World's First Manufactured X-ray tube by Cossor 1896

Catalogue number #516338789

X-ray Tube January 1896 by Cossor 1	X-ray Tube January 1896 by Cossor 2	X-ray Tube January 1896 by Cossor 3	X-ray Tube January 1896 by Cossor 4	Campbell-Swinton's Lecture 29 January 1896	Manufacture of X-ray tubes at Cossor 1896	X-ray Tube January 1896 by Cossor at the Science Museum

Description:

Within days of Rontgen's discovery of X-rays in late December 1895, Cossor Ltd. in London were manufacturing the first X-ray tubes in 'bulk'. One of their tubes was used by A. A. Campbell-Swinton in the first public demonstration of X-rays to the Royal Photographic Society on 29 January 1896. This tube is preserved in the Science Museum, London. Engraved on its end are the words "Maker A C Cossor Agents Newton & Co". Early Technology is offering the identical tube with the same inscription - but without the same provenance! In the Windsor Magazine edition of April 1896, three months later in talking about the spread of the use of X-rays "...A man who greatly helped toward this successful end, and who suddenly found himself overwhelmed with fame, was Mr A. Cossor, of Farringdon Road, London, who for a while seemed the only man able to make satisfactory Crookes' tubes. While ordinary Crookes' tubes could be bought retail at eighteen pence each, in any quantity, the tubes made by Mr Cossor were in such demand that the agents who had purchased all his output were quite unable to cope with the demand, though the price was twenty-five shillings each. Even at that price there were doctors, professors and others who begged for the favour of a place on the list, to be supplied in a fortnight's time. Never had the scientific glass-blower been in such demand, and never was the value of the difference between good work and the best (in italics) more fully demonstrated.(The pictures are from this magazine of the Cossor manufacturing works and Mr Campbell-Swinton. Note he is using this tube to X-ray the hand of the seated gentleman. How many examples survive today I don't know but surely not many - this could well be a massive understatement. The example on offer is in superb working order, retaining still a very high degree of vacuum. The anode is wired through the pillar of its stand and is connected via the ring of wire wrapped round it. The label on the base has - 6 - in type written on it. Length 4.9" (125 mm) maximum diameter 2.8" (72 mm) Delivery intact guaranteed or full refund.

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