Pedoscope x-ray apparatus

Pedoscope X-ray apparatus, by the Pedoscope Co. Ltd., English, 1930–55.

Pedoscopes were used in European and North American shoe shops during the middle of the 20th century. They created X-ray images of the foot without the need to remove the shoe. This one consists of a large wooden box with a hole near the bottom into which the foot was placed. The length of X-ray exposure could be altered depending on whether you were a man, woman or child. The fluorescent image of the foot bones within the shoe were viewed through a hole in the top of the cabinet by the shoe fitter. The other two holes were used by the child and the parent or guardian.

The pedoscope carries a health warning suggesting customers have no more than 12 shoe fittings a year. Health concerns, especially about the staff using them throughout their working day, saw the machines eventually withdrawn.