Abstract: A bar mounted on an operating table on a platform fixedly mounted on a floor carries a switch adapted to be grasped by the hand of a surgeon operating on a patient on the table while x-rays are back-scattered from the table or patient. When the switch is activated to a first state the table is braked. When the switch is activated to a second state, forces manually imparted to an end of the bar by the surgeon are imparted to the table to move the table relative to the platform with the aid of a motor and linkage arrangement. An x-ray shield is interposed between the end of the bar and the table so the body of the operator, including the hand and arm, can be shielded from x-rays back-scattered from the table and/or patient while the hand is grasping the end of the bar and/or the switch.