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On Early American Roentgenology & the Power of Remotely Anatomizing the Human Body

Posted: 09 May 2011 06:19 AM PDT

Daniel S.

Goldberg (East Carolina University) has an article out in the latest Bulletin of the History of Medicine entitled Suffering and Death among Early American Roentgenologists: The Power of Remotely Anatomizing the Living Body in Fin de Siècle America. Here is the Abstract:

This manuscript has two aims. First, I extend the historiography on early American roentgenology that demonstrates that dozens of early adopters knowingly suffered intense pain, mutilation, and death for the sake of the X-ray. The objective is to pinpoint as precisely as possible when and to what extent the roentgenologists knew of the life-threatening risks of X-ray exposure. Second, I articulate a partial explanation for their behavior that is rooted in the social power of remotely anatomizing the living body in fin de siècle American scientific and medical culture.

It is an indescribable honor to have my work published in BHM. Comments and criticisms are of course welcome. Electronic copies are available upon request.