It is more or less of a therapeutic axiom that in the use of any remedial agent, one should consider not only the primary effect desired, but the possibility of untoward by-effects or after-effects.
This axiom is particularly applicable to the use of the roentgen ray, the effect of which on tissue has been extensively studied, and which, under varying combinations of circumstances, has been shown by both experimental and practical experience to be capable of doing as much harm as good.
The average person is prone to think of damage to the tissue by the roentgen ray as either an acute burn from intensive exposure or as a malignant degeneration following prolonged or repeated exposure. Recent studies have shown the possibility of another type of lesion, essentially trophic in type, of particular importance because its manifestations may be delayed.
The primary effect of the roentgen ray on