This book explores the lives and achievements of two Irish sisters, Edith and Florence Stoney, who pioneered the use of new electromedical technologies, especially X-rays but also ultraviolet radiation and diathermy. In addition, the narrative follows several intertwined themes as experienced by the sisters during their lifetimes. Their upbringing, influenced by their liberal-minded scientist father, set the tone for both their lives. Irish independence fractured their family heritage. Their professional experiences, fulfilling for Florence as a qualified doctor but often frustrating for Edith as a Cambridge-educated scientist, mirrored those of other aspiring women during this period, when the suffragist movement expanded and women's lobby groups were formed. World War I created an environment in which their unusual specialist knowledge was widely needed, and the sisters' war experiences are carefully examined in the book. But ultimately this is the extraordinary story of two independent but closely bonded sisters and their abiding love and support for one another.
"The book is well written ... . It includes great depictions of foreign bodies, fractures and diseased bone pathology, and I enjoyed learning how x-rays were used to treat Graves' disease, ulcers and ringworm. ... I'd recommend this book to scholars and imaging aficionados looking for a deeper historical perspective on the imaging sciences." (Jennifer J. Alexander, ASRT Scanner, June-July, 2023)
"This is a comprehensive, well referenced biography of the Stoney sisters. ... The sisters were remarkable women who deserve to be better remembered and this scholarly, well researched biography is a tribute to their important legacy and the authors deserve to be congratulated for this fine contribution to the radiology history literature." (Arpan K Banerjee, RAD Magazine, March, 2020)
"This is a comprehensive, well referenced biography of the Stoney sisters. ... The sisters were remarkable women who deserve to be better remembered and this scholarly, well researched biography is a tribute to their important legacy and the authors deserve to be congratulated for this fine contribution to the radiology history literature." (Arpan K Banerjee, RAD Magazine, March, 2020)