History of Medical Technology – Global, U.S., and Philippine Context

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards summarizing key people, concepts, devices, institutions, and milestones in the global, U.S., and Philippine history of Medical Technology.

Hippocrates

Greek physician (300 BC–180 AD) known as the Father of Medicine; introduced the Hippocratic Oath and four-humor theory.

Four Humors

Ancient concept that blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile determine health and temperament.

Galen

Greek physician who expanded the four-humor theory and called diabetes the “diarrhea of urine.”

Uroscopy (Water Casting)

Medieval practice of diagnosing disease by visually inspecting a patient’s urine in flasks.

Vivian Herrick

Credited the start of Medical Technology to 1500 BC with parasite descriptions in the Ebers Papyrus.

Ebers Papyrus

Ancient Egyptian medical text describing diseases such as hookworm infection in three stages.

Ruth Williams

Historian who placed the origin of Medical Technology in the Medieval Period through urine testing.

Anne Fagelson

Medical Technology historian who cited Alessandra Giliani’s 14th-century laboratory work and fatal infection.

Alessandra Giliani

Prominent Italian laboratory worker (14th c.) who died from a laboratory-acquired infection.

Anton van Leeuwenhoek

Inventor of the first compound microscope; first to describe RBCs, protozoa, and bacterial shapes (1632-1723).

Marcello Malpighi

Early microscopist; founder of pathology; studied chick embryo development and tissue anatomy (1628-1694).

Rudolf Virchow

Father of Modern Pathology; coined ‘Omnis cellula e cellula’ (all cells come from cells) and founded Berlin pathology archives.

Hermann von Fehling

Performed the first quantitative test for urine sugar (Fehling’s test) in 1848.

Spirometer

Lung-capacity measuring device invented by John Hutchinson in the 19th century.

Sphygmomanometer

Instrument for measuring blood pressure, developed by Jules Hérissonson in the 19th century.

Electrocardiograph (ECG)

Heart electrical-activity recorder invented by Willem Einthoven in 1903.

Drinker Respirator (Iron Lung)

Negative-pressure ventilator for polio patients developed by Philip Drinker in 1927.

Kenny Method

Polio treatment using hot packs and massage devised by Elizabeth Kenny in 1927.

Cardiac Catheterization

Technique of inserting a tube into the heart, first performed by Werner Forssmann in 1929.

Heart–Lung Machine

Device enabling open-heart surgery by temporarily taking over cardiac and pulmonary function.

Dr. Silas Douglas

Founded the first chemical laboratory at the University of Michigan (1844) and pioneered lab instruction.

Dr. William Welch

Established a pathology lab at Bellevue (1878); first pathology professor at Johns Hopkins (1885).

Dr. William Osler

Opened the first clinical laboratory at Johns Hopkins (1896) performing routine blood and urine tests.

Dr. John Kolmer

Advocated national certification of medical technologists in 1918; influenced Pennsylvania lab legislation.

ASCP (American Society of Clinical Pathologists)

Founded in 1922 to promote doctor-pathologist collaboration and set ethics for lab technicians.

ASCLS (formerly ASMT)

Professional body that advanced medical laboratory scientists’ recognition as independent professionals.

Dr. James C. Todd

Author of ‘A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis’ (1908), later ‘Clinical Diagnosis by Laboratory Methods.’

William Pepper Laboratory

Clinical laboratory established at the University of Pennsylvania in 1895, marking U.S. lab beginnings.

Dr. Antonio Luna

Filipino scientist who worked at Laboratorio Municipal de Manila (1887) on water testing and forensics.

Bureau of Government Laboratories

Philippine lab institution created in 1901 (later Bureau of Science) for research and diagnostics.

Quiricada Street Laboratory

First Philippine clinical laboratory (Sta. Cruz, Manila) set up by the U.S. Army during WWII.

Dr. Alfredo Pio de Roda

Reorganized the Manila Public Health Laboratory in 1945 and started lab training programs.

Dr. Mariano Icasiano

Manila City Health Officer who assisted in reviving the Manila Public Health Laboratory post-WWII.

Prudencia Sta. Ana

Helped develop a six-month lab training syllabus (1947) and formal training with certificates (1954).

Mrs. Willa Hedrick

Founded the first formal BS Medical Technology program at Manila Sanitarium & Hospital (1954).

Jesse Umali

First graduate of BS Medical Technology in the Philippines (Philippine Union College, 1954).

ASCP Ethics Code

Rules stating technicians must work under physician supervision and refrain from diagnosis/treatment advice.

Omnis cellula e cellula

Rudolf Virchow’s principle meaning ‘every cell originates from another existing cell.’

Medieval Urine Flask

Decorative container used in Europe for uroscopy; refusal to examine could lead to punishment.

Ebers Hookworm Stages

Skin penetration, larval migration, and intestinal maturation described in the Ebers Papyrus.

Medical Technology

Field combining laboratory science and technology to diagnose, monitor, and treat disease.

Clinical Laboratory

Facility equipped for examining patient specimens like blood, urine, and tissues for diagnosis.

Pathology

Medical specialty focused on studying disease causes and effects, often via laboratory analysis.

Laboratory Technician

Early term for personnel performing lab tests under physician supervision; precursor to ‘medical technologist.’

Medical Technologist

Allied health professional trained to perform and interpret clinical laboratory tests.

CDC Laboratory Regulation

Mid-20th-century U.S. oversight ensuring technical lab quality for diagnostics.

Information Technology Integration

20th-century shift to computerized data management in patient care and laboratory operations.

Specialization Shift

19th-century move from general practice to organ-system specialists utilizing advanced equipment.

Central Board of Vaccination (1806)

Spanish-era Philippine initiative employing 122 vaccinators by 1898.

UST Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy

Opened in 1871, making the University of Santo Tomas a pioneer in Philippine medical education.

UP College of Public Health

Established in 1927; offered Certificate in Public Health including laboratory training.