X-RAY QUEEN
Everybody knows that X-rays are harmful to the human body. Well... at least everybody knows that now. In 1895, when Wilhelm Rontgen discovered he could use X-rays to take pictures of bone and internal organs, he had no idea that X-rays were any different than taking Kodak pictures. The world was amazed by pictures of delicate hand bones and strong leg bones. Soon, everybody wanted to experiment with X-rays.
Elizabeth Fleischman was 28 years old when the news of Röntgen’s invention reached the United States. She lived in the family home with her sister and brother-in-law, Dr. Michael Woolf. Fleischman had never finished high school because her family needed her to work to supplement the family income. But she was smart and liked to read, so even though she couldn’t attend school, she kept on learning. She enjoyed numbers and worked as a bookkeeper for a company in San Francisco.
Fleischman was fascinated with the amazing new technology that allowed people to see inside the flesh of the hand to the bone. She wanted to experiment with photographs that pierced the veil of cotton and corsets and showed the skeleton and organs hidden beneath.
Fleischman also grasped the amazing implications that X-rays could have for medical purposes. Doctors could use X-rays to set broken bones, see ruptured intestines, and find shrapnel from gunshots. Doctors could see inside the body without having to make incisions. It could be a powerful tool in surgery and medical research.
With the help other brother-in-law, Fleischman set up one of the first X-ray laboratories in California. In 1900, the Spanish-American War was in full swing, and Fleischman was called upon to X-ray soldiers who had bullets and shrapnel lodged in their lungs and skulls. Her X-rays helped surgeons know where to operate and saved countless lives.
Through her experiments, Fleischman discovered how to regulate the X-ray exposures to match tissue densities. She knew how to triangulate the location of the bullet and took photographic X-rays that led surgeons straight to the bullet. She was considered one of the best X-ray photographers in the world.
Sadly, she was also one of the first people to find out the horrible effects of exposure to X-rays. No studies had been done before allowing the public to work with X-rays. No one realized that X-rays damaged skin tissue, nervous systems, and caused cancer. After nearly 10 years of using X-rays to save other people’s lives, Fleischman found her own life was in danger.
In 1905, Fleischman was diagnosed with advanced stage cancer in her arm. She had to have it amputated. But that treatment wasn’t enough to save her life. She died from cancer just 7 months later.
Fleischman was one of many scientists who died from exposure to X-rays and radiation poisoning. Their deaths taught the world about the dangers of radiation. Now scientists realize that X-rays must be used with caution and people should have very limited exposure. X-ray technicians take precautions with their equipment and wear lead shields to limit their exposure. Fleischman’s legacy is showing the world that when safely used, X-rays can be a powerful medical tool.
After nearly 10 years of using X-rays to save other people's lives, Fleischman found her own life was in danger.