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08 November 2009

Answer to Question #2750 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Consumer Products — Antiques and Radioactive Quack Cures

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

Our office cleaned out an old radiology suite and I discovered an old portable x-ray machine. It is a H.G. Fischer and Company model. The labels on the control panel read Model GA-15. The label on the tube box reads Tube type G-2. The serial number is G13127. It has a hand crank to move the tube box up and down and the box will rotate on its axis 180 degrees. The control box has two dials, one for setting the millampere control and one for the peak kilovolt control. There is also a 12-second exposure dial with, assumably, the shutter button handheld attached to a cable and this goes into the control box. Any information would be appreciated.

Unfortunately, tracking down information about this specific unit would require a considerable amount of effort.

What I can say is that it most likely dates from the late 1930s through the mid-1940s. If there is an address on the unit that refers to Franklin Park, it would be post 1948. Prior to that, Fischer was located on Wabansia Avenue (Chicago). By tracing any patent numbers on the unit (easy to do on the Internet), you could identify the earliest possible date of manufacture.

The company, started by Herman George Fischer, was incorporated in 1914. He served as president until 1945 when his son took over the company.

Paul Frame, CHP, PhD

Answer posted on 8 August 2003. The information and material posted on this Web site is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may alter the concepts and applications of materials and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice specific to whatever facts and circumstances are presented in any given situation. Answers are correct at the time they are posted on the Web site. Be advised that over time, some requirements could change, new data could be made available, or Internet links could change. For answers that have been posted for several months or longer, please check the current status of the posted information prior to using the responses for specific applications.