Henry L. Smith's X-Ray Experiments
Davidson, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
X Ray Experiments. Prof. Henry L. Smith pioneered medical uses for x-rays. Conducted experiments and made radiographs Feb. 1896 in physics lab nearby.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
Only weeks after Wilhelm Röntgen announced the discovery of X-rays, Davidson College professor Henry L. Smith was already experimenting with them in his physics laboratory. In February 1896 he produced radiographs and explored their medical uses, famously imaging a bullet lodged in a corpse's hand. His work placed a small Carolina college at the frontier of a revolutionary new science.
Why it matters
Smith's early experiments show how quickly American researchers seized on X-rays, a breakthrough that would transform medicine worldwide.
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Related people
- · Henry L. Smith
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