Marketed as a scientific method for optimizing shoe fit, the fluoroscope appeared in shoe stores nationwide from the 1920s to the 1960s. But the machines not only didn't do what they promised, they also exposed children, their parents and store clerks to unhealthy doses of radiation.
Why did shoe stores in the 1950s have X-ray machines?
Yes — x-rays. Technically they were called fluoroscopes. The sales people used them to reassure customers about the fit of their shoes. For kids, they were a great toy.18 Mar 2020
When did they stop using X-ray machines in shoe stores?
Shoe-fitting fluoroscopes, also sold under the names X-ray Shoe Fitter, Pedoscope and Foot-o-scope, were X-ray fluoroscope machines installed in shoe stores from the 1920s until about the 1970s in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, Germany and Switzerland.
When was X-ray first used?
In 1897, X-rays were first used on a military battlefield, during the Balkan War, to find bullets and broken bones inside patients. Scientists were quick to realize the benefits of X-rays, but slower to comprehend the harmful effects of radiation.
What are the different types of X-ray machines?
- Standard Computed Tomography. A standard computed tomography or otherwise known as computerized axial tomography is performed in a hospital or at a radiologist's office.
- Kidney, Ureter, and Bladder X-ray.
- Teeth and bones X-rays.
- Chest X-rays.
- Lungs X-rays.
- Abdomen X-rays.