The Life of Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen PDF

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1533 Downloaded from www.ajronline.org by 202.137.113.66 on 09/15/24 from IP address 202.137.113.66. Copyright ARRS. For personal use only; all rights reserved Perspective..‘ ,: Th’; ,.‘ “: The Life of Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen Peter B. Riesz1 This year, 1995, marks the centennial of the discovery of X- On May 23, 1848 , when Roentgen was three, his fam- rays by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen on the historical date of that ily moved to the town of Apeldoomn, Holland, where his discovery, November 8, 1895. After completing my radiology mother’s family had settled. This move was probably made residency at Brooke General Hospital, I was assigned to the because of the severe political unrest in Prussia at that time. U.S. Army 5th General Hospital in Stuttgart Bad Cannstatt, West As a result of this move, the family lost their Prussian citizen- Germany. This period of payback was from October 1966 to ship and became Dutch Citizens. They lived in a house at August 1969. During these memorable years, the opportunity presented itself for me to make a pilgrimage to every location 171 Hoofdstnaat.Later, Roentgen returned to this house associated with the life of Roentgen. It is my pleasure to share to be married. For fourteen years he attended the primary that pilgrimage with you. and secondary school of Martinus Hemmann van Doom at 8 Regentesselman. A public library now occupies that site. Roentgen was bonn on March 27, 1845, in Lennep , A street in Apeldoomn was named in Roentgen’s honor. now called Remscheid-Lennep, just south of the industrial Roentgen left Apeldoomn to obtain more advanced school- Ruhr Valley between D#{252}sseldorfand Cologne in what was ing with the encouragement of his parents. On December 27, then the State of Prussia before the unification of Germany. 1862 , he arrived in Utnecht, Holland, and enrolled in the He was bonn in a comfortable Bergenland style home, still Utmecht Technical School. That school was located on Gan- standing, at 287 Poststnasse (Fig. 1). His father, Fniedmich zenmamkt. He lived at 62 Nieuwegmacht, with the Gunning Conrad, was a respected local textile merchant. His mother, family. Dr. Gunning was a well-known chemist of the time Constance Charlotte Frowein, was of Dutch heritage. Roent- and must have recognized some scientific potential in Roent- gen was an only child. A plaque from the German Roentgen gen, because Gunning encouraged Roentgen to pursue fur- Society was placed on the Roentgen home on March 27, then studies. However, an unfortunate chain of events almost 1 920. It translates, “In this house the discoverer of the permanently ended his academic endeavors. A fellow stu- nays that were named for him, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, dent drew a caricature of their teacher on the blackboard, was born on March 27, 1 845. His home town declared him and somehow the finger of suspicion was pointed at Willy. He an honorary citizen in 1896.” A monument to Roentgen by refused to reveal the identity of the true artist and was himself Amno Breker was dedicated in his home town on November expelled by the authorities. He then decided to take the 30, 1930. A wonderful Deutsches Roentgen Museum in oral entrance exam to enter the University of Utrecht. Unfom- Lennep was opened on June 18, 1932 (StnellenE, personal tunately, his examiner was none other than the subject of that communication). It houses many fine displays and memona- caricature. We can easily guess the results of that exam. On bilia of Roentgen and has a fine history of X-rays, with many January 18, 1865 , he did register atthe University to audit pieces of early original equipment. some courses. During this period he heard of a new school in 1 Riesz Referral Radiology, 1 401 A Victoria Station Dr. , Victoria, TX 77901. Address correspondence to P. B. Riesz. AJR 1 995;1 65:1 533-1 537 0361 -803X/95/1 656-1 533 © American Roentgen Ray Society  1534 RIESZ AJR:165, December 1995 ble marks. On August 6, 1868 , he received the degree of mechanical engineer, and on that happy day he asked for Bertha’s hand in marriage. After graduation he stayed on at the University of Zurich. He took courses with the great exper- imentem and theoretical physicist, Dr. August Kundt. It was Downloaded from www.ajronline.org by 202.137.113.66 on 09/15/24 from IP address 202.137.113.66. Copyright ARRS. For personal use only; all rights reserved Kundt who developed Roentgen’s potential as a theoretical scientist, and it was under Kundt that Roentgen wrote a dis- sertation, “Studies on Gases,” for which he received his doc- tonate in philosophy from the university on June 22, 1869. Professor Kundt then invited him to stay on as an assistant in physics. Roentgen became fascinated with work on gases and further developed his experimental talents and showed his excellence as an astute scientific observer. In the spring of 1 870, Professor Kundt was called to the chair of physics at the Julius Maximilians University of Wumzburg, Germany, and invited Roentgen to go along with Fig. I.