This book investigates how the development and proliferation of medical imaging technologies fundamentally altered human perception of the body, medical practice, and legal standards throughout the twentieth century. Author Bettyann Holtzmann Kevles, a science historian, utilizes a combination of archival research, historical anecdotes, and technical analysis to trace the evolution of imaging from the discovery of X-rays to the advent of MRI and PET scans. She argues that these tools did more than improve diagnostics; they redefined the boundaries of privacy and the nature of physical evidence in modern society.

Experts and historians frequently cite this work as a comprehensive and accessible survey of the intersection between medical technology and twentieth-century culture. Readers often note the clarity of the prose, which successfully bridges the gap between complex technical history and its broader societal consequences.