Document Detail


X-rays as evidence in German orthopedic surgery, 1895-1900.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  16114797     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Historians have found it difficult to give a general account of the early medical use of X-rays in medicine. While the rays were hailed by some as a miracle technology, their early medical application was patchy, often remaining subsidiary to traditional methods of diagnosis and treatment, and was of disputed value. In this essay, I argue that the selective appropriation of the new technology needs to be understood within the wider medical practice of the period. The argument is developed around the case of orthopedic surgery in Germany, probably the first example in which doctors quickly made X-rays indispensable as a medical tool. I show that value of X-rays in this case was contingent upon an ongoing dispute, the theory and practice of surgical intervention, and the sociology of new surgical knowledge.
Authors:
Andrew Warwick
Related Documents :
15484427 - A new research challenge: persuasive technology to motivate healthy aging.
17411757 - The blue cross blue shield association technology evaluation center: how we evaluate ra...
9835367 - Manipulation of the fertility of marsupials for conservation of endangered species and ...
19170397 - Pharmacogenomic strategy for individualizing antidepressant therapy.
20189757 - Medication-induced adverse effects: important concepts for the hand therapist.
325337 - Medical education in thailand: an alternate perspective.
Publication Detail:
Type:  Historical Article; Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Isis; an international review devoted to the history of science and its cultural influences     Volume:  96     ISSN:  0021-1753     ISO Abbreviation:  Isis     Publication Date:  2005 Mar 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2005-08-23     Completed Date:  2005-10-14     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  2985182R     Medline TA:  Isis     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  1-24     Citation Subset:  IM; Q    
Affiliation:
Center for the History of Science, Techonology and Medicine, Imperical College, London, United Kingdom.
Export Citation:
APA/MLA Format     Download EndNote     Download BibTex
MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Germany
History, 19th Century
Humans
Orthopedics / history*
Radiography / history*
X-Rays

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


Previous Document:  Relative hypoparathyroidism induced by interferon treatment in a hemodialysis patient.
Next Document:  Government science in postwar America: Henry A. Wallace, Edward U. Condon, and the transformation of...