Contribution of physics to diagnosis and treatment

Beginning:

Diseases and sorrows are our constant companions since the beginning of creation. It is not a new thing to worry about people's foreheads in order to stay healthy. Without knowing anything about human anatomy, the application of medical methods started at one time. In the light of knowledge and science, one of the most practical branches of science - medical science - was gradually developed. On the other hand, physics, the main branch of basic science, comes forward to unravel the mysteries of nature. The continuous improvement of medical science is basically the history of medical science and physics growing hand in hand!

The beginning of temperature measurement from the speed of drying of wet clothes on the patient's body was mainly fulfilled by the invention of the thermometer. The process that began with rubbing glass ended with the invention of the powerful microscope. Physics has a great contribution in all this. The use of all such technologies in diagnosis and treatment has made the work of doctors much easier. This book highlights the contribution of physics to the discovery of some of the technologies used in diagnosis and treatment. Besides, in the book the author Pradeep Dev has also given a history-aware discussion of these technological innovations, which will fascinate the reader.

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Nowadays, the human figure with the stethoscope around its neck has become the image of a doctor. However, at one time they had to listen to the heartbeat directly on the patient's chest. Ren Linek built the first stethoscope from a simple wooden stick around a very simple formula of physics. The beginnings of measuring blood pressure by puncturing a horse's artery and calculating blood density, gravity and height are the precursors to the invention of the human blood pressure measuring device today. Its continuous improvement over time has given the digital stethoscope and sphygmomanometer in the hands of doctors today. The discovery of the microscope has made the search for pathogens easier, with the help of which it became possible to see even the germs of the newly struck corona epidemic. In this corona, it is possible to measure the oxygen level of the body by putting a small device on the finger. There is also physics behind it.

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Once upon a time, doctors felt the need to observe the joints inside the body for medical purposes. It was at such a time that X-rays, electrons and radioactivity caught the hands of scientists. Just as x-rays can be used successfully in medicine, so too can imaging of the inside of the body become possible using total internal reflection of light. Radioactivity began to be used in cancer treatment. Technologies such as ECG, MRI, CT scan are considered golden deer for doctors, all of which are based on physics. Ultrasonography plays a role in diagnosing the causes of various diseases including the early signs of birth of the newborn.

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The author has presented very simply the physics behind all such devices used in diagnosis and treatment. Those who find physics to be a mass of theories and formulas can also read the book without fear. Because, without any complex explanation of mathematics, the author has presented the working methods of these machines quite fluently. In addition, the reader will also appreciate the intricate connection between medicine and physics. The history of these two major branches of science growing hand in hand will make the reader interested in learning more about science.

Author Pradeep Dev is currently a lecturer and researcher in the School of Health and Biomedical Sciences at RMIT University, Melbourne. He regularly writes about science in the popular science magazine Vigyanchinta and his own blog on the Internet. Besides, he has authored several popular books including Einstein's Time, Satellite for All, Eleven Physicists of the Subcontinent.

Short book introduction

Book: Physics in Diagnosis and Treatment

Author: Pradeep Dev

Publisher: Pratham Prakashan