-Roentgen birth house, 1 87 Poststrasse, Remscheld-Lennep, him. By this time Kundt thought so much of Roentgen that he Germany. accepted the Wurzburg position only if they would also invite Roentgen. Thus, in the fall of 1870 , Roentgen moved to the picturesque city of Wunzbumg on the Main Riven, where Zurich, Switzerland, that did not require a technical school he found comfortable quarters on Veitshchheimem Strasse. diploma, which Roentgen lacked. After discussion with his Meanwhile, his fiance, Bertha, had gone to Apeldoomn to parents, they encouraged him to apply for admission, and he learn German cooking and housekeeping from his mother. was accepted in the Mechanical Technical Division of the After a brief return to Zurich to care for her dying father, she Zurich Polytechnicab School. returned to Apeldoomn in the spring of 1871 for further es- He left Utrechtfor Zurich on November 16, 1865 , and was sons. Bertha and Wilhelm were married on January 1 9, 1872 duly enrolled at the Eidgenssischen Technische Hochschule , in an elegant ceremony in the old Roentgen home in von Zurich. He lived in a house at 7 Seibengraben (Fig. 2), Apeldoomn. Returning to Wurzburg, they settled in a modest where a plaque was mounted in 1 922 that reads, ‘Wilhelm home on Heidingsfebdem Stmasse. Wilhelm returned to expen- Conrad Roentgen, the discoverer of the rays named after him, imentation and teaching at the Physics Institute of the Julius lived here 1866 to 1869 when a student at the Federal Techni- Maximilians University on Neubaustrasse. But the institute cal High School.” was poorly equipped and funded and a disappointment to He thrived on the technical courses and even took extra both Kundt and Roentgen. Therefore, it was good news hours at the adjacent University of Zurich. He loved the sum- when both scientists were offered higher positions at the rounding mountains and went on frequent pleasure hikes. He newly reactivated Kaiser Wilhelms University of Stnasboumg. also enjoyed eating at a local inn, Zum Gm#{252}nen Glas , run On April 1 , 1 872 , both men moved to this beautiful city by the innkeeper, Ludwig. One of the waitresses caught his in Alsace Lorraine, which was once again under German eye. Itturned out to be the innkeeper’s daughter, Anna Bertha rule. Roentgen continued his scientific investigations to Ludwig, who would later become his wife. She was six years gather data for his habilitation, or exam, for the academic his elder. His grades improved as he progressed through his level of pnivat dozent, or unpaid lecturer. In those years, this schooling, and in his last year he received the highest possi- was one step on the path that a Ph.D. had to travel to obtain a position as a salaried professor. During this period, Roent- gen’s mother and father moved to Strasboung to be near their son and daughter-in-law, arriving October 3, 1 873. The day of the great test arrived on March 13, 1 874. After thorough questioning by a panel of distinguished scientists, Roentgen passed with flying colors and was awarded the position of pnivat dozent. This position carried no salary but allowed him to receive fees from the students in his classes. It also qualified him for appointment as assistant professor, a salaried position, which was the next step on the academic ladder. Some waited years for their first call. Roentgen’s opportunity came only a year later. On April 1 , 1875 , Roentgen was called by the Agnicul- tural Academy of Stuttgart-Hohenheim in Wurttemberg and offered a full professorship in physics and mathematics at age 30. This position he accepted with reservations, as it meant breaking ties with his family and friends and Profes- son Kundt in Strasboung. However, this new challenge did  AJA:165, December 1995 LIFE OF ROENTGEN 1535 offer him a salary and also civil service status. The batten also automatically made him a German citizen, so Germany could now truly claim him as a native son. The accommoda- tions were less than satisfactory, with a small one-room department and primitive personal living conditions. Thus, in Downloaded from www.ajronline.org by 202.137.113.66 on 09/15/24 from IP address 202.137.113.66. Copyright ARRS. For personal use only; all rights reserved about a year and a half, when Professor Kundt created a new chain for theoretical physics and recommended that Roentgen be called for the position, he readily accepted. He and Bertha were relieved to leave Hohenheim. On October 1 , 1876 , the Roentgens gladly returned to Strasboung. During this period, Roentgen worked on perfecting his techniques in physical experimentation and gained teach- ing experience. He published about fifteen important papers during this period and was acknowledged as a rising star in his profession. As a result, he was recognized for the full pnofes- sorship then open in Giessen and recommended by the famous German physicists von Hebmholtz, Kimchhoff, and Fig. 3.