Dawson P
Department of Radiology, Hammersmith Hospital/RPMS, London, UK.
Br J Radiol. 1997 Aug;70(836):809-16. doi: 10.1259/bjr.70.836.9486045.
Röntgen's fame today rests solely on his discovery of X-rays and takes no account of the fact that he was perhaps the leading experimental physicist of his time. One experiment he devised and brilliantly executed was, arguably, one of the most important of the 19th century. It was greatly celebrated at the time, yet today has been all but completely forgotten. With the aim of developing a more complete picture of Röntgen and his place in the history of physics, this paper describes the nature of the problem he tackled and gives an outline of his experimental approach to it. The significance of his achievement for the construction of the edifice of 19th century physics is explained.
伦琴如今的声誉完全建立在他对X射线的发现之上，而没有考虑到他或许是他那个时代首屈一指的实验物理学家这一事实。他设计并出色完成的一项实验，可以说是19世纪最重要的实验之一。它在当时备受赞誉，但如今几乎已被完全遗忘。为了更全面地了解伦琴及其在物理学史上的地位，本文描述了他所解决问题的性质，并概述了他的实验方法。文中还解释了他的成就对于19世纪物理学大厦构建的重要意义。
