The late Professor August Blencke, an orthopedic surgeon, presented his personal views about the first 40 years of roentgenology in a memorial lecture in 1936. The author was a medical student at Wurzburg University at the time when W.C. Roentgen was the Professor of Physics there. He knew W.C. Roentgen personally. In his lecture he vividly reported the difficulties in performing radiography during the initial years. The early consequences of radiation induced burns were also presented. The unpublished manuscript was presented to this journal by the grandchild of the author who kept up the family tradition and became Professor of Orthopedic Surgery as well.
