Is this a deadly “kind of light”-Xochitl D.

As I begun to read one of the last chapters of Get Me Out I came across a set of words that really caught my attention, “a new kind of light”(Pg.190). This light is know as X-rays, X-rays are digital images that are used to be able to look at the internal parts of the body. Now many of us know that some X-ray’s shouldn’t be used on pregnant women because certain levels of radiation could harm the baby. Well when x-rays were discovered by Wilhelm Roentgen the book explains “it was ‘a craze unlike any that had come before…”(Pg.190). After the discovery Doctors would use the X-rays to see if the child would be able to squeeze through the mother’s pelvis, if not they would perform C-sections.             Preparing for childbirth 

Many would say that there was too many unnecessary surgical births. People weren’t really aware of the effects and problems the X-rays were bringing to newborns until a survey showed that there was a possibility that the X-Ray exposure led to Leukemia. But even after the risks were brought out X-rays continued to be used on pregnant women. It wasn’t until later on that the “doctors finally accepted the dangers…”(Pg.191).

Dangers for childbirth 

Then the ultrasound came along. At first these machines were used to “spot German submarines during World War I.”(Pg.191). A few years after Ian Donald discovered that these machines could also be used as a way to look at fetus. He continued his work by testing it out on more soon to be mothers the book explains “On examination, he saw a white circle and knew it was the embryonic sac.”(Pg.192). By the 1980’s ultrasounds were a regular check up on the unborn child. But in 1984 the concerns about the ultrasound began, would it have the same risks and dangers as the X-rays? “Ultrasound is energy…It is used in other countries, but not in the United States, as an alternative treatment for cancer…. -there is a chance that it could affect the baby, particularly at excessive doses for a long time. Doctors say that the low dose used for a few exams during pregnancy are safe…”(Pg.198)

Learning about Ultrasound 

In conclusion, over the past years the types of technology used to see a fetus have changed and developed in many ways. We’ve gone from harmful X-rays to not so bad ultrasounds. As I look back on what I’ve learned throughout reading this book I realize how technology continues to improve and impress everyone, but most of all it helps women have a safe and healthy pregnancy.