Early stages of radiation protection

The institute of Radiation Physics was founded in Finland in 1958. One of the Department's tasks was to inspect x-ray equipment in hospitals. Since the Finnish central hospital network was under construction and the equipment acquired by new hospitals represented the state of the art in technology, the x-ray equipment in hospitals was usually in fairly good condition. On the other hand, not enough was known about the effects of radiation, and inspectors occasionally came across some rather extra-ordinary ways of using radiation. Even direct radiation damage was detected, especially among doctors. However, training quickly eliminated misuse of radiation during the 60s. Today, equipment has advanced and diagnostic methods are safer than ever. (2 figs.)