The Road to Technology

Medical technology is moving forward at a pace that most of us can't keep up with. Medical technology never reaches an endpoint, it's always in search for better ways of diagnosing and treating diseases. But along with the potential for solving complex medical issues come controversy problems over costs, benefits and medical ethics. Nevertheless medical technology has come a long way to help improve and prolong the life of humans. It has come to play an important role in our lives. Canadians have played a key role in the birth of some key medical
inventions.

• Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas, which regulates the metabolism of glucose and other nutrients. In 1922 Frederick Banting and a team of doctors, including Charles Best, professor J.J.R. Macleod and Doctor James Collip, used insulin injections against diabetes. In 1920 Frederick and Charles were able to make a pancreatic extract which had anti diabetic characteristics. They were successful when the tested their extract on diabetic dogs. The first test was done on Leonard Thompson in early 1922. It was approved by teh FDA in 1930. This process soon became popular giving many new hopes. Today, insluin used for treatment is derived from beef and pork pancreas, as well as through human technology.
  
• Do you guys remember in Grade 10 when we had to take that CPR course and we practised on those dummies. Well those dummies were created by Dianne Croteau and partners in 1989. These CPR (Cardiac Pulmonary Resuscitation) mannequins are used to teach people how to save people suffereing from cardiac arrest. There are now all sorts of different kinds of CPR mannequins. Check this website out.. it outlines a few, http://www.amereicancpr.com/Manikin.html


In 1950, Dr. John A. Hopps invented the early heart pacemaker. A pacemaker is a small device that is placed inside the body to help control abnormal heart rythms using electrical pulses that prompt the heart to beat at a normal rate. John was training as an ectrical engineer at the University of Manitoba. While experimenting with radio frequency heating to restore body temperature, he made an unexpected discovery: if a heart stops beating due to cooling, it could be started again by using artificial stimulation using mechanical or electric means. This lead him to create the pacemaker, which however was to large in size to be placed inside the human body. The following short video outlines the basic procedure in placing a pacmaker. http://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=rpwryb5o8s4

• Prosthetic hands have always been around, however throughout the years, so has prosthetic hands. If you've ever watched Peter Pan, Captain Hook, has one himself. In 1971 Hemlut Lucas invented the electric prosthetic hand. New prosthetic hands now, are able to move each finger, with greater grip. This following article talks a little a bit about this new technology. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422112942.htm

Some other great inventions to the medical field include:

- Stethoscope- an instument used to convey sounds in the chest or other parts of the body to the ear of the examiner.

-Ultrasound- the application of ultrasonic waves to therapy or diagnostic, as in deep-heat treatment of a joint, or imaging of iternal structures. It is a painless procedure that cannot penetrate bone. This can be used to emulsify tumors near the brain or along the spinal cord and also to crush kidney stones. It is also popularly used in to monitor pregnanices.

-Sonogran- used to detect gallstones, for example, which don't show up on x-rays. It can also be used to detect plaque build up in the carotid, or to examine the prostate gland.

-CAT scan- used to produce cross-sectional images rather than two-dimensional images. It is accomplished by rotating the X-ray source around the patient. Variations in the absorption of radiation by the tissues are fed to a computer, which manipulates the data to produce cross sectional images.

-PET(Positron Emmission Tomography)- a scanner developed in the 1970s to record human metabolism at work. A patient inhales or is injected with a substance, such as glucose, that is tagged with positron-emitting isotopes. The glucose travels to the parts of the body that are using energy, and that are using more glucose. PET scans enable physicians to see where and how cells are using glucose.

The above are a very very small glimpse at some medical technologies that have helped improve the lives of many. Canadians have played a great and important role in contributing to the medical field. Due to all of the new technology it has allowed us to find cures, and better treat diseases. Though they due arrise medical ethics, cost and benefit issues, we so heavily rely on these new technolgies to help better our lives. The medical world of technology will only grow to explore more ways to help better human lives.

Sources used:

http://inventors.about.com/od/cstartinventions/a/Canadian.htm

http://www.medicinenetcom/pacemaker/article.htm

http://www.medicinenet.com/insulin/article.htm