Dear Digital X-Ray Insider,
In this edition of the Insider, radiology historian Otha Linton takes a look at the illustrious career of one of the titans of radiology, Dr. Russell H. Morgan.
Dr. Morgan is best known as chair of the radiology department at Johns Hopkins University, which carries his name, but he is also noted for his significant contributions to public health through his involvement with the U.S. Public Health Service. For example, Dr. Morgan made major contributions to radiation dose reduction, fluoroscopy, and the development of the U.S. government's B reader program to screen miners for lung disease.
Learn more about Dr. Morgan's career in this edition's Insider Exclusive.
In other news, old medical x-ray films are now making sweet music thanks to a record label in Nashville, TN, that's using them to form limited-edition discs of a new single. While this is the first time that Third Man Records has ever used x-ray films as a recording medium, the process actually has some history behind it -- x-ray films were used in the former Soviet Union as a low-cost way to distribute Western songs. Learn more by clicking here.
Also, check out recent coverage from the European Congress of Radiology, where researchers from Switzerland and Greece found that airport backscatter x-ray scanners actually carry some cancer risk -- albeit a very small amount. Find out how much by clicking here.
Finally, have you ever considered volunteering for a Mercy Ship? These vessels are floating hospitals that offer lifesaving basic medical services to areas that need them, such as disaster zones or developing countries. Read about the story of one radiologist who served on the Africa Mercy on a tour off the coast of Africa. Find out how you can help by clicking here.
![Representative example of a 16-year-old male patient with underlying X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy. (A, B) Paired anteroposterior (AP) chest radiograph and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) report shows lumbar spine (L1 through L4) areal bone mineral density (BMD). The DXA report was reformatted for anonymization and improved readability. The patient had low BMD (Z score ≤ −2.0). (C) Model (chest radiography [CXR]–BMD) output shows the predicted raw BMD and Z score in comparison with the DXA reference standard, together with interpretability analyses using Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) and gradient-weighted class activation maps. The patient was classified as having low BMD, consistent with the reference standard. AM = age-matched, DEXA = dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, RM2 = room 2, SNUH = Seoul National University Hospital, YA = young adult.](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/04/ai-children-bone-density.0snnf2EJjr.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
