Röntgen ray diagnosis and therapy / by Carl Beck ... with 322 illustrations in the text.

  • Beck, Carl, 1856-1911.
Date:
1904
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Röntgen ray diagnosis and therapy / by Carl Beck ... with 322 illustrations in the text. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University Libraries/Information Services, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University.

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    ined on a photographic plate (skiagraphy) is therefore to be pre- ferred as a rule. In thin areas of the body, however, like the hand, projectiles or needle-fragments are so well shown by the screen that a skia- graph is a mere luxury as a rule. Fluoroscopy also permits the examination of an extremity while it is turned in various direc- tions. The superficial localization of foreign bodies is facilitated, as it is ascertained whether it is situated in front or behind a bone, etc. But in making a thorough examination of the thigh, the shoul- der, and the large cavities of the body for foreign bodies, fluoros- copy should not be relied upon. Fractures are recognised by the screen only if there is displacement. But if the fragments re- mained in apposition the fragment line is indistinct. If it must simply be ascertained through a plaster-of-Paris dressing whether the fragments are in exact apposition after reduction, fluoroscopic examination is sufficient as a rule, since it is not necessary to see the fracture line then. The salient point is simply to verify whether the bones were reduced in the proper direction. (Com- pare Chapter XV on Fractures.) In some forms of dislocation the screen gives ample informa- tion. Dislocation of the shoulder-joint, for instance, may be recog- nised at once on the screen, while the result of the palpatory exam- ination was rendered uncertain by the presence of a large bloody effusion. On the other hand, the dislocation of a small bone, like rthe radical head, in so complicated a joint as that of the elbow is, may be overlooked or misinterpreted on fluoroscopic examina- tion. In dislocation of the hip fluoroscopy must also not be trusted. The same can be said of the detection of concretions and of the diseases of the teeth and the bones as they are described in Chapter VI and XIII. As a rule, hard tubes should not be employed for screen work on account of their great penetrating power, which permits but little contrast. Soft tubes give the best fluoroscopic differentia- tion. Especially in studying the thoracic organs this kind of tubes should be chosen. If thicker portions of the body must be examined, tubes of medium hardness are required. The mobility of the tube is a condition sine qua non in fluoroscopic examina- tion. The tube-holder must be so arranged that the tube can be turned in all directions. The author's diaphragm, as described