Abstract
The effects of ionizing radiation on the skin became apparent quickly and radiation-induced dermatitis, epilation, and pigmentation first led to recognition of the biological effects of these rays. Some workers early on tried soft x rays in an effort to prevent severe sequelae, but the idea of using soft x rays in treating skin conditions lay dormant until 1923, when Gustav Bucky succeeded in devising an apparatus that produced ultrasoft x rays.1 Since he believed that the biological effects of these rays resembled those of conventional x rays in some ways and those of ultraviolet rays in others, Bucky called the new rays grenz rays. The name “grenz” means “border” in German.
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References
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Lindelöf, B. (1991). Grenz-Ray Therapy. In: Modern Dermatologic Radiation Therapy. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-9041-1_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-9041-1_12
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