History of Medical Technology - Vocabulary Flashcards
Comprehensive Study Notes: History and Inventions in Medical Technology
HISTORY OF MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT
Early medical diagnoses were regarded as a mystery; belief in outcomes from negative interaction between environment and body.
HIPPOCRATES — Father of Medicine; author of the Hippocratic Oath.
Rudimentary and qualitative assessment of disorders:
Rudimentary: physicians used senses (e.g., tasting urine, listening to lungs, observing outward appearances).
Qualitative: measurement of body fluids / the four humors.
Four-humors theory related to seasons: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, black bile.
CLAUDIUS GALENUS (Galen): Greek physician/philosopher.
Described diabetes as the “diarrhea of urine.”
Cardinal Symptoms of Diabetes:
POLYDIPSIA: excessive thirst
POLYURIA: excessive urine output
POLYPHAGIA: excessive hunger
Established relationship between fluid intake and urine volume.
Uroscopy: water-casting; widely practiced in medieval Europe for diagnosis.
CHARACTERISTICS OF URINE (1st book detailing urine)
Color: indicates bodily state and dietary intake.
Density: \rho = \frac{m}{v}; density concept explained by Archimedes’ law of density (buoyancy).
Quality: volume excreted and turbidity; indicates cells or microorganisms in urine.
Odor: now considered a characteristic in modern practice.
Diagnosis concepts:
Symptom: subjective experience of patient.
Sign: physician’s observation.
Clinical practice shifts:
Medical practitioners were prohibited from conducting physical examinations of the body.
Mechanical techniques and cadaver dissections used for objective diagnosis.
Began using machines for diagnosis or therapeutics.
SPIROMETER
Invented by John Hutchinson.
Measures vital capacity of the lungs.
Unit of measurement: \text{L} (liters).
TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGHS IN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY
1816: STETHOSCOPE
1840: MICROSCOPE
1850: OPHTHALMOSCOPE
1855: LARYNGOSCOPE
1859: X-RAY
1903: ELECTROCARDIOGRAPH (ECG)
1910: KENNY METHOD
1927: DRINKER RESPIRATOR
1939: HEART-LUNG MACHINE
1941: CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION AND ANGIOGRAPHY
SPHYGMOMANOMETER (blood pressure):
Indirect method by Jules Herrison; reinvented in 1881 for reconstruction by Samuel Siegfried Karl von Basch.
Measures blood pressure using mmHg as the unit.
Invented by René Laënnec.
FIRST PRACTICAL MICROSCOPE
Devised by ANTOINE VAN LEEUWENHOEK.
VISUAL TECHNIQUE & EYE: Helmholtz
First developed visual technology; targets the retina.
LARYNGOSCOPE OBSERVATION
Manuel Garcia: two mirrors used to observe the throat and larynx.
X-RAY DISCOVERY
Wilhelm Röntgen: X-ray penetrates objects of low density; used in diagnosis (pneumonia, pleurisy, tuberculosis since WW2; also for locating bullets).
ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHY & ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY
William Einthoven: measures electrical changes during the beating of the heart; waves P, QRS, T, U.
KENNY METHOD (POLIO THERAPY)
Elizabeth Kenny: pioneering work for modern physical therapy to combat polio (infantile paralysis).
Against rigid splints; used damp hot packs to increase blood circulation; introduced slow-paced physical therapy.
TRANSPORT & THERAPY DEVICES
Sylvia Stretcher (1927): used for transporting patients in shock.
Drinker Respirator (Philip Drinker, 1927): aided respiration for poliomyelitis patients with artificial respiration.
OPEN-HEART SURGERY & CARDIOPULMONARY SUPPORT
John Gibbon: heart-lung machine for open-heart surgery.
Early work by Forsmann (1929); later development (1930–1940) by Moniz, Reboul, Rousthoi.
Safe approach discovered by Cournand in 1941; enabled viewing heart, lung vessels, and valves.
HISTORY OF MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY IN THE UNITED STATES
1895, 1918, 1920, 1922, 1950 (Key eras in progression)
WILLIAM PEPPER LABORATORY OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
First clinical laboratory in America, located at the University of Pennsylvania.
CERTIFICATION OF MEDICAL TECHNOLOGISTS
John Kolmer developed a method to certify medical technologists; previously MT was a training program.
DIRECTION OF CLINICAL LABORATORIES
Administrative units in large hospitals were directed by chief physicians; divisions typically 4–5.
Modern direction by pathologists.
AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CLINICAL PATHOLOGY (ASCP)
Promotes cooperation between physicians and clinical pathologists; established code of ethics for technicians and technologists.
Registered Medical Technologists in the Philippines aiming to work in the US must take ASCP’s test.
LICENSURE & PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION
Administration of licensure examinations for MTs.
