The history of medical technology has gone a long way since performing rituals in the hopes of a cure. From the invention of the needle to theories of certain viruses, over the years we have continueously been developing new ideas about human health and new technologies to help the human race survive. Since there are so many different technological decives and machines that have helped us along the way, it is pretty difficult to pick just a few. However I did, so in this entry I'll be talking about two very common developments that we use today. The stethoscope and insulin.
A common device that doctors use for a regular examination is the stethoscope. The word 'stethescope' comes from the Greek words that mean chest (stetho) and 'to view' (scope). Before the stethoscope, the doctors from the early 19th century checked the chest by placing their ear on the chest and listening for irregular heartbeats and congestion of the lungs, that was called "'immediate auscultation". But French doctor Rene Theophile Hyacinthe Laennec found that examination to be very uncomfortable, particularly when exminaing women. In 1816 Laennec created the very first stethoscope by using serveral sheets of paper to a cylinder. With the help of the first draft of the stethoscope, Laennec discovered that the cylinder can isolate the internal sounds and amplify the other side of the cylinder. With the creation of the stethescope, doctors and nurses are able to check the patient's chest cavity and blood flow without coming very close to their patients, which also decreases the chances of contacting diseases from the patients.
Another contribution to the field of medicine is the discovery of insulin. Discovered by Canadian doctors Frederick Banting and Charles Best, insulin helps the patient regulated the pancreas' production of insulin hormone. The treatment was discovered in the summer of 1921, after testing the newly discovered insulin on diabetic dogs. Following the treatment came more productions and purifications, it was first tested in 1922 on a diabetic, Leonard Thompson. The resullts were a success and insulin was quickly distributed world-wide.
Without insulin, the pancreas would become useless and the glucose would build up in the bloodstream, causing blindness, heart disease, kidney problems and many more. The disease, diabetes was a death sentence to anyone diagnosed with it, now, thanks to the help of insulin, diabetics can live with diabetes. Even though insulin has been a regular treatment for diabetics, it is not a cure for diabetes. The mission of finding a cure for diabetes still continues.
Insulin and the stethoscope are common medical instruments that we take for granted. They were huge steps for the world of medicine that we know today, all thanks to these innovative doctors. I believe that we can look forward to more inventions, discoveries and cures that will greatly benefit the medical world that will benefit everyone.
Sources:
http://www.discoveryofinsulin.com/Best.htm
http://www.discoveryofinsulin.com/Banting.htm
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0005203
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-stethoscope.htm
http://torontoist.com/attachments/toronto_kevinp/2008_11_08BantingAndBest640.jpg
http://individual.utoronto.ca/twix/anatomy/images/laennec1816.jpg
http://individual.utoronto.ca/twix/anatomy/twentieth.htm
