The Measurement of X and Gamma Radiation over a Wide Energy Range (Silvanus Thompson Memorial Lecture

Abstract

It is, I need not emphasise, a privilege for me to address the British Institute of Radiology, and a distinct honour to deliver the Silvanus Thompson Memorial Lecture. I speak in honour of Silvanus P. Thompson to-night with cherished memories—memories that go back to my boyhood. For when I was a boy of about 12 years of age, I attempted, without much success, to rig up a telegraph line about a mile long. The capacity of the batteries and the small size of the wire used in that project, however, provided no detectable current. So my father taught me Ohm's law and handed me a book from his library; it was Dynamo Electric Machinery, by Silvanus Thompson, and it remained for many years my bible. It is also, I might add, a pleasure to be introduced by your President, Dr. Gray, not only because there are ties of friendship here, or because he has made notable contributions to radiological physics, but because he is a mere physicist. It is no accident that England excels in its radiological physics and that it has attained a position of leadership in radiation dosimetry. These were insured when the British Institute of Radiology made Engineer Silvanus P. Thompson its first President.