For many, the useful life of a shoe only ends when it shows signs of wear, making them ugly or uncomfortable. However, this thought was very different in the past (20th century), especially if we were counting on the emergence of an innovative machine. The fluoroscope not only boosted the footwear market, but also provided entertainment for tech-obsessed customers. Check out more about this innovation!
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Fluoroscopy is a test that uses ionizing radiation to obtain consecutive images of a part of the body. Also known as radiography, this test emits X-rays slowly, allowing the image to be viewed live.
Fluoroscopy to adjust shoes became common because of the military. Boston physician Jacob Lowy used this method to examine the feet of wounded soldiers without having to remove their shoes.
At the end of the war, Lowy applied the technology in a shoe store and sought to patent it in 1919. However, he did not obtain a patent until 1927. Thus, he named his device “Foot-O-Scope”.
So it wasn't just soldiers who were taken to field hospitals during the First World War II who benefited from the device Marie Curie built, the portable ray machine X.
In the 1920s, customers who weren't ready to change shoes, and those who wanted a size that fit their feet right, had to undergo a fluoroscope. The machine that “selected” or fitted the best shoe was very attractive, after all, people liked technology to be useful in their lives.
It was only in 1948 that scientists began to study the amount of radiation emitted by fluoroscopes. In this way, they began to see the harmful effects of the residues of these electromagnetic waves and, thus, began to gain worldwide attention.
A survey carried out in Michigan, USA, showed that 43 out of 200 machines emit about 75R of radiation per minute, and this extremely high rate can lead to various long-term illnesses.
Once he was warned about the danger of the device, the customer's excitement and perception of using it plummeted. After all, no one wanted to be around a machine that could cause cancer.
Thus, with the reduction of the public, entrepreneurs gradually abandoned fluoroscopy, until the states began to prohibit it. By the end of the 1970s, equipment that was for commercial use ended up being dumped in junkyards, thrift stores and basements, becoming history and fear.