HOSPITALS & HEALTHCARE STRUCTURE (PHILIPPINES IMPORTS)
HOSPITAL REAL: First hospital in the Philippines; established by Spaniards; moved from Cebu City to Manila for military patients.
SAN LAZARO HOSPITAL: Built by the Franciscans for the poor and lepers; reference hospital for infectious diseases.
HOSPITAL DE SAN JUAN DE DIOS: Founded for poor Spaniards.
UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS (UST): Founded by the Dominicans.
HOSPITAL DE SAN JOSE: Founded in Cavite.
VACCINE LYMPH
Beginning of production and distribution by the central board of vaccination.
HISTORY OF MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY IN THE PHILIPPINES
1565-1641 timeline markers; 📖1871 and onward highlight clinical-imperial transitions
ANGIOGRAPHY (1871)
Insertion of cannula through an arm vein into the heart with radiopaque dye for X-ray visualization; ANGIOGRAPHY becomes a key visualization technique for vessels.
WILLIAM PEPPER LABORATORY (First clinical lab in US) and related Philippine context
LABORATORY & HEALTH SYSTEM EVOLUTION
LABORATORIO MUNICIPAL DE MANILA established by Spaniards; responsible for examination of food, water, and clinical samples; General Antonio Luna as chemical expert; pioneering water testing, forensics, environmental studies.
VACCINE LYMPH & VACCINATORS
122 regular vaccinators in Manila and towns; Spaniards as medical authorities; exploration of microbial causes of diseases; later reorganizations under American governance.
AMERICAN TRANSITION & PUBLIC HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE
Americans established public institutions modeled after military healthcare.
FIRST RESERVE HOSPITAL replacing Spanish Military Hospital; Henry Lipincott as chief surgeon.
RICHARD P. STRONG maximized diagnostics lab services (autopsies, bodily fluids, laboratory services).
BUREAU OF GOVERNMENT LABORATORIES (Philippines)
Established under the Philippine Commission Act No. 156; aimed to improve diagnosis, treatment, and prevention; destroyed during World War II; later space used by UP Manila NIH.
BUREAU OF SCIENCE
Established for medical officers pursuing laboratory research; collaboration with PGH and UP.
END OF THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN WAR AND BEYOND (1927–1954)
1927: Army Board for Tropical Disease collaboration; microbiology focus.
Civilian Board of Health → Bureau of Health; reorganized as Philippine Health in 1915; revert in 1933.
CERTIFICATE IN PUBLIC HEALTH: University of the Philippines College of Public Health established; training for medical officers.
WORLD WAR II IMPACT: Japanese aerial assault on Manila shortly after Pearl Harbor.
MEDICAL LABORATORY UNIT OF US: provided comprehensive lab services (clinical, epidemiological, sanitary investigations, water testing, food examination, epidimiology, etc.).
3RD MEDICAL LABORATORY: assigned to SWPA (South West Pacific Area).
RELOCATION OF LABORATORIES: multiple general labs relocated to West Pacific; small detachments deployed to military bases.
MANILA PUBLIC HEALTH LABORATORY: first clinical laboratory in the Philippines; reopened under Dr. Mariano Icasiano and Dr. Alfredo Pio de Roda; later endorsements to National Department of Health when Americans left.
EDUCATION & TRAINING EXPANSION
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY (MT)
Approved by the Bureau of Private Education for a 4-year course.
FIRST SCHOOL IN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY
6-month syllabus program organized by Dr. Sta Ana; opened by Manila Sanitarium Hospital; led by Mrs. Willa Hedrick.
Established medical internship and residency training; affiliated with Loma Linda University (California); later absorbed by Philippine universities; clinical division remained.
1954–1961: INVENTIONS AND INNOVATIONS IN THE FIELD OF MEDICAL LABORATORY
DR. JESSE UMALI
First MT graduate; MD from Far Eastern University; became OB-GYN in the US.
MT AT UST & OFFICIAL IMPLEMENTATION
MT offered as an elective to Pharmacy students at first; later recognized as an official program at the University of Santo Tomas (UST).
ANTONIE VAN LEEUWENHOEK
Father of Microbiology; work on improving the microscope; importance to MT for observing microorganisms.
EDWARD JENNER
Discovered smallpox vaccination; impact on immunology.
COWPOX: mild disease from cows; milkmaids with cowpox gained immunity to smallpox.
VARIOLATION: exposure to disease to induce immunity; risk of fatal outcomes.
Vaccination derived from Greek word "Vacca" (cow).
MARIE FRANÇOIS XAVIER BICHAT
Histology: identified organs by tissue types.
Hierarchy: Cell → Tissues → Organs → Organ Systems → Organism.
AGOSTINO BASSI
Produced disease in worms by injecting organic material; early step in bacteriology.
LOUIS PASTEUR
Rabies vaccine; viruses have DNA and RNA; rabies is a zoonotic infection.
