Watson 90/30 mobile x-ray set, circa 1925, in wooden housing with inset metal control panel with adjustable height and reach tube column. Used as exhibition piece in Ipswich Hospital.

An X-ray machine is used by radiographers to acquire an image of the body’s skeletal structure. X-rays can also be used to detect disease or abnormalities in soft tissue such as the chest. The Watson 90/30 X-ray set is an early example of an adjustable mobile hospital X-ray unit. Mobile X-ray units enabled a wider range of patients to receive treatment. Prior to joining the Science Museum’s collections, this X-ray set was an exhibition piece in Ipswich Hospital, England.