8th November World Radiography Day (X-Ray Day)

World Radiography Day (X-Ray Day) is held each year on November 8th. It marks the birth of X-rays when Professor Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen of the Wuerzburg University accidentally discovered a new type of radiation that can pass through the body in 1895. X-ray is a quick and painless procedure used to produce images of the inside of the body, which can detect bone fractures, tooth problems, cancerous bone tumours, lung problems, among other conditions. This technology was considered a scientific breakthrough and is still the foundation of many medical diagnostic tools.

I last wrote about this day in 2013, so I thought I would probably find a whole lot more books this time. Not so, there's not that many. What we have is borrowed though, often when someone in the family has broken a bone.

Newer books to the library are:

Hold the magic pictures up to the light to discover all kinds of surprises. Discover what's inside a body, what's under the hood of a car and even what's inside a robot! 

Discover nature’s secret world with this amazing collection of X-ray photographs of animals and plants!

Using incredible X-ray techniques, Inside In displays creatures and their natural habitats in a never-before-seen way. Kids will learn the awesome answers to questions like: 

• What does a bee look like under its furry coat? 
• How does a seahorse protect itself with armor and a skeleton? 
• How does a tree frog use its eyes to swallow?

With X-rays, doctors detect problems human eyes can't see. X-rays are a form of invisible radiation. This powerful medical technology helps experts look inside the body and even treat illnesses. But early on, X-rays caused harm too, as people used them without enough protection.

8th November World Radiography Day

World Radiography Day 

is celebrated on 8 November each year. The date marks the anniversary of the discovery of x-radiation by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895.

I was pleased to see that there is a day to celebrate radiography because I have discovered this year that an early childhood library can never have too many books about x-rays. After sharks, snakes and dinosaurs, x-rays and bones would be the next most popular topic with 4 to 6 year old boys in my library. They especially like the books with the acetate pages that show what is under the skin or what is on the x-rays. If you are looking for books this is what is most popular in my library:
• Jessica's X-ray  by Pat Zora
• You Can't See Your Bones With Binoculars by Harriet Ziefert
• X-treme X-ray by Nick Veasey
• Bones: Skeletons and How They Work by Steve Jenkins