Nicholas 1898 Radiographic

[AnnK]

Hello All!
There was a short article in the Boston Globe about the artifact collection at Harvard's Countway Medical Library this week. Imagine my surprise when it highlighted one of the first "X-Rays" ever done...both Nicholas & Alexandra's hands in 1898! (Along with the story of how and why the X-Rays were taken!) Facinating!
Here is the URL:
http://countway.med.harvard.edu/rarebooks/exhibits/stones/stones4.html
Regards, Ann

[Belochka]

What fascinating radiographs!

The other exibits were equally fascinating to see as well. I must confess that medical museums can be a treasure trove of fascinating information.

Thank you so much AnnK  

[helenazar]

Thank you, AnnK, this is  very interesting!

[Naslednik]

Hello Forum;  I am sorry that I forgot to mention this earlier.  I have been helping with an exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art called "Brought to Light, Photography and the Invisible."  It handles a lot of 19th century scientific photography.   You can see the 1898 xrays of Nicholas and Alexandra's hands, complete with jewelry and cufflinks.  There is a funny story about this.  Apparently the American physician brought his wife, and when he engaged the xray machine, it pulled so much power that the palace (not sure which) power went down temporarily.  The physician's wife said that in the blackness and confusion, she bumped into the Tsar, but that in his typical simplicity, he was able to laugh with her about it.  Anyway, exhibit in San Francisco goes through January 4 2009.  Then the entire exhibit moves to the Albertina Museum in Vienna, 13 Feb- 17 May 2009.  I am not certain if the imperial xrays are moving on to Vienna (Harvard owns them) but I can find out.  Can't wait to see them myself! 

[aleksandr pavlovich]

Thank you, "Naslednik," for your post.  I have seen them, as these quite clear X-ray depictions of Their Majesties' hands  (a right hand each, I believe) have been available a number of times on the internet, but I'm not certain that they have been here on the AP Forum.   Presently, I cannot recall a specific site, but one could be easily "googled," I am certain.  However, I had not heard the story about the power outage.  Thank you for that!  Good luck with the exhibit!  Best regards,  AP.

[amartin71718]

Does someone have the Xray pictures? If you could post them, that would be awesome.

[historyfan]

Out of curiosity, why would they have had their hands xrayed?

My goodness, imagine how much radiation they would have been exposed to!

[aleksandr pavlovich]

In response to Reply # 2:    As stated above, they can be found via "Google."   I checked a few moments ago.    AP

[amartin71718]

Thanks AP

[Lisa]

Here they are: http://forum.alexanderpalace.org/index.php?topic=9925.0

An article on the web: http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/1999/08.19/med_exhibition.html

The pictures were originally published on the web by this site: https://www.countway.harvard.edu/chm/rarebooks/exhibits/gilt/gilt5.html (bottom of the page)

[Naslednik]

Hi AP,  I just got back from San Francisco, and the xrays are beautiful.  N and A had their hands xrayed as part of a fascination with that "new" technology.  Doctors xrayed other royals -- George V (as Prince of W) 2 years previous.  Imagine in that time period having someone being able to show you what the inside of your arm, for instance, looked like!  And N had a good science education, so I am sure he was interested in this advance.  The hands xrayed are the left ones, even though they look like the right hands; the inscription says left, and if it had been their right hands, you would see wedding rings.  I was curious about the radiation exposure to Alexandra, and whether she were pregnant, but the exposure was March 23, 1898, so she probably was not in that 'delicate' condition.

[Alixz]

https://www.countway.harvard.edu/chm/rarebooks/exhibits/gilt/gilt5.html

The x rays do look to be of the right hands.  Alexandra's rings are clearly visible and Nicholas is wearing a cuff link which would on the outside of his right arm as the x ray shows.

Nicholas's Right Hand with Cuff link

[Naslednik]

AlixZ, They really are of the left hands.  As you look at the cuff link of N's it looks like his right hand because your mind's eye is viewing from above.  But imagine you are a primitive xray machine -- you are ''viewing" from below -- hence the cuff link could be on the right side of the left hand.  Also, I have an inscription from the actual xray and it says left in Russian. You have to trust the inscription because early photographs were often 'flipped' by copying contact style, so even if it looks like the right, it may be a contact copy of the original left.  These images are prints, not plates or films, and are thus copies.  I work with old photographs, and have to be very careful not to flip east and west.

Anyway!  I just want to remind everyone that they leave Vienna soon (May 16) so if you are in Austria, take a peek.

[Alixz]

Naslednik - Thanks for the correction.  :-)