Key Object Page

X-ray of Lord Lister's hand

Our object for this week is an X-ray taken of Lord Joseph Lister’s hand. This particular X-ray was made in November 1896 at King’s College Hospital. The exposure time was said to be two minutes. This image was also taken within 18 months of Wilhelm Röntgen’s discovery of x-rays. Röntgen’s discovery led him to be considered as the father of diagnostic radiology, the medical speciality which uses imaging to diagnose and treat disease seen within the body.