Date: 1905?

Location: Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Type of event: medical radiography overexposure

Description:

A woman with broken ribs received seven x-rays under a doctor's care, after which she developed skin burns later identified as radiation burns by another doctor. The x-rays were administered over several visits, with skin burns developing on her back five hours after the last x-rays. The woman sued the administering doctor, with the case eventually appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and decided 7 April 1913 in the doctor's favor in Sweeney v. Erving.

Consequences: 1 injury.

References:

• Berlin, Leonard, July 2001, "Malpractice issues in radiology: radiation-induced skin injuries and fluoroscopy," American Journal of Roentgenology, 177:21-25.
• U.S. Supreme Court, 1913, Sweeney v. Erving, 228 U.S. 233, on line at The Oklahoma State Courts Network [http://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/deliverdocument.asp?citeid=418141].

© 2004 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 19 June 2004.
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