A Theory of the Action of X-rays on living Cells

Source abstract

The absorption by matter of energy from a beam of X-rays follows laws which are now well known. The first stage is the ejection from the absorbing atom of a high speed electron. This electron, in turn, produces pairs of ions from some of the molecules through which it passes until its energy is all spent. The process is essentially a discontinuous one in space, and the proportion of atoms affected at a given time is always exceedingly minute, even with an intense beam of radiation. With a beam of average intensity an individual atom would suffer ionisation, on an average, about once in a million years.