Computerized tomography: taking sectional x rays

An important new diagnostic technique is making its appearance in our major hospitals. The technique, which uses x rays to render visible thin slices through any section of the human body, has been so dramatic in its development that no general agreement has yet been reached on its name—it has been called “computed tomography,” “computerized axial tomography,” “transaxial tomography” and “reconstruction from projections.” Figure 1 shows one version of the apparatus in a clinical setting.