Biomedical Engineering Essay

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0. Historical Background Of Biomedical Engineering

The application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology is can be refer to as biomedical engineering also known as bioengineering. This combines the design and analysis of problem solving skills of engineering with medical and biological sciences with the aim of improving the quality and effectiveness of patient healthcare diagnosis, monitoring and therapy. Bioengineering applies engineering principles to the study of medical and biological problems. The goal of biomedical engineering is to use electrical, chemical and mechanical engineering principles to conduct studies and develop tools that can aid in the biomedical care of patients.

It integrates physical, chemical or mathematical sciences and engineering principles for the study of biology, medicine, behavior or health. It advances fundamental concepts, creates knowledge from the molecular to the organ systems levels and develops innovative biologics, materials, implants, devices and informatics approaches for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, for patient rehabilitation and for improving health. Prominent biomedical engineering application include biocompatible prostheses, various diagnostic and therapeutic medical devices ranging from clinical equipment to micro-implants, common imaging equipment such as MRIs and EEGs, biotechnologies such as regenerative tissue growth, pharmaceutical drugs and biopharmaceuticals.

Biomedical engineering can trace its history to as far back as a hundred years ago when the first X-ray machines and electrocardiographs dramatically illustrated how technology could be used for the diagnosis of disease. Today the field of biomedical engineering is in full power, propelled by the momentum of the post-World war II technology boom and the latest molecular, genetic, and computational developments. Having gone beyond its roots in imaging and instrumentation, biomedical engineering now encompasses at least 13 specialties according to the 2000 edition of The Biomedical Engineering

In 1891, J. Stoney suggested the name electron to the smallest particle of electricity.

The word electron was derived from the Greek word meaning ‘’amber’’. We can regard the electron as atom or particle of electricity and therefore electronic is defined as the study, control and application of flow of electrons in a vacuum.

Electronics can be divided into two branches: analogue and digital. Analogue electrics has developed through the ages of valves in the early 1900s, through transistors to integrated circuits in the 1960s. Analogue electronics deal with the processing of continuously varying signals. In analogue electronics, the amplitude of electrical signal, at any time is proportional to the magnitude of the information being processed. Digital signal consist of a pattern of pulses, usually of the same amplitude. Digital circuits make use of distinct voltage levels, a high level and a low level, to convey information and to control functions within the