Piffard Safety X-ray Tube (ca. 1910) |
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The identifying characteristic of the "safety" tube was the fact
that it did not need an enclosing shield. Shielding was not necessary
because the tube was entirely made of lead glass (except for the thin window
of soda glass fused onto the end of the extension in front of the anode).
Quoting Sinclair Tousey: "This tube was intended primarily for the treatment of skin lesions with the x-ray, but it can also be used for light fluoroscopic work and radiography." |
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There were two leaded glass interchangeable cups that would would fit over the tube's extension in order to collimate the x-ray beam to the desired diameter. The use of these cups was the brainchild of Robert Machlett (ca. 1904), although the tube's inventor, Henry Piffard, originally objected to their use. Piffard wanted a large volume inside the tube so that the inevitable change in the tube's vacuum was relatively slow. The dual bulb design came about because it was too hard to manufacture a tube with a single large bulb whose glass was thick enough to shield the x-rays. This particular tube belonged to M. J. Gross who worked with Dr. Coolidge at General Electric in Schenectady N.Y. Gross later became Vice President of the GE X-ray Company. During the 1930s and 1940s, Gross and Zed Attlee formed the core of Coolidge's research and design team. Although there are no identifying markings on the tube, it was probably manufactured by Machlett & Son. Size: approximately 16" long with 3 1/2" bulb diameter Kindly donated by Linda Sinrod in memory of Malvern J Gross References Grigg, E. R. N. The Trail of the Invisible Light. Charles C Thomas. 1965. Tousey, S. Medical Electricity, Rontgen Rays and Radium. W. B. Saunders Co. 1916. |
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