Cine-radiography set, England, 1950-1951

High Voltage 35mm cine-radiography set comprising stand, tube, cine camera, couch, stool, transformer, control unit and accessories, by Watson and Sons (Electro-Medical), East Lane, Wembley (Middlesex) London, c.1951

In 1951, this machine exhibited in the Dome of Discovery at the Festival of Britain on London’s South Bank. It was presented as an example of ‘the technical progress in the British X-ray industry’. It allowed Watson & Sons to showcase this complex cine-radiography set. The set consists of a 35mm cine camera, projector, X-ray tube, a patient’s couch and a radiographer’s stool. Only two machines of this type were manufactured. This one was used as a diagnostic tool at the Chemical Defence Establishment at Porton Down, Wiltshire. The machine films joint or lung movement. It can also monitor a barium meal as it moves around the body. A physician or radiologist replays the film to make a diagnosis. The machine was developed in collaboration with Dr Russell J Reynolds (1880-1964) who pioneered using cine-radiography from 1921.

The 35mm cine camera was made by Newall Engineering Company Limited, Peterborough, England. The X-ray tube was made by Machlett Laboratories in the US.