Medical Technology Overview

Medical Technology Overview

• Auxiliary branch of medicine, crucial for diagnosis.
• Involves various professionals like pathologists and medical technologists.

Pathologist

• Physician specializing in Pathology and Medical Laboratory Science.

Medical Technologist

• Graduate of BS Medical Technology or BS Medical Laboratory Science.
• Must pass the MTLE (Medical Technologist Licensure Examination).
• Conducts tests under the supervision of a pathologist.

Medical Technician

• Works under the guidance of lab professionals and technologists.
• Can perform tests similar to Medical Technologists but cannot release results.
• Typically non-passers of the board exam.

Medical Laboratory

• Facility designated for testing specimens.
• Must adhere to specific operational size requirements.

History of Medical Technology

Stone Age

• Diseases attributed to evil forces with no clear causation.

Bronze Age

• Beliefs in mysticism and magic; diseases seen as divine punishment.

Iron Age

• Advances in disease prevention established by Hippocrates.
• Romans believed in microorganisms; Gaten conducted dissections.

Middle Ages (450AD - 1450AD)

• Superstitions persisted; practices like urinalysis and herbal medicine were common.
• Salerno School emerged as the first formal medical school.

Industrial and Scientific Revolutions

• Industrial Revolution brought inventions; the Scientific Revolution changed inquiry methods.

18th to 19th Century

• 18th Century saw improvements in medical education during the Age of Enlightenment.
• 19th Century marked rapid discoveries leading to a better understanding of diseases.

20th Century

• Marked by technological sophistication with the advent of antibiotics, CT scans, MRIs, and electron microscopy.

Early Beginnings of Medical Technology

• Hippocrates introduced the Hippocratic Oath as a code of ethics for physicians.

The Four Humors

• Sanguine: Courageous, hopeful, carefree.
• Choleric: Ambitious, leader-like but restless.
• Melancholic: Analytical and serious.
• Phlegmatic: Patient, calm, and peaceful.

Ancient Medical Practices

• Triage of regimen: Treatment via drugs, surgery, and bloodletting.

Notable Figures in Medical Technology

• Shushruta (600 BC): Noted diabetes symptoms; pioneer in cosmetic surgery.
• Anenzoa: Identified scabies as a parasite.
• Vivian Herrick: Identified intestinal parasites such as tapeworms.
• Papyrus: Studied hookworm disease stages.
• Ruth Williams: Authored on Medical Technology profession.
• Anne Fagelson: Highlighted early laboratory roles at the University of Bologna.

Key Advancements in Microbiology

• Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1632): Developed the first compound microscope; discovered RBC and classified bacteria.
• Malphigi (1628-1694): Father of Pathology; significant early microscopist.
• Rudolf Virchow: Established pathology archives; studied disease at the cellular level.
• Antoine Fourcroy (1789): Discovered cholesterol.
• Joseph Lister: Introduced phenol for sterilization.

Medical Instrument Development

• James Marsh (1836): Created the first arsenic test.
• Herman Fehling (1848): Developed the first quantitative urine sugar test.
• Karl Von Vierordt (1852): Created a hemocytometer for blood flow measurement.
• John Snow (1854): Developed the first spectrophotometer based on Beer's Law.
• Herman Luer (1869): Invented the glass syringe with Luer Lock.
• Max Jaffe (1886): Developed the alkaline picrate method for creatinine.
• Theodore William Richards (1893): Invented the nephelometer.
• Ferdinand Widal (1896): Created the Widal test for diagnosing typhoid fever.