-Building where Roentgen discovered x-rys, Wurzburg, Germany. Kundt. Indeed, he had graduated to the academic big leagues. On April 1 , 1879 , the Roentgens left for that position at the prestigious Justus von Liebig University of Giessen. which completely occupied his days and frequently took him Roentgen’s initial laboratories were in cramped quarters in a late into the night. His initial efforts were in accumulating the private home. He was asked to design a new department, best equipment available for his cathode ray experiments. and it was built and occupied in the winter of 1880-1881. He This equipment consisted of a large Ruhmkorft induction coil continued his special investigations, mostly with the different for current production. The coil was attached to a Deprez properties of crystals. His parents followed them to Giessen. interrupter that resulted in a high-energy discharge. He also During this period both his parents died, his mother in 1880 acquired several Hittorf-Crookes tubes and some Lenard and his father in 1884. They were both buried in the Alten tubes of different strengths. The Lenand type was a mound Fniedhof in Giessen, where Wilhelm and his wife were also glass cathode may tube that had a small window covered by a later buried in a common area. Having no children of their thin aluminum foil through which the cathode rays could pene- own, they decided to take Bertha’s 6-year old niece, Jose- trate. The oval Hittorf-Crookes tube had no such window, only phine Bertha Donges, into their home in 1887. She was a glass target area. He also had a Raps vacuum pump, which legally adopted by them when she turned 21 Roentgen. pro- was essential to evacuate these tubes prior to use for more duced eighteen papers while at Giessen. A monument and efficiency. When this equipment was all assembled and in inscription in a city park in Giessen illustrates the penetrating proper working order, he began his observations in earnest. power of X-nays. As a result of his recognition as an extraon- This brings us to that historic day of Friday, November 8, dinary scientist, he was offered the position of professor of 1895. Roentgen had been doing experiments confirming physics and director of the new Physical Institute at the Uni- earlier works of Lenard. He was using a low-output Lenard versity of Wurzbung. tube wrapped in cardboard and tinfoil, so that no visible light So he and his wife returned to Wunzburg on October 1, emanated, and showing the fluorescence of a small card- 1888. This new institute was located on the tree-lined board screen coated with barium platinocyanide when it was Pleichen Ring, later renamed Roentgen Ring. It was a two- placed close to the tube and bombarded by cathode rays. His story building with ample space for labs and lecture rooms. analytical mind led him to think of another approach, and he The director and his family lived in a spacious apartment on wondered if he could observe the same effects from the all- the second floor, directly above the lab where he would glass Hittorf-Crookes tubes of higher strength. He selected make the observations leading to the discovery of X-rays this larger tube, encased it in cardboard, connected it to his (Fig. 3). During his Wumzbumg experience, he produced sev- Ruhmkomff coil, darkened the room, and activated the coil so enteen important papers-the most important of his entire as to pass current through the tube. He first confirmed that life. In honor of his academic excellence, he was elected nec- theme was no visible light leak. He noticed the expected fluo- ton, or president, of the Julius Maximilians University of rescence of the screen near the tube. He was prepared to turn Wunzbung for the biennium of 1894 and 1895. One wonders off the current to the tube to prepare for the next phase of his if his electors had a premonition of what was to come. experiment. But suddenly, from a workbench he knew was This brings us to the momentous period at the end of 1895. about a meter from the tube, the corner of his eye caught the A great many scientists were experimenting with what they faint flicker of a weak light. This bight sufficiently attracted his thought were the properties of cathode rays and getting con- attention that he continued to energize