History

Abstract

Within six months after the discovery of x-rays by WILHELM CONRAD RÖNTGEN in December 1895, WEGELE had localized the human stomach by inserting a tube containing a metal wire. HEMMETER used a tube to introduce lead acetate into the stomach after first testing this procedure on mice. Also in 1896, WALTER CANNON of Boston introduced a mixture of bread and bismuth** into the beak of a goose and using the fluoroscope, studied the mechanism of deglutition. In 1897, he used the same contrast medium to observe the peristaltic movements of the stomach of a cat. In the same year, BOAS and LEVY-DORN published their method for the examination of the human stomach. As contrast medium, they used bismuth nitrate packaged in capsules of gelatin and cellulose. In France, ROUX and BALTHAZARD also studied the human stomach; they used the same contrast medium but made a pap of water and syrup. In Germany fluoroscopic studies of the human esophagus were made using a 5 per cent suspension of bismuth in water. The bismuth nitrate is highly poisonous in large quantities and was quickly replaced by bismuth carbonate. In 1898, RIEDER administered the bismuth in the form of tablets or cookies; HOLZKNECHT made a paste with lactose in 1900 and several years later, a solution of 10 g bismuth with a teaspoon of lactose in 50 ml water.

From: GIANTURCO C. (68); HOLZKNECHT G. (90); RIGLER and WEINER in: Alimentary tract roentgenology (131); KNOX R. (101); LEDOUX-LEBARD G. (116).