blue when hit by electrons.
These lamps were sold with different phosphorescent materials for different colors of light. The early catalogues tell man could read easily in its light, not aware of the harmful X -ray's which were produced!
Due to the fact that the mica plate was build at an angle of 45 degrees the amount of X-rays was high enough to make X-ray photographs. The first US medical X-ray photographs were made with this lamp in 1896.
Here you can find a link to a PDF with some interesting info about Puluj and the X-ray discovery from the international conference of the European Society for the History of Science 2006.
This tube dates around 1885 and is made by Franz Müller successor of the workshop of Geissler in Bonn Germany.
Johan Puluj developed this tube in 1881 to demonstrate a new light source. Puluj presented Röntgen a lamp prior the announcement in 1895.
The small oval mica screen is covered with Calcium Wolframite CaWO4 also called Scheelite or Calcium Tungstate and lights up white blue when hit by electrons.
These lamps were sold with different phosphorescent materials for different colors of light. The early catalogues tell man could read easily in its light, not aware of the harmful X -ray's which were produced!
Due to the fact that the mica plate was build at an angle of 45 degrees the amount of X-rays was high enough to make X-ray photographs. The first US medical X-ray photographs were made with this lamp in 1896.
Here you can find a link to a PDF with some interesting info about Puluj and the X-ray discovery from the international conference of the European Society for the History of Science 2006.
Ivan Puluj 1845-1918
The old label tells the phosphorescent composition on the mica screen.
This drawing is from the 1904 catalog of the same glassblower Franz Müller but this one is also present in the Queen catalog from 1888, US reseller of Franz Müller tubes. The shape of the tube in this drawing is changed over the years and brass connection caps are used.
Puluj lamp
ca 1885 or earlier
ca 1885 or earlier
Page from the 1909 German
100 Schülerexperimente
von Dr. C. Richard Schultze.[58]
100 Schülerexperimente
von Dr. C. Richard Schultze.[58]
First medical X-ray in the US
Drs Edwin and Gilman Frost using a Puluj lamp for their first X-ray's on 3 February 1896, notice the bright light generated by the tube.
Here a link to the original PDF article from the Dartmouth Medical school.
And here another one describing the same historical fact (arjonline.org).
Drs Edwin and Gilman Frost using a Puluj lamp for their first X-ray's on 3 February 1896, notice the bright light generated by the tube.
Here a link to the original PDF article from the Dartmouth Medical school.
And here another one describing the same historical fact (arjonline.org).
Actual setup with the Puluj tube of Frost.
Didactic X-ray tubes.
These rather small X-ray tubes
were used in school and for
home entertainment sold as
part of Physics experiment
boxes together with small
Ruhmkorff coils or Wimshurst
static machines.
The drawings from the original
catalogues below shows how
the tubes were used.
These rather small X-ray tubes
were used in school and for
home entertainment sold as
part of Physics experiment
boxes together with small
Ruhmkorff coils or Wimshurst
static machines.
The drawings from the original
catalogues below shows how
the tubes were used.
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Activated tube
Impression of different sizes
X-Ray tube made by the Rudolf Pressler company.
Length 35 cm
Length 35 cm