Dr. Bordier's Chromoradiomètre (ca. 1906 - 1920) |
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The Chromoradiomètre, developed by Léonard Bordier of Lyons France in 1906, was used by physicians to determine the optimal exposure conditions for an x-ray. It is an example of an extremely early color dosimeter. Like a similar device invented by Raymond Sabouraud and Henri Noiré, it was especially popular with dermatologists. |
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The Chromoradiomètre employed small disks (called pastilles) of barium platinocyanide which would change color from green to a dark yellow-orange as a result of the exposure to x-rays. Alas, the example in the collection is missing the pastilles. Bordier’s pastilles, placed directly on the patient’s body, used the following standard scale of four colors: teinte I, a pale yellowish green, produced epilation after 20 days; teinte II, a sulphur-yellow shade, produced erythema (i.e., a reddening of the skin); teinte III, the color of gamboge, produced dermatitis, and; teinte IV, ulceration and necrosis (tissue death). |
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| An exposure equivalent to Tint IV,
should never be applied to the skin.
The photograph to the right shows the portion of the instructions that describe the principle of operation. References: L. Bordier. Radiometric Methods, Archives of the Roentgen Ray, 11, page 6. 1906. Richard Mould. A Century of X-rays and Radioactivity in Medicine. Institute of Physics Publishing. Bristol. 1993. |
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