TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Radiation Pneumonitis A1 - Roberts, Kenneth B. A1 - Decker, Roy A1 - Rockwell, Sara A2 - Grippi, Michael A. A2 - Elias, Jack A. A2 - Fishman, Jay A. A2 - Kotloff, Robert M. A2 - Pack, Allan I. A2 - Senior, Robert M. A2 - Siegel, Mark D. PY - 2015 T2 - Fishman's Pulmonary Diseases and Disorders, 5e AB - The discovery of X-rays by Roentgen in 1895 and of radium by the Curies in 1898 revolutionized medicine at the turn of the 20th century. Roentgen’s first paper on X-rays illustrated the power of diagnostic imaging with a remarkably detailed radiographic image of Frau Roentgen’s hand. As researchers around the world built vacuum tubes and acquired radioactive sources for their studies, it rapidly became apparent that these invisible radiations could produce dangerous, and even lethal, injuries.1–3 Erythema, chronic dermatitis, ulceration, loss of hair, and eye injuries were soon reported in patients who received large doses of radiation during prolonged fluoroscopy procedures. Even greater injuries were reported among the physicians, technicians, and scientists who performed diagnostic procedures or laboratory studies using unshielded X-ray-generating equipment and highly radioactive sources. The development of these radiation injuries suggested that radiation might be useful in the treatment of cancer; indeed, patients with cancer were treated with radiation therapy as early as 1896.1–3 SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/04/20 UR - accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1122361109 ER -