WASHINGTON, Jan. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 18: X-RAY MACHINE

Profile America — Friday, January 18th.  The X-ray machine, the first medical imaging device, was invented in Europe in the late 19th century.  Americans got their first glimpse of this medical marvel on this date in 1896 in an exhibit in New York City.  It quickly came into use in U.S. medicine, and then into overuse.  Thomas Edison's assistant Clarence Dally, after long, unshielded experimentation with X-rays, had both arms amputated, and then died in 1904 from exposure to radiation.  X-rays have been largely surpassed by MRIs, CAT scans and PET scans.  Manufacturing medical devices and supplies is the business of over 12,000 establishments in the country, with over 300,000 employees.  Profile America is in its 16th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Sources:  Kane's Famous First Facts, 3664
2007 Economic Census, NAICS 3391

Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotions of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button). 

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau