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Modern technology in medicine
Advantages and disadvantages of medical technology
Use of technology in the medical field
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Advances in Medical Technology
Since the 1800s medical technology as made remarkable advances. The most basic instrument for a surgeon, which was a field in which Dr. Frankenstein was a pioneer, is the scalpel. There have been no drastic changes in the scalpel since it was first constructed. What has occurred are the refinements to the instrument. When Dr. Frankenstein wielded the instrument it was a simple steel blade with an ivory handle. Although the instrument was adequate it was not completely sterile because of the ivory handle. The fact that it was also kept in a velvet lined case did also prevented the scalpel from being 100% sterile.
The scalpel of today is not only completely made from stainless steel, but there are now scalpels that are disposable. How the disposable scalpel works is" a one piece handle molding including a unique integral one-way hinge" (The Granton Knife Company). This one time use blade decreases the risk of cross infection. Even though scalpels are always disinfected after each use this is just an added precaution to prevent infection.
The main reason that no drastic design changes have occurred to the basic steel blade scalpel is because " the physiology of the human hand and body have not changed since ancient times, surgical tools manifest a remarkable constancy". (The Science of Incision, Barry M. Katz)
Steel blades are not the only form that a scalpel takes. Scalpels are now in the form of lasers. The use of lasers began with a laser knife. The CO2 laser was used to remove cancerous tissue. Later the Nd:Yag laser was used.
Lasers knifes are not the only addition to new medical technology. The introduction of the computer-tomography (CT) scanner and the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have greatly helped doctors to make a better diagnosis. When video imaging became available in the 1970s doctors discovered that by " inserting a fiber-optic endoscope through a cannula they could explore otherwise quite unimaginable places without invasive surgery". This technique led to the laparoscopic surgery "where the surgeon manipulates elongated tools through a cannula" (Katz), but instead of watching the patient the surgeon watches a video monitor. This type of surgery has forced the doctors to develop eye-hand coordination that is counterintuitive to the style in which these doctors were originally trained.
The original question that was posed to me was how I felt about technology.
The setting for Mary Shelly's Frankenstein plays a very important role on both the significance and realism of the story. By the end of the 18th century, smallpox and cholera epidemics throughout Europe had claimed millions of lives and brought about a crisis of faith within both the Catholic and Protestant churches. The formerly profane practices of medicinal healing were only beginning to gain acceptance in major universities as hundreds of cities were put under quarantine for their diseases and high mortality rates. Interdisciplinary learning within the scientific community was unheard of. Had Victor Frankenstein been alive during this period, his practices would have been considered blasphemous. Much more so than Edward Jenner's research on smallpox during the same time, which would eventually save millions of lives in 1796. Frankenstein's intentions were good, but even during this modern age of genetic engineering and cloning, the story of his creation remains entirely evil. Contemporary thought has allowed for tremendous growth in genetic engineering in recent years; the evolution of science from the analytical engine to the modern PC has occurred thousands of times faster than the evolution of our own species, from ape to human.
White, Robert E. 2013. "After Chávez, a Chance to Rethink Relations With Cuba". The New
In the long and turbulent history between Cuba and the United States, it can well be argued that Cuba did not turn out quite like its other Latin American peers. Things seemed to be on the right track in the early 1900’s, when it appeared that Cuba was destined for a future of “independence”, like its neighbour Puerto Rico and it was yet another South American nation rife with the now atypical blend of affluent American investors and poor workers usually native to the land herself. However, following a coup d’état that saw the fall of the American-backed Fulgencio Batista in favour of his social antithesis in communist Fidel Castro, the situation rapidly turned sour. The American government, finding themselves backed into a corner and unable to mold Cuba in its golden image, decided that it would be pertinent to sever all trade with Cuba.
Ender, Eric. “Cuban Baseball: The Road to the Majors,” www.espn.com. 2 Feb. 2000. Accessed site: 30 May 2003.
Smith, Wayne S. Portrait of Cuba. First ed. Atlanta Ga: Turner Publishing Inc, 1991. N. pag. Print.
