The Shadowmakers

You're doing a crossword puzzle and the clue for 52 across is "xray technologists". I'll give you a moment to think of the answer. It's twelve letters long and evidently found in crossword puzzle dictionaries according to a patient

I xrayed yesterday.

The answer is (drum roll please):"Shadowmakers". I like the simple, low-tech and mystical sound of it. Radiography does share many qualities to cast shadows, such as elongation and foreshortening. Every time you position the xray tube you are controlling this Invisible Sun (the name of a song by Sting?). You set the angle and distance that the beam intersects the patient's anatomy. You can also peer around bony obstacles. Look at these two lateral elbow images. The nontraditional method on the bottom allows you to see the radial head without superimposition by the ulna. The tube angle is set at 45 degrees. I use this axial projection only when a patient can't be convinced to extend his or her arm for the normal positions. All radiographs have distortion and generally it's something to avoid, but when you need to provide one more image -- a little angle goes along way. By the way, don't be surprised if I answer the phone at work with "Hello Shadowmaking Department, Tim speaking, how may I direct your beam?".