The image above is of Thomas Edison looking at an x-ray image of the hand of his employee Clarence Madison Dally, taken in 1896. It was just a year earlier that Wilhelm Roentgen had announced his discovery of x-rays, and the world was going crazy over them. Edison had followed Roentgen’s research, and was particularly interested in using such radiation to develop a fluorescent lamp. He enlisted Dally, a talented glassblower in his company, to work on the project.
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Dally enthusiastically experimented with x-rays toward developing a working fluorescent lamp, directing the rays onto his hand until it began to stiffen. So he switched to his other hand. Scientists had speculated on the unknown effects of x-ray radiation on the human body, but had no data at the time. Dally’s physical problems grew worse over time, with horrific effects. His ultimate demise was so painful and gruesome that it put Edison off the idea of fluorescent lamps forever. Read the sad story of Clarence Madison Dally at Amusing Planet.
(Image source: Wellcome Collection)
Source: neatorama