According to Dictionary.com, imperialism is "when one nation exerts political, economic, social or military control or influence over another nation or people." During the 19th century, everyone was in search of a better life. They all wanted more money therefore, more power. In order to do so, various people had to travel great lengths to unclaimed lands to set up colonies for the sole purpose of making profits off of the resources at hand. In Heart of Darkness, Kurtz went to the Congo for "The Company" in pursuit of ivory tusks that he can sell to the bourgeoisie all over the world. He set up a trading post and became the most prevalent businessman in the area. Kurtz soon ventured away from his European customs and had to resort to his inner "darkness" and abandon all "civilized" forms of being. Even though the men who worked for the Company described what they do as "trade," and that their treatment of natives is a part of civilization, the company did not approve of Kurtz's blatant abuse of power and complete disregard for his actions as the new "god" of that area. Kurtz is open about the fact that he does not trade, he takes the ivory by force, and he describes his own treatment of the natives with the words "suppression" and "extermination." This view of the Company shows how imperialistic the Europeans are at that time. They want the new land to be civilized and claimed under the British flag, but they want it done their way to maintain the order that they have worked so hard to establish.
Since a boy, Frankenstein’s passion is to explore science and that which cannot be seen or understood in the field. He spent the later part of his childhood reading the works of commonly outdated scientists whose lofty goals included fantastic, imaginative desires to “penetrate the secrets of nature” (Vol. 1, Ch. 2). While he was told that these authors predated more real and practical scientists, he became intrigued by their ambitions, and devoted himself to succeeding where they had failed. When Victor is criticized at college for his previous studies in obsolete research, he takes after one of his professors, M. Waldman, in studying chemistry. In a lecture, Waldman tells of ancient teachers in chemistry who promised miracles and sought after “unlimited powers” (Vol. 1...
The Cuba Reader: History, Culture, Politics (The Latin America Readers) by Aviva Chomsky, Barry Carr and Pamela Maria Smorkaloff (Feb 4, 2004)
Medical advancements have clearly defined Canada as a leader in medicine. The establishment of Medicare, the invention of insulin and the cobalt bomb are all definitive moments in Canada’s history because they all made an ever-lasting impact nationally or internationally.
I chose the Da Vinci Surgical system as my topic because I am interested into going to physical therapy or into the orthopedics field after undergrad. Surgical equipment is highly important due to the hundreds of accidents that happen and also the high percentage of diseases. As these incidents occur it is important to consider the safety of the patient when it comes to cutting into their bodies. With the invention of the Da Vinci Surgical system it helped with vision and different viewpoints of the patient’s body and also improves precision. It is important to have a machine or tool for more than one type of surgery, one to use on patients with different injuries or diseases. Overall, this surgical system helps improve and help further research how precise and how in control a surgeon can be.
Besides the computer revolution, medical advances have caused tension between faith and reason. The medical advances of the Twentieth Century have many beneficial effects for humanity. Diseases that used to be dangerous or life threatening, like mumps, measles, and whooping cough, are no longer worries in todays medical world. Tetanus, typhoid, and the bubonic plaque can now be treated with antibiotics or other medicines. Vaccines, especially the polio vaccine, freed many people from the effects of a disease. Advances in heart surgery and organ transplants have saved many lives. Anesthetics and painkillers have been made to reduce or eliminate pain during surgery or a painful disease. Advances in cancer and AIDS have also been made, although many of the details of these diseases are yet to be learned.
Damrosch, David, et al., ed. The Longman Anthology of British Literature: Vol. B. Compact ed. New York: Longman - Addison Wesley Longman, 2000.
“Wherever the art of Medicine is loved, there is also a love of Humanity,” says Hippocrates. This love is shown through the efforts of those who work and have worked to improve the medical field for so long to better the United States. Throughout the last one-hundred years the health of the nation and the state of our hospitals in the United States has become a big concern. As the people of the United States health decreases the need for an advanced medical field grows. The medical field is already very advanced and has advanced much in the last one-hundred years. The improvement of surgeries, vaccines, treatments, and everyday medicines are the main focus of the medical industry. When looking at the United States one would see that medical improvements have certainly changed the country for the better.
...d decision-making capabilities robots have to offer, they can be used for complicated surgical procedures in the very near future. Precision handling and perfection in surgical tool alignment are vital for surgeries that occur at the micro scale (like neuro surgery).
The advancement of technology has been evolving for over decades. The use of technology in the medical field is very beneficial to the healthcare workers. In the medical field technology is being used in a number of different ways to help improve patient safety. Evolving technology has a direct effect on the medical field. Technology is used in the medical field by barcode scanning, robots, and smart infusion pumps to ensure that nurses, surgeons, and even physicians are making fewer mistakes, and to help them be more accurate when performing a procedure on a patient.