Mónico Sánchez Moreno: a pioneer in radiologic technology

• Published in: Radiología (English ed.)
• Main Authors: Ramos Rodríguez, R, Rozas Quintanilla, J P, Nava Baro, E, Sendra Portero, F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Spanish
• Published: Spain 28-07-2021
• Subjects: Rayos X; Biografía; X-rays; Instrumentation; Radiografía; Fluoroscopy; Historia; History; Fluoroscopia; Radiography; Radiología; Biography; Radiology; Instrumentación
• ISSN: 2173-5107
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rx.2021.06.004

Mónico Sánchez Moreno (1880-1961) was an important figure in the early years of electromedicine, rubbing elbows with world-class physicists like Nikola Tesla. Her main contribution to the field was the invention and commercialization of a portable X-ray generator, replacing the heavy transformer had been necessary to generate power with a lightweight portable device that could work with direct or alternating current at 220 or 125V. This device was easily adaptable to other applications in electromedicine, such as cauterization or disinfection. This indefatigable entrepreneur could have triumphed in America, but preferred to work toward furthering technological development in the land that she loved. Her efforts made it possible to have an affordable device made in Spain that would allow radiological examinations to be done in places where it would have been otherwise unthinkable. In conclusion, Mónico Sánchez Moreno was a self-made woman who deserves to be remembered for her pioneering role in portable radiology.