Dummies Guide to Modern Medical Technology

What is medical technology?

Medical technology refers to the machines that can be used to help identify an illness or treat it. This includes scanners that can look inside the body, X-Ray machines, Camera technology and equipment used to test samples.

What medical technologies have been developed in the Twentieth Century?

Just before the start of the Twentieth Century William Rontgen discovered how to make use of X-Rays. The use of X-Rays developed in the first part of the Twentieth Century and has improved the way that doctors identify broken bones etc.

One of the first X-Rays taken

In 1943 the first Dialysis machine was used. This was invented by Willem Kolff and replaces the functions of Kidneys which means that people with certain kinds of Kidney Failure can receive daily treatment for their condition.

In 1957 the EEG was introduced. This measures brain activity and is used to identify whether people have conditions such as Epilepsy.

1965 saw the first portable defibrilator. This allows ambulance crews to use the device to help reestablish a normal heartbeat.

Defibrilator

In the same year the first commercial ultrasound device was made available. This is another form of medical imaging which allows doctors to see the inside of the body. It is particularly useful when assessing how well a pregnacy is progressing, or for looking at the way in which specific parts of the body are functioning.

One of the best improvements to medical technology in recent years was the introduction of the CT Scanner in 1971. Invented by Godfrey hounsfield this machine scans the whole body and produces a 3D image of the inside of the body. This can be used to determine where disease is located and to see if it is spreading. In 1980 another improvement to medical imaging was made when the MRI scanner was introdced. This uses magnets to scan and can distinguish between healthy and unhealthy tissues, making it easier to spot things like Cancerous cells.

CT Scanner

What has been the impact of these machines?

Each of these machines makes diagnosis much easier and enables treatments to be accurate and undertaken at an early stage in an illness. This means that recovery is more likely and the quality of life of patients improves.

For a list of other new medical technologies, have a look at this timeline on Wikipedia.

Tags: Century, CT Scan, Medical, MRI, Technology, Twentieth, X-Ray