Nowadays, the healthcare industry is more significant than ever. With millions of doctors and nurses saving lives every day, it is one of the most critical parts of our society. However, its beginnings were not too spectacular. Only later improvements made it so great as it is now.
Thanks to many technological advances, like Visby Medical PCR tests, we can live longer and healthier lives. Although we may not notice them during our everyday affairs, they profoundly affect our world. In fact, they are the main reason why the coronavirus pandemic hasn’t destroyed our world.
That is why we decided to take a deep dive into the healthcare industry and list the most prominent advances that changed it forever. Here are some of the most impactful ideas everyone should know about:
1. Penicillin
The first antibiotic to be discovered, penicillin, has changed the world irrevocably. Discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928, its discovery was truly accidental. One day, while the scientist was going through his Petri dishes, he noticed that one of them had grown mold. He took no further action until he saw that it inhibited the growth of bacteria.
After finding out about its properties and conducting more research, he named it penicillin and published his findings. The discovery was so important that it won him the Nobel Prize in 1945.
Fifty years later, doctors were able to synthesize the drug, and more than 100 antibiotics were created from it. It is estimated that this innovation increased our life expectancy by ten years!
2. DNA Fingerprinting
Although it seems like a relatively new technique, it was invented almost 40 years ago. In 1985, Alec Jeffreys, a professor at Leicester University, found a way to identify people through their DNA.
By identifying the slight differences between individuals, scientists could create a unique fingerprint for each person. In other words, they could prove someone’s identity and tell whether two samples belong to the same person or not.
It is hard to imagine how much easier criminal cases would be if every suspect had their own “DNA fingerprint” ready! The technique became so popular that it is now used in all kinds of forensic research. It also changed our understanding of genetics and proved that DNA is much more than just a blueprint for our bodies.
3. MRI Scanning Technology
The MRI scanning technology is one of the most significant advances in healthcare. Invented by Paul C. Lauterbur in 1973, it allowed doctors to see inside the human body without performing invasive procedures. It saved countless lives and made diagnosis significantly easier. It also revolutionized medical imaging and helped doctors find problems earlier than ever before.
4. Cardiac Pacemakers
Indeed, you may think that pacemakers are old technology that everyone knows about. However, these devices were only introduced in the 1950s when John Hopps created the first one. Its purpose was to stimulate the heart when its normal activity was disrupted. Since then, they have become ubiquitous and have saved thousands of lives around the world.
5. Telemedicine Technology
Similar to many other innovations, telemedicine technology was created because of budget cuts in hospitals across America. As most of you know, telemedicine allows doctors to diagnose patients remotely without being physically present in the hospital where they work. Because of this innovation, physicians can save money and provide better care to their patients. In addition, it allows doctors to work remotely, which makes their jobs significantly more flexible than before. Overall, this innovation has improved many people’s lives and will continue to do so in the future as more people use it in their everyday affairs and healthcare systems improve their infrastructures.
6. CT Scans
The computerized tomography (CT) scan was invented in 1972 by Godfrey Newbold Hounsfield, who received a Nobel Prize for his contribution to medical imaging technologies. Ironically, CT scans were never even intended to be used on humans. Instead, they were used as diagnostic procedures for dead animals as Hounsfield wanted to study what happens when they have cancer or any other ailment that affects their bones and soft tissues. Nevertheless, today’s CT scans are one of the most important inventions in medicine and have completely revolutionized how doctors treat illnesses and how they diagnose them.
7. Microscope
Although this invention does not directly improve people’s lives, it has helped scientists understand how the human body works and how it can be improved.
Although they have been around for a few centuries, the more advanced model we know today was created by Zacharias Janssen in 1590. It has significantly changed our understanding of biology and medicine ever since. Without this invention, we would not have any antibiotics to fight infections or vaccines to prevent them. Overall, it is one of the most important inventions in history and has truly revolutionized our understanding of the natural world.
The Bottom Line
And that’s about it – the most important seven inventions that changed medicine, allowing it to develop into the industry it is today. Without them, our world would have been an entirely different place. Much more challenging to live in.
Of course, these are not the only advancements the healthcare industry has seen. In fact, making a list that would include all inventions would be impossible. Still, we believe that the ones mentioned above played the most significant role in revolutionizing medicine.
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