Radiation Evangelists

Technology, Therapy, and Uncertainty at the Turn of the Century

Jeffrey Womack (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

288 Seiten

2026
University of Pittsburgh Press (Verlag)
978-0-8229-6809-2 (ISBN)

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Radiation Evangelists explores X-ray and radium therapy in the United States and Great Britain during a crucial period of its development, from 1896 to 1925. It focuses on the pioneering work of early advocates in the field, the “radiation evangelists” who, motivated by their faith in a new technology, trust in new energy sources, and hope for future breakthroughs, turned a blind eye to the dangers of radiation exposure. Although ionizing radiation effectively treated diseases like skin infections and cancers, radiation therapists—who did not need a medical education to develop or administer procedures or sell tonics containing radium—operated in a space of uncertainty about exactly how radiation worked or would affect human bodies. And yet radium, once a specialized medical treatment, would eventually become a consumer health product associated with the antibacterial properties of sunlight.

In this cautionary tale of technological medical progress, Jeffrey Womack reveals how practitioners and their patients accepted uncertainty as a condition of their therapy in an attempt to alleviate human suffering.

Jeffrey Womack earned his PhD in history from the University of Houston in 2016. He regularly collaborates with the College of Physicians of Philadelphia’s Historical Medical Library and Mütter Museum. He resides and teaches in Philadelphia.

Erscheint lt. Verlag	17.3.2026
Zusatzinfo	11 b&w illustrations
Verlagsort	Pittsburgh PA
Sprache	englisch
Maße	152 x 229 mm
Themenwelt	Geschichte ► Teilgebiete der Geschichte ► Technikgeschichte
Themenwelt	Studium ► Querschnittsbereiche ► Geschichte / Ethik der Medizin
ISBN-10	0-8229-6809-6 / 0822968096
ISBN-13	978-0-8229-6809-2 / 9780822968092
Zustand	Neuware