International Day of Radiology (08/11)

November 8 marks two holidays: International Day of Radiology (IDoR) and Radiologist Day, which are closely related to each other, but do not have official status, although one of them was initiated by large research societies.

Both holidays are associated with an important date and event in the history of physics and medicine. The fact is that on November 8, 1895, the German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen discovered X-ray radiation. For medicine, this discovery turned out not just to be the emergence of a new discipline, but became a real breakthrough in the field of diagnosing a whole range of diseases and injuries, and subsequently the method of therapy.

This medical discipline was called radiology.

Just a year after its discovery, the first X-ray machine appeared, production of X-ray sensitive film began, and then X-ray rooms and clinics began to open. At first, their main focus was diagnostics in pulmonology, but later radiography became the main means of diagnosis in traumatology and dentistry.

Until now, X-rays remain the most common, fastest and most accessible diagnostic tool in the world. Over time, radiology has made a big leap in its development, new methods, devices for radiation diagnostics and therapy have appeared.

It is worth noting that the work of a radiologist is quite harmful and dangerous, as it is associated with a high health risk due to the possibility of radiation. This risk persists even though the necessary radiation protection is used. However, it is the results of an X-ray examination that form the basis of the diagnosis of a specialist doctor, allowing you to make the diagnosis as accurate as possible and choose the most optimal treatment method. For certain diseases, radiology is used as a method of therapy for targeted effects on foci of inflammation or disease.

The first International Day of Radiology, established on the joint initiative of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the European Society of Radiology (ESR), was celebrated on November 8, 2012. On the same day, according to tradition, the professional holiday of the radiologist is celebrated.

The initiators of the Day strive for official recognition of the holiday and the role of the opening of V.K. X-rays and modern radiology in medicine. Here it is necessary to remember that the physicist himself, who made such an important discovery, was awarded the Nobel Prize, but was so busy with scientific work and experiments that he was absent from the award ceremony and received the prize by mail. Subsequently, he transferred all funds to the German government, which turned to the population of the country for help during the First World War.

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