Early X-ray equipment: a view from the South

The history of X-ray equipment starts at about the same time as Marconi´s work on wireless telegraphy and is interwoven with the development of the thermionic valve and filament lamps. This article starts with brief biographical notes on its discoverer, W. C. Rontgen, followed by accounts of its early use, particularly during the South African War (1899-1902). It traces the early evolution of X-ray tubes, including Coolidge´s introduction of the heated cathode followed by further improvements before the mid 1930s.