MUSEUM OF RADIOLOGY
Project Editor:
Gianvincenzo
Sparacia
Images and Text by:
Aurelia Banco
Giampiero Cimino
Tommaso Bartolotta
Giuseppe Brancatelli
Gaetano Cappellino
Raffaella Martino
Angela Nesci
Marcello Peritore
Alberto Schiavello |
 |
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Department of Phisics - University of Palermo, for their contribution
ITINERARY
HISTORICAL WRITINGS
PRESENTATION
On 11th December 1995 in Palermo
there was the inauguration of the Museum of Radiology, during the Celebrations
of the Centennial
of the discovery of X-rays by W. C. Röntgen (1885-1995).
This Museum was conceived by Prof.
Adelfio Elio Cardinale, Director of the Institute of Radiology "Pietro
Cignolini" - University of Palermo, Italy.
The museum is directed by Prof. Marcello
De Maria.
At present in the world there exist about ten Museums
devoted to the history of Radiology, the most important of which in Europe
is the Deutsches Röntgen Museum in Remscheid Lennep, Röntgen's
birthplace.
On display in our Museum there are instruments and devices
of particular historical value, but also books, journals, correspondence
of various kinds, widely used materials and commonly used apparatuses that
bear witness to the development of our discipline.
The kind concession of material by the heirs of the pioneers
of Italian Radiology and by radiologists of old schools made it possible
to set up the Museum.
This Museum is inside the Radiology
Institute, sharing the spaces occupied by the most sophisticated and
modern devices and hence establishing a continual comparison between past
and present.
The Museum of Radiology came into being with the hope
of creating in all radiologists an historical memory backing up their high
professional skill.
ITINERARY
AREA A
It represents the main entrance to the
Museum.
At the entrance there are the busts of
W.C.Röntgen, discoverer of X-rays, and of Pietro
Cignolini , founder of the Institute of Radiology at the University
of Palermo.
Several examples of control tables by the
Farnumed, Tetradin, Metalix and
Rangoni-Puricelli firms, from the 40s-50s, are exhibited on the stairs.
Named after the founder of the Institute,
it houses "Cignolini's Polykymograph", a device
himself invented to perform analytical kymography, which permitted direct
röntgenological analysis of the cardiac muscle, with its normal and
pathological movements.
Also on display are a Geiger-Muller counter and a Marconitherapy
device, both from the 40s, which belonged to Prof. Cignolini.
On the walls there are numerous publications of his,
awards, certificates, diplomas and correspondence between the Professor
and eminent radiologists and other personalities.
AREA C
You get into it through the area dedicated
to Prof. Cignolini.
In it is interesting to notice a rudimentary wooden orthoscope,
with a mobile fluorescent screen, from the 30s ; a "device
for plane diagnosis, from the 50s, with control tables and horizontal
couch; a portable device for plesiorontgentherapy by Gilardoni, from the
50s.
The area is also enriched by a singular collection of
radiological objects including ancient cryptoscopes, anti-X aprons in leaded
rubber, negatoscopes for screen photographs and old radiographic cassettes
and films.
AREA D
In the main corridor
there are on display the oldest control tables (used for regulating the
Kilovoltage, milliamperage and exsposure time).
Among these, of major historical interest, is the
one designed by the great Augusto Righi and the "Gorla"
monophase model dating from 1920.
In the exhibition there stand out two of the most prestigious
and oldest devices of the collection: Toepler's machine
and the two-cylinder pneumatic machine.
The former, from 1850, is an electrostatic machine that
was used to generate electric energy. The other one, constructed at the
end of the 19th century, was used to aspirate air from discharge tubes
and thus create the conditions for the passage of the electronic beam.
In both machines the aim was reached only after long
and tiring manual rotation of external handles.
In the main corridor around the devices there is a series
of panels showing, through photographs and manuscripts, the main moments
in the history of Italian radiology, with its most illustrious exponents.
This is the area
in which the most important devices are collected.
There is a section devoted to the fundamental stages
in the development of the röntgen tube, which constituted the necessary
presuppositions for the production and thus the discovery of X-rays.
There are two examples of "Abbot of
Nollet's electric egg": these devices, also suggestively named "aurora
tubes" because of the faint and coloured luminiscences which were generated
inside them, are from the XIX century, and they must be counted among the
röntgen tube's oldest ancestors.
