the Pros and Cons of Nuclear Medicine

530 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Radiation and its health effects

According to Helibron and Seidel (2011) nuclear medicine began as a simple experiment in the early twentieth century by George de Hevesy. De Hevesy started the experiment by deciding to test the effects of radiation on living things, beginning with bean plants, then onto furred animals, and then continued onto finding the effects of radiation on the human body, when he did this he became the first person to ever use radiation on a human being. He along with his partner E. Hofer, in 1931, consumed Deuterium which they had diluted with tea and found that traces of radioactivity stayed within their bodies for between eight to eighteen days. This was the first known use of radiation on humans (p. 1). This was just the beginning though, as time moved on the use of nuclear energy advanced and as it advanced it began to bleed into more subjects than those that it had been used in before, such as, nuclear medicine. Although it has its drawbacks, such as nuclear waste, there are many different benefits to nuclear medicine. Examples of such would be advances in therapy and treatment of disease...

Show More
Related

  • The Usefulness of the Atomic Bomb in World War II

    720 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...d them to end the war with Japan. But not only did they create bombs, but they also found a new way to power the spreading cities of America. Also, even though many knew the power of a nuclear bomb, they couldn’t have predicted the lasting effects on the land and the people. So within this scientific experiment we have learned that nuclear radiation can cause genetic mutations, the formation of cataracts, leukemia, and a shortened life (Document I).

    Read More

  • Impact of the Manhattan Project

    505 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nuclear energy is used today for energy supply and about 15% of the world’s energy comes from nuclear power plants some forms of medicine such as nuclear medicine rely solely on nuclear technology. This technology was developed through the process of creating the first atomic bomb and would not exist if not for the advancements made during the Manhattan project.

    Read More

  • Cancer Essay

    2277 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...b done but can bring more side effects to the patient. Radiation is a connection to physics, which was a very important important discovery in science because it has cured many patients who have been affected by cancer when before they were left to die. Radiation therapy, like any other way exposed to radiation, can be a risk. The importance of undergoing this treatment is to see the positive side of it, not just think of the bad things that can come out of the radiation therapy. There is a risk of second cancers but isn’t it worth it? This treatment gives patients the chance to live a longer and normal life, this wasn’t an option before, so it’s important to be thankful for being born in this time period. Radiation might not be seen as a good thing in many occasions but it is now used for the good of the people affected by cancer, it’s a second chance for life.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Subs

    1183 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nuclear submarines are fueled with nuclear energy as well as carrying nuclear torpedos on board. They are more cost efficient as well, compared to air independent propulsion (AIP) submarine in the long run. As stated by the Military and General Security, nuclear submarines cost $2 billion to maintain for life. AIP subs have a total endurance of forty-five to ninety days compared to the ninety to a hundred days by a nuclear weapon sub. The nuclear weapon sub could endure longer limited by the factor of food storage for the crew. The crew is not harmed by the nuclear factors on the nuclear subs.

    Read More

  • Nuclear Medicine

    2371 Words  | 5 Pages

    Nuclear Medicine is the use of radioisotopes for diagnosis, treatment, and research. Radioactive chemical tracers emit gamma rays which provides diagnostic information about a person's anatomy and the functioning of specific organs. Radioisotopes are also utilizes in treatments of diseases such as cancer. It is estimated that approximately one in two people in Western countries are likely to experience the benefits of nuclear medicine in their lifetime.

    Read More

  • Is Nuclear Energy Worth the Risk?

    1498 Words  | 3 Pages

    The capability for nuclear energy has always existed. However, not until December 2, 1942, at the University of Chicago, did nuclear energy surface. Enrico Fermi made that discovery by making a chain reaction in a pile of uranium. How a nuclear reaction works is that a neutron is “shot” through a gram of uranium, which creates fission. This causes a chain reaction, thus creating a nuclear reaction or nuclear energy. This was the first man-made nuclear reaction.

    Read More

  • Radioisotopes and their Medical Uses

    892 Words  | 2 Pages

    It was 1939 was when the use of radioisotope in medical clinics began. This radioisotope was Iodine-131 and it was used in thyroid investigations. Iodine-131 was also later used for treating hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancer. After the success of using this radioisotope, other radioactive isotopes became accessible (Keevil).

    Read More

  • How Has Nuclear Medicine Has Changed Society?