the tube. He was flicting results. We know that sometime during October, rewarded by a continued fluorescence of a faint green cloud Roentgen became completely captivated by the investigations of flickering light waves moving in unison with the fluctuating of Hittorf, Crookes, Hertz, and Lenand on these strange discharges of the coil. Highly excited, he lit a match and dis- rays. The intensity of his attention to his own experiments in covered that the source of this dim light was a small barium this area only increased as he progressed with the work, platinocyanide screen lying on the bench. He continued to  1536 RIESZ AJA:165, December 1995 apply current to the tube, moving the fluorescent screen fan- from all over the world. His work was easily duplicated and them and farther away while still fascinated with its continued verified, and its potential, particularly for medicine, was fluorescence. Cathode rays, he knew, never traveled these immediately recognized. Several colleagues shook their distances, and he became completely absorbed in explaining heads when they realized they had seen the same effects these observations. He hardly noticed the passage of time and bet the opportunity pass them by. Goodpasture, at the that night and could barely be torn away long enough to eat University of Pennsylvania, recorded the effects 3 years Downloaded from www.ajronline.org by 202.137.113.66 on 09/15/24 from IP address 202.137.113.66. Copyright ARRS. For personal use only; all rights reserved supper in excited silence with his wife before returning to the before but thought the plates contaminated. He threw them lab. He started to question his findings, as they did not follow in a desk drawer to be dug out 3 years later with much regret the known properties of cathode nays. He held different at the missed opportunity. papers and books in the beam with very little dimming effect Roentgen was called to Berlin to demonstrate his findings to on the fluorescence. Metallic objects were seen to be outlined Emperor Wilhelm II, which he did in the presence of the Impe- on the screen; and while holding one object, he noticed the nab Court on January 13, 1896. He then returned to shadow of the bones of his fingers ! Impossible! It is per- Wumzburg to speak publicly to his colleagues on January 23, haps at that time that he made the proper conclusion and thus 1896. He ended his talk with a demonstration of his discov- the discovery; these effects were not due to cathode rays but ery by taking an X-ray of the hand of Dr. von Kolliken, a distin- must be from some new type of unknown highly penetrating guished anatomist who was in the audience. The de- nays, which he called X-mays. Oven the weekend, he continued monstration was highly successful (sharp picture with two to devote full time to analyzing the properties ofthis newly dis- rings), and von Kollikem lead an ovation of three cheers for the covered ray. He sometimes slept on a couch in the lab oven discoverer and proposed that the nays henceforth be known as this busy weekend. He seldom took time to eat. He examined Roentgen’s rays. Later, on March 9, 1896, and March 10, 1897, all kinds of now-famous objects: a set of weights, the barrel of he delivered continued communications “On a New Kind of his shotgun, a compass, a coil of wire, different types of wood Rays” to the Wumzbumg Physical Medical Society. Mounds of and paper, glass, a doom jamb. His observations and investi- medals and awards followed. These were topped by Roent- gations continued oven the next several weeks. The only time gen’s being named the world’s first Nobel laureate in physics. he shared his activities occurred when he excitedly invited his He accepted the prize in person in Stockholm on December 10, wife to visit the laboratory and he performed an exposure of 1901. This Nobel prize certificate (Fig. 4) is on display in a her hand. This was the first recorded human X-ray, a fuzzy small case outside the discovery laboratory. The display case picture with one ring. She was amazed. The date: also contains other memorabilia, including the gun he exam- December 27, 1895. His major conclusions and observa- ned, the box of weights he examined, some tubes he used, tions were finished by the end of the month of December. On some medals he received, and a letter of congratulations from December 28, 1895 , he delivered his historic paper, “On a his scientific colleagues, including the signatures of Max Planck New Kind of Rays,” to the Wurzburg Physical Medical Society. and Albert Einstein. In the face of all the adulation, he remained It outlined seventeen points that he listed as the essential humble and never tried to capitalize on his findings or patent properties of the new rays. It was printed immediately by the them. It seemed he was