Eddy Jerman

Eddy Clifford Jerman (November 21, 1865 – September 13, 1936) was an American inventor and an early expert in the techniques of medical radiography. In the years that followed the discovery of X-rays, Jerman was one of the first people to focus on the details that created quality X-ray images, such as exposure and positioning. He served as an examiner during the initial efforts to license personnel who took X-rays. He has been referred to as "the father of radiography". Suffering from health issues again, Jerman left Cincinnati for Topeka, Kansas, in search of a more suitable climate.

Jerman thought that insufficient attention had been paid to standardizing radiographic technique in the years since the discovery of X-ray. X-rays had been used largely for entertainment purposes in those early days and clinical techniques varied from provider to provider. He wrote that "the weakest link of the chain was technique, and the chain could be no stronger than its weakest link." By 1916, he had begun offering courses in radiography to professionals. About two years later, Jerman became the head of the education division at Victor Electric Company. In that capacity, he established 12 divisions of the company that offered classes to healthcare providers. The courses lasted between five and seven days. It was published for several editions. He was a founder of the American Association of Radiological Technicians (now the American Society of Radiologic Technologists). Jerman served as the examiner for the first 1,000 candidates for credentialing by the American Registry of X-Ray Technicians.

Late in his life, Jerman became interested in the application of X-rays to fields like botany, zoology and paleontology. After retiring in 1934, Jerman died two years later. In his final months, he dealt with painful sequelae of frequent X-ray exposure.