Socioeconomic and political issues in radiology: a historical analysis.

Radiology literature indexes were searched for articles concerning socioeconomic and political issues published during two 21-year periods: 1920-1940 and 1970-1990. Of 200 articles found, 96 were considered appropriate for study, 40 from 1920-1940 and 56 from 1970-1990. All except two of the articles were from Radiology or the American Journal of Roentgenology. The articles were organized into 16 categories. By quantifying the number of times these socioeconomic and political issues appeared and comparing quotations from the articles, the authors demonstrated many common issues in the two periods, despite drastic differences in radiology practice. Analysis of historical literature provides perspective on current socioeconomic and political issues and may help formulate solutions to current problems. Documentation of such issues facilitates historical analysis and is an important function of the radiology literature.