almost embarrassed by all the society but was not due to be read to the society until the next deserved attention. He then moved on to other areas of scien- meeting in late January. Rather than risk misinformation to the tific interest and never did much more with the X-ray. A sign public, on January 1 , 1896 [1 0], he mailed reprints of that (Fig. 5) was placed on the discovery building in 1937. It reads, paper to a number of his scientific colleagues and friends. He “In this building in the year 1895, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen probably commented to his beloved Bertha, “Donnerwetter, discovered the rays that have been named for him.” The actual now watch all hell break loose.” room of the discovery, when I visited it in 1968, contained an And he was correct. The importance of the discovery was experimental betatmon (Fig. 6). instantly recognized by fellow scientists, and the news of Meanwhile, the Bavarian government had asked Roentgen Roentgen’s discovery was immediately released to the pub- to take the chain of physics and become director ofthe Physical bic. Overnight, he became the focus of international praise, Science Institute at the Ludwig Maximilians University of admiration, and curiosity. Letters of congratulation flooded in Munich. This was a big promotion, and he accepted, moving to Fig. 4.-Roentgen’s Nobel prize in physics, Fig. 5.-Sign on the discovery building, Fig. 6.-The actual discovery room in 1968, awarded 1901. Wurzburg, Germany. Wurzburg, Germany.  AJR:165, December 1995 LIFE OF ROENTGEN 1537 Fig. 7.-The Ruhmkorff coil actually used by Roentgen, in Deutsches Museum, Munich. Downloaded from www.ajronline.org by 202.137.113.66 on 09/15/24 from IP address 202.137.113.66. Copyright ARRS. For personal use only; all rights reserved Fig. 8.-Roentgen family plot, Alten Fried- hof, Glessen, Germany. Munich on March 23, 1900. Most of his time was devoted to friends. He loved to hunt and had a hunting lodge south of supervising the physics department and to teaching some Munich in Weilheim , where he spent considerable time classes, as he was now a popular lecturer. He devoted much with friends, mostly recounting the good old days. He devel- time to the cane of his beloved wife, Bertha, who had developed oped colon trouble, which progressed, and in early 1923 he a serious kidney disease. Her health steadily deteriorated, and was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer. He was active to she died on October 31 , 1919, in her 80th year. She was buried the end, passed away quietly on February 10, 1923 , and in the Roentgen plot in Giessen. was cremated 3 days later. With his death, he willed some of Following hem passing, Roentgen decided to retire from the equipment he used in his discovery to the famous Deu- the University of Munich in the spring of 1920. The post- tsches Museum in Munich. A case in that museum contains World Wan I period in Munich was a difficult time, but Roent- his original Ruhmkomff coil and several Hittorf-Cmookes tubes gen kept himself busy reading and corresponding with old he used (Fig. 7). On November 10, 1923 , his ashes were buried at the family plot in Giessen, where his wife and parents had been bumied(Fig. 8). So ends my pilgrimage (Fig. 9) following the famous life of the one to whom we owe it all and the story of one of the greatest discoveries of all time. Look what the first hundred years have wrought! What liesahead in the next hundred? REFERENCES 1. Jauncey GEM. The birth and early infancy of X-rays. Am J Physics 1945;1 3:362-379 2. Glasser 0. Chronology of Roentgen’s Life. AJR 1945;54:541-544 3. von Wylich WAH. Was Roentgen a German or a Dutchman? Thorax 1968;23:676-682 4. Glasser 0. wc. Roentgen, 2nd ed. Springfield, IL: Thomas, 1958 5. Esterer AK. Discoverer of X-ray, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1968 6. Nitske WA. The life of Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press, 1971 7. Glasser 0. The genealogy of the Roentgen rays. AJR 1933;30:349-367 8. Glasser 0. Fifty years of radioactivity. Radiography and Clinical Photogra- phy 1945;21 :58-66 9. Glasser 0. What kind of tube did Roentgen use when he discovered the X-ray? Radiology 1936;27:138-140 10. Watson EC. The discovery of X-rays. Am J Physics 1945:13:281-291 11. Etter LE. Post-war visit to Roentgen’s laboratory. AJR 1945:54:547-552 12. Knutsson F. Roentgen and the Nobel prize. Acta Rad(Diag) 1969:8:449-460 13. Glasser 0. The life of Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen as revealed in his let- ters. Scientific Monthly 1937;45:1 93-206 14. Donaghey JP. Reminiscences of Roentgen. Radiology and Clinical Pho- tography 1934:10:2-8 Fig. 9.-Germany prior to end of World War I, In 1918. Cities shown are principally those significant in Roentgen’s life.