SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                               -------------------



                                 SCHEDULE 14D-9



  SOLICITATION/RECOMMENDATION STATEMENT UNDER SECTION 14(d)(4)OF THE SECURITIES
                              EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934



                            Trex Medical Corporation
                          ----------------------------
                            (Name of Subject Company)

                            Trex Medical Corporation
                         ------------------------------
                      (Name of Person(s) Filing Statement)


                          Common Stock, $.01 par value
                            ------------------------
                         (Title of Class of Securities)


                                   89531R 10 1
                             -----------------------
                      (CUSIP Number of Class of Securities)

                             Seth H. Hoogasian, Esq.
                         c/o Thermo Electron Corporation
                                 81 Wyman Street
                        Waltham, Massachusetts 02454-9046
                                 (781) 622-1000
                               ------------------

 (Name, Address, and Telephone Number of Person Authorized to Receive Notices
        and Communications on Behalf of the Person(s) Filing Statement)


[X] Check the box if the filing  relates  solely to  preliminary  communications
made before the commencement of a tender offer.





PRESS RELEASE:


Investor Contact: 781-622-1111
Media Contact: 781-622-1252


          Trex Medical Announces Cash Tender Offer by Thermo Electron



DANBURY, Conn., October 17, 2000 - Trex Medical Corporation (ASE: TXM) announced
today that its parent company, Thermo Electron Corporation (NYSE: TMO), plans to
take Trex Medical  private at a cash price of $2.15 per share.  Thermo  Electron
expects to initiate a cash tender  offer by the end of the month for any and all
of the  outstanding  shares  of Trex  Medical  common  stock  held  by  minority
shareholders.

      As of September 30, 2000,  Thermo  Electron owned  approximately  78.6% of
Trex  Medical  common  stock.  The goal of the tender  offer is to bring  Thermo
Electron's  equity  ownership in Trex Medical to at least 90 percent.  If Thermo
Electron achieves this 90-percent ownership  threshold,  it plans to acquire all
remaining outstanding shares of Trex Medical common stock through a "short-form"
merger.  In the short-form  merger,  shareholders  who do not participate in the
tender offer would also receive $2.15 in cash for their Trex Medical shares.

      The  tender  offer  and  proposed  subsequent  short-form  merger  require
Securities  and  Exchange  Commission   clearance  of  necessary  filings.   The
short-form merger would not require Trex Medical board or shareholder approval.

      If Thermo Electron  successfully  obtains ownership of at least 90 percent
of the outstanding  Trex Medical shares,  it expects to complete this spin-in by
the end of the fourth quarter of 2000.

      Trex Medical Corporation is a leading manufacturer of digital dental X-ray
equipment. In addition, the company manufactures general-purpose and specialized
medical  imaging  systems.  More  information  is  available  on the Internet at
http://www.thermo.com/subsid/txm1.html.

Other Important Information:

The tender offer that is described in this  announcement  has not yet commenced.
Once the  tender  offer  commences,  we will file a  solicitation/recommendation
statement  with the  Securities  and Exchange  Commission.  You should read this
document when it becomes available because it will contain important information
about the tender offer. You can obtain the solicitation/recommendation statement
and  other  documents  that  will be filed  with  the  Securities  and  Exchange
Commission  for free when they are  available  on the  Securities  and  Exchange
Commission's Web site at  http://www.sec.gov.  Also, if you write us or call us,
we will send you the  solicitation/recommendation  statement for free when it is
available.

You can call us at (781) 622-1111, or write to us at:

Investor Relations Department
Trex Medical Corporation
81 Wyman Street, P.O. Box 9046
Waltham, MA 02454-9046



                                     -more-






The following constitutes a "Safe Harbor" statement under the Private Securities
Litigation  Reform Act of 1995:  This  press  release  contains  forward-looking
statements that involve a number of risks and  uncertainties.  Important factors
that could cause actual  results to differ  materially  from those  indicated by
such forward-looking statements are set forth under the heading "Forward-looking
Statements"  in Exhibit 13 to the  company's  annual report on form 10-K for the
fiscal  year ended  October  2,  1999.  These  include  risks and  uncertainties
relating to:  dependency on capital  spending  policies,  technological  change,
product development and  commercialization,  the company's acquisition strategy,
competition,  dependency on patents and property rights,  intellectual  property
litigation,  government  regulation and approvals,  healthcare  reform,  patient
reimbursement,  potential product liability,  international operations,  and the
cash management arrangement with Thermo Electron Corporation.


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