This widely-distributed ‘Art Nouveau’ radiological apparatus (1909) elaborated by Jacques-Arsène d’Arsonval and manufactured by G.Gaiffe, enjoyed an excellent reputation and underwent a numberr of improvements over the years. The specimen displayed in Museum Dr. Guislain has a high voltage coil at the top; alternating current is supplied through a mercury and gas atmosphere turbine at the bottom. Also at the top, two gas valve tubes (rectifier) were later replaced by the hot cathode valve tube, or Kenetron. After 1915 the addition of a filament transformer enabled the case of W.Coolidge’s new powerful vacuum tubes. Besides the usual applications in radiography and radioteraphy this apparatus was also useful in physiotherapy and in surgery1.
- Photo by Luca Borghi @ (August 2009), courtesy of Museum Dr. Guislain.
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