Coloured X-ray of a glass jam jar lodged in the rectum of an elderly man. The man was apparently suffering from constipation before this remedial measure, in which he inserted this jam jar high into the colon. From broken bones to disease the X-Ray is one of the most useful medical advancements in history. But as these images show they can also reveal some of the most gruesome and bizarre results. From a bullet in foot of Boer War soldier in 1899 to spoons, blades and even a toothbrush accidently lodged in an intestine. The comical yet disturbing results are taken from hospitals around the world, show how accidents come in all shapes and sizes. X-rays were first observed and documented in 1895 by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, a German scientist who found them quite by accident when experimenting with vacuum tubes. X-rays are, like light and radio waves, a form of electromagnetic radiation. Special X-ray techniques, using special dye inserted into the arteries, can be used to investigate problems with the soft tissues of the body. CT scanning is a further development of the use of X-rays, using a sophisticated scanner connected to a computer, it is possible to construct a series of pictures that look at the living body in cross-section.
