Model of a mobile mass miniature x-ray unit, England, 1945-1965
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Mass miniature radiography was often used to diagnose tuberculosis (TB) in Britain from 1936 onwards. The X-rays produced were usually only 35 mm high and were viewed on a projector. Tuberculosis was difficult to diagnose as people who carried the disease sometimes appeared outwardly healthy. Mobile units were set up so whole populations could be screened for carriers. If physicians detected signs of TB on the X-ray, the patient was sent to hospital for a full size chest X-ray. The people in the model are wearing makeshift shirts to assure people they did not have to undress for the procedure. Mass miniature radiography declined in 1960s Britain with the reduction of incidence of tuberculosis but it is still used in countries were the disease is widespread.
Object number:
1984-252
Related Themes and Topics
Glossary:
Glossary: mass miniature radiography
No description.
Glossary: x-ray photograph
An internal image of the body that is produced by exposing a photographic plate to X-rays.
Glossary: tuberculosis
An infectious disease that is caused by a bacterium first identified by Robert Koch in 1882. The disease usually affects the lungs first, and is accompanied by a chronic cough.
Glossary: mass miniature radiography unit
No description.