In 1895, Wilhelm Röntgen wrote a paper called “On a New Kind of Ray”. This was the beginning of Radiology as we know it today. In his paper, he detailed the basics of x-rays and the technology behind it.
First X-Rays
X-rays were used to do many things after their early 1900s discovery. Initially, its use was primarily commercial and not really tied to health care. Eventually, people realized its potential as a medical imaging technology and chemists and “medical photographers” (with no experience or qualifications) started owning their own x-ray equipment and received referrals from physicians to obtain required images.
Professional Radiologists
It wasn’t until October, 1920 that “professional” Radiology was established. It started with the “American Association of Radiological Technicians”, who eventually changed their name to “American Society of X-Ray Technicians”. This organization started making standards for Radiologists in the United States. In 1964, it once again changed its name to American Society of Radiologic Technologies with nearly 14,000 members.
Technology Upgrades
As the 1970s rolled around, new radiology technology was becoming more advanced and procedures like CT scans, sonograms started to be more utilized in the field. With standards set by the American Society of Radiologic Technologists, radiologists started to become trained and used for diagnostic imaging.
The Diagnostic Imaging Field Today
Today American Society of Radiologic Technologists has over 150,000 members. With new uses of the technology is being discovered all the time, scientists are focused on moving the field forward with improvements in use, cost and quality of digital imaging.
Southwest Diagnostic Center for Molecular Imaging radiologists and radiology techs are here to help you with your diagnostic imaging needs. Call (214) 345-8300 to schedule an appointment today!