7/29/2019 3903 Sample Outline
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science reporting was in generalb. and specifically with respect
to x-rays.c. Brief summary of how the x-ray craze got going.d.
Physicians encouraged this, because it gave them a form
of free advertising
e. Very little negative coverage of the health effects in
thefirst few decades.i. People who did fear x-rays were usually
mocked as
unsophisticated yokelsii. Quote extensively from the short story
that
illustrates this.V. Physicians and patients expectations
a. X-ray machines were cheap for doctors to buy and evencheaper
to make.
b. In fact, it was so easy to become a professional
radiologistthat you didnt even have to be an M.D., at first
i. show a few examples of high school teachers,photographers,
etc. doing this work
c. However, most of the doctors using x-rays early on
didntreally understand the physics involved (nobody really
did).
i. Most of them learned how to do it from books, orfrom watching
other doctors, or just by experiment
ii. This led to a lot of injuries and broken equipmentd.
Patients were sometimes frightened
i. (give a few examples)e. but also sometimes so excited about
getting to see an x-
ray machine that they asked for an x-ray even when they
didnt need onei. (give a few examples of that, too)
f. In short, doctors didnt really know until they saw a
patientwhether theyd be terrified or fascinated by the
x-raymachine.
VI. The Clinical Experience from the patients perspectivea.
There was a lot of psychological gamesmanship going on:
i. Doctors displayed their machines to show howtechnologically
savvy they were
b. Patients might find their experiences colored by:i. huge
electric sparks
1. and sometimes electric shocksii. the sedation necessary to
x-ray certain parts of the
bodyiii. the restraints necessary to x-ray certain parts of
the
bodyiv. loud noises from the static generatorv. exploding glass
tubesvi. the dark room used for fluoroscopy
