“At my age the radiation will probably do me some good…”
Norman Wisdom
As I research these blog posts, an important lesson becomes apparent. Many iconic names in science, history, medicine and the arts are not quite as simple as we think. This is the original 1927 prototype of the Geiger counter. Hans Geiger used the increase in electrical discharges from gases when they encounter radioactive particles as the basis for this device. It was an extension of the gold leaf experiment he worked on with Lord Rutherford. This is dear to me as I wrote essay about it in my matric physics exam. The iconic Geiger counter is known to most people. The overlooked fact is that it was a colaboration between Geiger and his graduate student Walther Muller. The original papers referred to the Geiger-Muller counter, but poor Muller has been lost to history. So why does a surgeon have an interest in Geiger counters? Well, I frequently use one to detect radio-labelled lymph nodes during breast cancer surgery. #passmethegammaprobe #letsmakelemonade
Pen Paint and Scalpel 