Superman, Surgical Tool
A hospital x-ray machine has more than enough penetrating power to send x-rays all the way through the skull and brain. (In fact, you could argue that the x-ray machines used in 1961, when this comic was published, were more powerful than modern equipment. Today, we worry about radiation dose so we focus on finesse and minimizing exposure, while in years past the issue was one of raw power, radiation exposure be damned.)
The problem with locating the glass fragment has nothing to do with the range of the x-rays, it’s the fact that glass is radiolucent — invisible to x-rays. It doesn’t matter how strong the x-rays are, glass simply won’t show up on them.
It could be that Superman was referring not to range as in distance, but range as in the wavelengths of x-ray beams used. However, stray from x-rays on the electromagnetic spectrum and you either get ultraviolet radiation (no penetrating power), or gamma radiation (good penetration, but only if you are a fan of radiation sickness). Neither would help with the glass fragment.
Final Note: Not all glass is radiolucent, but the great majority of it is. For example, it is my understanding that the glass used in automobile windows is purposefully designed to be visible in x-rays (radiopaque). Personally, I’ve had numerous patients come in to the office complaining of a stepping on a splinter of glass, and only once has it ever showed up on x-ray — and that was a piece of lead crystal.
August 17th, 2011 at 11:47 pm
Now imagine Superman talking the surgeon through the operation- “Left a bit, down a bit- no, too far…”
August 17th, 2011 at 11:59 pm
To be generous, maybe Superman meant range as in “capability” – that is, he can indeed detect the difference between the glass and the tissue, using some sort of extremely sophisticated image-analysis technique.
August 18th, 2011 at 7:33 am
Official Comment
Dean,
That scene is actually in the next panel in the story.
August 18th, 2011 at 7:34 am
Not to mention the fact that if Supes can ’see’ x-rays, there has to be a source behind the target…if he ‘projects’ x-rays, there has to be film behind the target to capture the image. No matter what, he shouldn’t be able to see anything in that guy’s head.
August 18th, 2011 at 7:44 am
This looks like a job for miniature Supergirl!
August 18th, 2011 at 8:30 am
It’s deja vu all over again.
I remember an episode of the TV series “Superman” in which a little girl was left blind after a car accident; Superman, with his super X-ray vision, is able to see a fragment of glass inside the girl’s head that’s pressing against the optic nerve. He is then able to guide the neurosurgeon in removing the shard and restoring the girl’s sight.
August 18th, 2011 at 9:04 am
Obviously Superman uses Ultra-Rays, which have all the penetration of X-Rays but the radioluminosity of Ultraviolet light, allowing him to easily spot glass.
(This is not to be confused with X-Violet radiation, which transforms Wonder Woman into Star Sapphire.)
(Man, I hope Geoff Johns isn;t reading this…)
david
August 18th, 2011 at 9:53 am
Given that the Superman of that era was able to use his telescopic vision to see things happening light years away, concurrent with time on Earth (i.e, if he looked at Alpha Centauri, he did not see it as it was 4 years ago, when the light left it), it can be assumed his “vision” powers are, actually, a form of psionic “remote viewing”, where he simply receives sensory data from whatever point in space he desires, whether it’s looking at a world circling an atom or peering through a wall. That this ability is blocked by lead is probably a kind of psychological block. That Superman’s powers are psionic (and thus, beyond any known physics) is further evidenced by his ability to carry, say, a battleship in one hand without it breaking into pieces, or hold a thousand ton object overhead without being driven into the ground. (Thinking on it, it may even be that “Superman” himself is nothing but a solidified field of sentient telekinetic force, likely unaware of this fact, but that’s another thread…)
August 18th, 2011 at 12:35 pm
Nicely written and illustrated, but published evidence contradicts your conclusion. If I may suggest, please look at my post explaining this. http://is.gd/9RYXF6
August 18th, 2011 at 3:22 pm
Why is the patient’s brain located somewhere in his throat?
And why is his whole head covered?
And why has he he been prepped when the doctor admits he can’t operate?
And where is the rear of Superman’s cape in the first panel?
This whole sequence reeks of mystery.
August 19th, 2011 at 10:52 am
Lizard, your conclusions basically mirror John Byrne’s, who “covertly” changed many of Superman’s powers to psionic ones when he rebooted the character. That’s all been undone now. Byrne’s a rather polarizing figure now, but I still think he put more thought into Superman’s powers and opted for a greater level of “realism” than any writer since. It bugs the crap out of me when Superman hears faster than the speed of sound.
However, Byrne’s explanation for x-ray vision was that Supes’ eyes were sensitive to background radiation, and he could tune them to different frequencies and provide different “views” (more or less — I’m simplifying).
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