    560 Words  | 2 Pages

    How has nuclear medicine innovated science and society itself? Within the last century, science faced several discoveries that changed society and the scientific enterprise. However, the definitive scientific discovery of the twentieth century was the sustainable nuclear chain reaction by Enrico Fermi, which led to a revolution in nuclear physics. However, the foundations for the study of nuclear medicine formed at the end of the nineteenth century with the discovery of X-Rays. As research progressed in nuclear science with the use of radioisotopes to treat tumors, a transformation in society took place. Following the Second World War, the world suddenly was plunged into the Atomic Age. Understanding the potential that radiation and nuclear physics had in the medical field, society’s acceptance of the Atomic Age influenced the study of nuclear medicine. The influence of social factors on the study of nuclear medicine led to a transformation in the scientific enterprise. Influencing the study of medicine, several social aspects such as ethics,

    Read More

  • Informative Essay On Radiotherapy

    1018 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are many uses for radioactive substances. In the medical world, there are a number of health care processes that make use of the properties of the nucleus. This is also known as Nuclear medicine ("Nuclear Medicine"). In this essay, we will be looking at a particular nuclear medical treatment; we will be looking at radiotherapy.

    Read More

  • Nuclear Medicine Research Paper

    1397 Words  | 3 Pages

    Some researchers and experts suggest it came into view during the 1930s when radioactivity was discovered. We see the new idea of nuclear chemistry become noted when an article about it was written by Sam Seidlin. In the article, we saw he expressed much delight when a patient who was treated with radioactive substances (who had cancer) faced much success. This went on to bring much attention to the idea of nuclear medicine. Nuclear medicine would then start to be used starting with nuclear iodine which was used for thyroid function, thyroid cancer, gland imaging, etc. By the time the 1950s came nuclear medicine became very prominent. Doctors made much time in researching and educating themselves on radioactivity and biochemicals. After this, the first medical scanner was created by Benedict Cassen. A camera would also be paired with the scanner which was created by Hal Anger. These two inventions would turn nuclear medicine into a real medical

    Read More

  • Nuclear Phenomena Essay

    1303 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nuclear phenomena has made an outstanding influence on our lives, but the usage of nuclear physics to treat what had been deemed untreatable before is just one of the many examples of modern physics being used to improve the daily lives of people everywhere. As the use of nuclear phenomena in treatments becomes more and more sophisticated through the combined efforts of biomedical engineers and physicists, other usage and new treatments ideas crop up, helping improve medical treatments and eventually, being effective enough to completely cure people from malignant tumors, cancerous tumors, lesions, and other afflictions. Although the usage of nuclear radiation in medicine has many positive facets the controversy that inevitably follows with any use of nuclear phenomena has been a major setback for nuclear medicine.

    Read More

  • Positive Effects of Nuclear Power

    938 Words  | 2 Pages

    The use of nuclear power in the mid-1980s was not a popular idea on account of all the fears that it had presented. The public seemed to have rejected it because of the fear of radiation. The Chernobyl accident in the Soviet Union in April of 1986 reinforced the fears, and gave them an international dimension (Cohen 1). Nevertheless, the public has to come to terms that one of the major requirements for sustaining human progress is an adequate source of energy. The current largest sources of energy are the combustion of coal, oil, and natural gas. Fear of radiation may push nuclear power under the carpet but another fear of the unknown is how costly is this going to be? If we as the public have to overcome the fear of radiation and costly project, we first have to understand the details of nuclear energy. The known is a lot less scary then the unknown. If we could put away all the presumptions we have about this new energy source, then maybe we can understand that this would be a good decision for use in the near future.

    Read More

  • The Impact of Nuclear Power

    1546 Words  | 4 Pages

    The impact of nuclear power on the modern world has improved Various sectors of the economy and society .i.e. Food and Agriculture, Insect control, Food Preservation, Water Resources, Military, Medicine, Research and Industry. “In 1911 George de Hevesy conducted the first application of a radioisotope. At the time de Hevesy was a young Hungarian student working in Manchester with naturally radioactive materials. Not having much money he lived in modest accommodation and took his meals with his landlady. He began to suspect that some of the meals that appeared regularly might be made from leftovers from the preceding days or even weeks, but he could never be sure. To try and confirm his suspicions de Hevesy put a small amount of radioactive material into the remains of a meal. Several days later when the same dish was served again he used a simple radiation detection instrument - a gold leaf electroscope - to check if the food was radioactive. It was, and de Hevesy's suspicions were confirmed.

    Read More

  • Essay On Radioactivity

    1075 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the greatest events of twentieth century was the use of radioisotope as a source of energy and as medical and industrial tools. Using radioactivity has been a global issue owing to its very nature. When it is used for peaceful purposes, it is a triumph of science because it can solve energy problems in the form of nuclear energy but the side effects in the form of harmful radiation and harmful radioactive waste is the real limitations of science. This essay will attempt to analyze the application of science in the use of radioactivity and radioactive isotopes and how science is not so effective in dealing with the side effects.

    Read More

  • Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy

    1323 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nuclear energy is generated by a process called fission. Fission occurs within the reactor of a nuclear power plant when a neutron is fired at an atom of uranium causing it to split and release subsequent neutrons.1 These are able to crash into other uranium atoms causing a chain reaction and releasing a great deal of heat energy.

    Read More

More about the Pros and Cons of Nuclear Medicine

Open Document