Radiation Evangelists: Technology, Therapy, and Uncertainty at the Turn of the Century (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780822968092)

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.
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.

Author: Jeffrey Womack
ISBN-10: 0822968096
ISBN-13: 9780822968092
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
Language: English
Published: 03/17/2026
Pages: 288
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs