Everything must start somewhere. This is true with everything around us. The flowers we see outside started form a seed. The buildings we see outside started out as a drawing. Even us, we started out as a tiny embryo. Like these examples, medicine and the understanding we have of our bodies today, would not even be close if it wasn’t for the invention of simple technologies. If it wasn’t for the first X-ray machine, or the discovery of many medicines, where would we be today? As a result of the developing technologies over centuries, people, such as doctors, have a better understanding of what is going on inside our bodies and are able to help take care of them.
One of the important technologies developed to help understand how our bodies work is the X-Ray machine. It was discovered around 1895, when Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovered an image produced from his cathode ray generator. Röntgen investigated further and discovered that the rays were created on contact between the cathode ray and the inside of the vacuum tube, they were no repelled by magnetic
fields and could penetrate many kinds of matter. About a week later, Röntgen took a X-ray photograph of his wife’s hand which clearly revealed her bones, and revealed it to the public. They were shocked and it generated scientific interest in the new form of radiation. He named this new discovery X-radiation, X standing for unknown. X-ray technology has helped the medical world in a number of ways. An X-ray is able to pin point a problem where as something else may miss it. Also, it is a quick way for doctors to see what they are dealing with. For example, when a broken bone is in question, an X-ray is the easiest and fastest way for doctors to locate, view and assess broken bones, sprains or torn muscles.
Another very important contribution to the world of medicine is the development of “Cat scanning” (Computed Axial Tomography), also known as Computed Tomography (CT) imaging. The CT was invented in 1972 by a British engineer named Godfrey Hounsfield and by a South African physicist named Allan Cormack. CAT scans are special X-rays that produce sectional images of the body. These images allow the radiologist, to look inside the body similarly how we would look inside a loaf of bread. CT scans takes pictures of “slices” of the body so that doctors can look right into the area they need to. CT scans are often sued for evaluating the brain, neck, spine, chest, abdomen and pelvis. Since its development, CT scanning has made wonderful improvements in efficiency and patient comfort.
However not all the important medical technology invented were machines. This
device is now one of the most commonly used tools for doctors, but it used to be a new and exciting invention. The stethoscope was invented in 1816 by a young physician named, Rene Theophile Hyacinthe Laennec. The stethoscope is a medical device used to listen to the internal sounds of the body. It is often sued to listen to lung and heart sounds and is also used to listen to blood flow in arteries and veins. Before this invention, a doctor would simply put their ear on the patient’s body and listen for the sounds. Laennec‘s modesty ultimately led to the invention. He was embarrassed to place his ear on the female patient’s chest, so he rolled up paper to listen and discovered it was very clear and amplified. He used his woodturning skills to make the first official stethoscope, which was made from wood.
One of the greatest contributions to medicine came from Canada. The first is the breakthrough was the discovery of insulin. In 1921, At the University of Toronto, Dr. Frederick Banting and medical student, Charles Best, made a pancreatic extract which they hoped would put an end to the epidemic of diabetes. They tied a string around the pancreases duct and several weeks later found that the cells had died and been absorbed but thousands of islets were left behind. They isolated them and produced isletin which became known as, insulin. The men managed to test it on dogs with diabetes. They discovered the insulin actually manage to keep the dog alive, because it helped regulate the dog’s blood sugar levels. In 1922, the insulin was tested on a 14 year old, Leonard Thompson, who lay dying at the hospital of diabetes. After his first injection, he suffered an allergic reaction. Therefore, the scientists worked hard to improve the insulin. Fortunately, after the second injection on Leonardo Thomson, the results were wonderful. Banting and his team soon when distributed the insulin to children lying in comas and dying throughout the hospital. Children soon began awaking from comas and it became known as one of medicines most dramatic moments. Banting and Best’s work was privately published but soon after a company offered to produce large quantities of the insulin. In 1923, Banting was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
The inventions and discoveries I have described in this blog are only a tiny portion of the various technologies that have contributed to our understanding of the human body and its internal systems. The importance of these technologies is immense and without them we would be nowhere close to where we are today. Without the discovery of anesthesia, where would we be in terms of surgery today? Would be able to perform complicated surgeries such as a quadruple bypass or a heart transplant? If it wasn’t for the discovery of insulin, would people be able to survive with diabetes? The answer to all these questions is no. The various technologies developed over centuries and centuries is reason why we are able to do all these complicated surgeries and survive things that were once epidemics. Also, technologies are still developing. Everyday scientists and researchers get closer to finding cures for incurable diseases and it is all thanks to the advancements in medical technologies.
http://www.imaginis.com/ct-scan/history.asp
http://inventors.about.com/od/xyzstartinventions/a/x-ray.htm
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5456183_invention-stethoscope.html
Nice blog. I got an X-Ray done on my hand when I broke my finger a while back and it looked so interesting when it was printed being able to see all the bones and how they're all connected and all that. X-Rays are definitely very important in helping to see the skeleton. They play a significant role in the medical world. It would be hard if we didn't have x-rays available to us.
ReplyDeleteCTs are also super important. I know they can find tumors and stuff which is so important. Without them, how could doctors remove the growths? They perform CTs on my favourite doctor show, Grey's Anatomy all the time. It's great how the machine can look into any part of the body because of the way it's designed.
I found your blog easy to relate to and pretty interesting. Good job :)
Hey Sylvia! Wonderful blog buddy!
ReplyDeleteFirstly, I would like to say that your blog is quite organized and it helps me run through your topics much easier! X-ray's are quite interesting especially thinking at the back of your head "How did they get a picture of my bones?" X-ray's today are so important and we see how technology has really factored into humanity. Stethoscopes are quite interesting as well and can really help doctors find out about a patient's issue based on the heart and lungs because doctors now have the ability to listen to those organs!
Great Blog Sylvia! :)
Hey !
ReplyDeleteI thought you did a great job writing your blog it was very organized so it was much easier for me to understand. I agree with you totally, all those new technologies are definitely important these days without them im sure most of us would be dead.
CTs and X-rays are very important I know for me without an X-Ray machine i probably would still be walking on a broken ankle. I also think stethoscopes are important as well without them doctors would not know what is going on inside us.
Over all i thought you wrote an fantastic blog :) great job!