Portable fluoroscope, Europe, 1912-1922

Portable fluoroscope, to be worn over the eyes to allow real-time imaging of the internal structure of a body, made by Patterson X-ray screens, USA, circa 1917

A fluoroscope allows physicians and surgeons to look directly inside the body in real-time, without the need to develop an X-ray. In this example, the fake fur rim would have been worn over the physician’s eyes and secured with elastic and textile around the head, allowing the square screen to be focussed on the patient’s body. With an x-ray source positioned beneath a prone patient, the physician could see structures within the body through the fluoroscope’s screen which would be coated with a layer of calcium or cadmium tungstate.

During the First World War (1914-1918), the immediacy of these devices made them particularly useful in field hospitals and casualty clearing stations for locating weapon fragments that were often blasted deep into wounds.

This example was made by Patterson X-Ray Screens and it was donated by Guy’s Hospital in London. Portable fluoroscopes are still used today but are smaller and do not require users to physically wear the device.