Coolidge tube, United States, 1920
- Made:
- 1920 in United States
- maker:
- General Electric
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Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Coolidge tube, used by Dr. Burkitt, made by General Electric, USA, c.1920
American physicist William Coolidge (1832-1919) patented his ‘hot cathode’ tube in 1913. The cathode was a heated, electron-emitting tungsten filament. It produced a high output of X-rays that did not fluctuate and were easily adjusted. This eliminated many problems of the older so-called ‘gas tubes’. Combined with more reliable power supplies, it allowed X-ray techniques to become standardised and reproducible. The fins at the end of the tube disperse the heat generated in the tungsten anode which the larger currents use.
Details
- Category:
- Radiomedicine
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A600223
- Materials:
- tube, glass, anode, metal, cathode, metal, anticathode, copper and tungsten
- Measurements:
-
overall: 560 mm 90 mm,
- type:
- x-ray tube
- credit:
- Burkitt, K.
