Medical diagnostics

Soon after discovery of the X-ray in Germany, a group of young Berkeley engineers hack together cathode ray tubes from the physics department to create their own imaging equipment.

The engineers, led by mechanical engineering professor Joseph Nisbet LeConte, use their new machine to take images of a small boy — another professor’s son, who was accidentally shot in the arm. Using the image, they are able to determine the location of the bullet.

LeConte spent his summers exploring the Sierra Nevada, making maps and naming peaks. Along with John Muir, he was one of the founding members of the Sierra Club and served as the club’s second president.

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