today, it being 18 January (2020), look you see, is the 124th anniversary (or "birthday") of the first ever display of what we now know as an x-ray machine. or x-ray generator, if you so wish. as i have absolutely nothing else to write about at the moment, i figured sure, why not, let me mark this relatively important device coming into being.
a history of x-ray machine generation stuff? right. it is a chap called Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen who, if you are of a mind to do so, we should thank for the existence of the device. yes, i agree, his name sounds more like he should be the frontman for a smart yet only moderately successful metal band, but here we are, he did science instead of thrash.
for a first x-ray he decided to do one of his wife's hand, and it is stated that this image above is one of those initial x-rays. in respect of provenance or credit, the above is lifted off wikipedia, and the text suggested it was free for common use. anyway, i did make one of those "price of a cup of coffee" donations to them, so much like the BBC licence thing i suppose i am allowed to do what i will with that which i have paid for. traffic cones too, but that is another matter and not really x-ray related.
was there any particular reason for this splendidly named chap going right ahead and inventing the power of x-ray? some, but the real motivation is never discussed. there is a clue in the fact that Röntgen, possibly "for a laugh", tested it all out on his wife first. yes, then, like most artistic and scientific discoveries or inventions, the main driving force to create it was probably just to excuse or in some way justify an ambition to see people naked.
every single time there has been a dramatic, or significant leap in artistic, technological, medical or scientific endeavour and achievement, somehow it has amounted to being used mostly as a means of seeing other people naked. cave paintings, oil paintings, plays, medical examinations, surgical treatment, cameras, motion pictures, the internet, etc - all just conduits to carnal enjoyment. and why not.
well, why not, really. everyone seems to shy away from the point above, no matter how true it happens to be. a legacy from the Victorian era that we appear unable to shake off is that we should not discuss such things, at least not in an open, non-private way. such shaming is what causes it to become a problem, or at the least contributes to it.
the era Röntgen found himself in was particularly challenging in this regard, or in respect of this. he was around at the time of the height of the Victorian prejudicial approach of being all pious, prudish and puritan. one may not have glanced at so much as the ankle of a fellow human in its natural state without the fear of being arrested and having either a custodial sentence or death penalty imposed on them for something quite natural.
despite absolutely no evidence whatsoever existing to suggest such, it is entirely possible that Röntgen was just testing the waters with a hand x-ray, with the intention being to ask his wife if she would mind, "for a laugh", posing for an x-ray of another part of her anatomy. it is simply not possible to ascertain or establish if this happened, as no one has confirmed or denied that any such sort of x-ray image of this nature exists.
how does the existence of x-ray machines (or generators) affect modern day life, here in 2020? well, ostensibly, it is heralded as being of vital importance to the medical professions, which it is. using an x-ray machine can let doctors and so forth see what parts of a person (or animal, if vet) are knacked without cutting them open, unless of course they really wish to. mostly, however, x-ray devices get used to enhance efficiency at mail sorting offices and airport baggage facilities. if the staff can x-ray parcels, suitcases and what have you, then it makes everything faster and easier for them to steal items of value, rather than having to rip everything open.
in terms of the probable real reason we have x-ray, again we are at airports. they now have "full body" x-ray generators, where everyone walks though. people who really, really like to look at other people naked all day, every day, tend to gravitate towards a career operating such magnificent security devices.
right, then, that's about all i would imagine anyone probably needs to know about this x-ray stuff. all that remains is for me to wish it all a most wonderful anniversary, and continued success. may each and every single one of your own x-ray adventures be truly functional.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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