Who would have thought the inventor of the Webber piano and the first full-body X-ray were the same person?
There is no denying Dayton Miller, a professor of mathematics and physics at the Case School of Applied Science in Cleveland, did significant work in the science, medical and organology fields.
After Konrad von Roentgen created the X-ray machine in 1895, Miller was determined to advance the field even further with his own version of the machine.
In 1896, he conducted the first full-body X-ray on himself and an injured railroad brakeman, making it the first to display skeletal images on photographic plates. This allowed Miller to be the first to discover concealed objects, such as a bullet within a man’s limb, through photographic images.
Why It Matters: Miller revolutionized surgical procedures indefinitely, as modern-day doctors are now able to detect bone fractures as well as spot other conditions such as pneumonia and breast cancer.
Click here to learn more about 30 of Cleveland’s great inventions and innovators.