KEY FIGURES AND CONTRIBUTIONS (select highlights)
RABIES & VIROLOGY
1866–1902: Rabies virus is an RNA virus; family: Rhabdoviridae; genus: Lyssavirus; structure: bullet-shaped; genome: (-)\,ssRNA.
Pasteur weakened (attenuated) virus to develop immunity; attenuated vaccine concept.
GREGOR MENDEL
Father of Genetics; laws of inheritance; introduced Punnett Square.
JOSEPH LISTER
Proposed sepsis in surgical infections is due to airborne organisms; promoted antiseptic surgery and sterilization practices.
ROBERT KOCH
First pictures of bacilli and tubercle bacilli; bacterial shapes: cocci, bacilli, coccobacilli.
ELIE METCHNIKOFF
Described phagocytes and their role in infection defense.
ERNST VON BERGMANN
Introduced steam sterilization in surgery; autoclave; sterilization as the highest level of disinfection.
KARL LANDSTEINER
Distinguished ABO blood groups: A, B, O, AB; relative prevalence noted (O most common, then A, then B, AB least common).
AUGUST VON WASSERMANN
Developed an immunologic test for syphilis (Treponema pallidum).
HOWARD RICKETTS
Discovered Rickettsiae (organisms on the spectrum between bacteria and viruses).
HANs FISCHER
Structure of hemoglobin: tetrameric protein with 4 polypeptide chains (2 α, 2 β); each chain has a heme group with Fe$^{2+}$.
JONAS SALK
Polio vaccine; poliovirus is an RNA virus; serotypes PV1, PV2, PV3; genome: +ssRNA; transmission: oral-fecal; impact on muscular/skeletal systems.
JAMES WESTGARD
Westgard Rules for quality control in clinical laboratories.
BARUCH S. BLUMBERG
Hepatitis B vaccine; vaccination schedule known as 0-1-5 rule: 0 = first dose, 1 = second dose after 1 month, 5 = third dose 5 months after second.
KARY MULLIS
Developed Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR); detects DNA quantities with high sensitivity.
ANDRE VAN STEIRTEGHEM
Introduced Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), a form of IVF.
JAMES THOMSON
Derived the first human stem cell line.
CONNECTIVE THEMES AND SIGNIFICANCE
Evolution from qualitative, analogous reasoning to quantitative, instrumentation-driven diagnostics.
Early emphasis on anatomy and histology (Bichat, Jenner, Pasteur) laid groundwork for immunology, bacteriology, and virology.
Development of hygiene, sterilization, and asepsis (Lister, Bergmann) drastically reduced infection-related mortality.
The rise of clinical laboratories and MT certification created professional standards and cross-border credential recognition (US, Philippines, etc.).
Ethical, philosophical, and practical implications:
Balance between invasive diagnostic techniques and patient safety.
Vaccination and immunization programs raise questions about consent, risk, and public health benefits.
Global exchanges of knowledge were shaped by colonial and post-colonial influences (Spain, America, Philippines).
Key formulas and numerical references used:
Density: \rho = \frac{m}{v}
Blood pressure unit: \text{mmHg}
Hemoglobin structure: Hb is a tetramer with 4 polypeptide chains (2 α, 2 β) and heme-Fe^{2+}.
Vaccination schedules: 0-1-5 rule for Hepatitis B vaccination.
NOTES ON SCIENTIFIC NAMES & STYLE
Scientific names should be underlined in handwritten notes or italicized when typed; Genus is capitalized, species is lowercase.
SUMMARY TAKEAWAYS
From mystical and qualitative approaches to modern, evidence-based medical technology.
Each era contributed a pillar: diagnostic tools (stethoscope, X-ray, ECG), therapeutic devices (Drinker respirator, heart-lung machine), and foundational science (germ theory, immunology, genetics).
The history spans global contexts (Europe, US, Philippines) and demonstrates how technology, education, regulation, and ethics evolved together.
KEY DATES (selected highlights)
4 humors theory; Hippocratic medicine (ancient Greece).
4 humors to uroscopy; early urine analysis.
1816–1941: From stethoscope to open-heart surgery innovations.
1871–1902: Microbiology, vaccines, sterility, ABO blood groups; Pasteur, Lister, Koch, Landsteiner.
1927–1954: Vaccines (polio, Hep B), PCR, ICSI, stem cells.
1565–1641: Early Philippine medical institutions and colonial healthcare foundations.
FORMATTING REMINDERS FOR EXAM PREP
Be able to explain how a simple physical sign (e.g., pulse, urinalysis) can be tied to broader physiological concepts (fluid balance, infection, immune response).
Understand the progression of laboratory medicine from observation to instrumentation to standardized certification and ethical codes.
Recognize major figures and their contributions, and be able to connect them to their scientific domains (histology, immunology, microbiology, genetics, virology).