John Hall-Edwards

Who was John Hall-Edwards?

John Francis Hall-Edwards was a pioneer in the medical use of X-rays in the United Kingdom.

On 11 January 1896 he made the first use of X-rays under clinical conditions when he radiographed a needle stuck in the hand of an associate. A month later on 14 February he took the first radiograph to direct a surgical operation. He also took the first X-ray of the human spine. Hall-Edwards' interest in X-rays cost him his left arm, which had to be amputated in 1908 as a consequence of X-ray dermatitis.