Also interesting are some examples of
cathode ray tubes dating from the nineteenth century, such as"
those with vortex, which made it possible to demonstrate the mechanical
action of this type of radiation, and "Thomson's.
Also on display, together with some examples of Geissler's and Crooke's
tubes, are some Röntgen and Muller tubes,
and several models derived from Coolidge's tube which marked the evolution
of these fundamental components of radiological devices.
Among these there is the Metalix tube and some tubes,
including Machlett's, for radiotherapy. Of course there are also modern
tubes with rotating anode.
The collection of thermo-ionic valves is also interesting.
In this area it is also possible to admire the devices
that were necessary to create rarefaction in the röntgen tube, including
an interesting "one-cylinder pneumatic machine
from the last century.
As concerns generators, we can mention
Wimshurst's electrostatic machine, Toepler's
and a series of Ruhmkorff coils which constituted an indispensable element
of every apparatus till the first years of the century.
In this area there is also the lens used by A. Sciascia
in the last decade of the last century for his phototherapy experiments
which also preceded those of Finsen who for similar studies was awarded
the Nobel Prize in 1903.
The collection is enriched by other objects such as anti-X
glasses, arteriographs from different epochs, devices for opaque enema,
selectors, timers and a little intraoral screen for
dental radioscopy.
AREA F
A wing devoted to W.C.Röntgen
with documentation on his life and discovery.
AREA G
In this area there is a precious collection
of radiography slides on glass, done by famous radiologists, such as Armando
Rossi, from the years of the First World War, with records and notes by
the authors.
It is also possible to observe two old wooden negatoscopes
from the 30s and 50s, and a prestigious collection of photocinematographic
devices.
AREA H
This area is devoted to a rich collection
of press cuttings documenting the celebration of the centennial
of the discovery of X-rays. Beside it there is a big
showcase containing an interesting collection of contrast media from
the oldest to the ones used at present. There is also a hand-made wooden
Giuliano-Gregoriano perpetual calendar which often arouses major interest
and curiosity in visitors.
On display in the same area there is a generator
of high voltage in air, from the 40s, in a wooden cabin, with motor
and re-phaser, air condensers and spark gap type system for high voltage
collection; the generator is connected to an aerial high-voltage line from
the same period, with operational switching of work stations, mechanical
system with lever and command handweel.
HISTORICAL WRITINGS
Particularly interesting is the section
of the ancient treatises of röntgenology where it is possible to find
true Italian and foreign rarities such as the first writings of the sector
"Röntgen's lights and rays" by O. Murani (1898) and "Röntgen's
rays and their practical applications" by I. Ionta (1898), and then "Elements
of clinical rontgenology" by I. Valobra (1908), the first treatise of gastroenterological
radiology "The digestive system through X-rays" by A. Berti and G. Giavedoni
(1914), the precious little volume "The bases of Röntgen's technique"
by I. Schincaglia (1915), the interesting "The radiodiagnostic manual for
doctors and students" by P. Mignacca (1915) that, with its didactic purposes,
constitutes the first work of general radiodiagnosis published in Italy.
The ancient treatise "Radiotherapy" by R. Kienbock (1969),
one of the fathers of the discipline, is considerable.
Furthermore, "Radium" by P. Curie (1905) containing the
researches carried out till then on radioactivity; "Les rayons x" by CH.Guillaume
(1896), one of the oldest publications on X-rays written in French.
The books mentioned above are only a part of the paper
patrimony of the Museum, which has around 200 volumes besides numerous
journals, writings, manuscripts, photographs, etc.
This singular book collection narrates the birth and the
early evolution of the radiological discipline, permitting knowledge of
the discoveries of the early masters.
In June 1995, in Rome, during the x-rays discovery centennial
anniversary's celebration, took place the presentation of the book " Immagini
e segni dell'uomo-Storia della Radiologia Italiana" (Man's images and signes-An
history of Italian Radiology), edited by Professor Adelfio
Elio Cardinale, coordinated by Professor Marcello
De Maria and printed by Idelson-Gnocchi. The work, which was awarded
the 1995 Gaudenti Prize", consist of almost one thousand pages and a nine
hundred's pictures iconography.
This page was visited 
times since October 22, 1996
Address your comment and suggetion to:
Prof. Marcello De Maria
Institute of Radiology
University of Palermo
Via del Vespro, 127
90127 - Palermo, Italy
email: museorad@unipa.it
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