Coolidge X-ray Tube

This Coolidge x-ray tube was produced by the General Electric X-ray Company in the United States c. 1920 and can be seen in The Science and Art of Medicine gallery at Science Museum, London.

"The American scientist William Coolidge patented his 'hot cathode' tube in 1913. Its cathode was a heated, electron-emitting, tungsten filament. This solved many of the problems of the old 'gas tubes'. It produced a much higher output of x-rays which did not fluctuate and could be easily adjusted. In combination with more reliable power supplies, it allowed x-ray techniques to become standardized and reproducible"¹.

• Photos by ti.supmacinu|ihgrob.l#ihgroB acuL (August 2011), courtesy of the Science Museum.

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Footnotes

1. Retrieved form the Museum's label.