Biomedical engineering Biomedical Engineering Overview and History

Biomedical engineering is a diverse field focusing on the creation, implementation, and use of various devices to benefit the medical industry. These devices generally involve years of planning, design, and invention before becoming commonplace in hospitals or laboratories. Biomedical engineers work in many capacities related to the devices that are built, whether it be the invention portion or the utilization of the instrument portion.

There are several types of biomedical engineering:

1. Clinical engineering is the implementation of new research or studies for use in the medical field, specifically a hospital setting. An engineer generally is responsible for the safe and sterile use of an object, making sure it is properly calibrated and the technique is followed appropriately.

2. Medical device engineering is the creation of new machines in order to enhance services or procedures in the medical field. Examples of these include pacemakers, artificial limbs, cochlear implants, or corrective lenses. An engineer's job is to improve the qualities of these devices.

3. Medical imaging engineering improves the ability of the medical field to research and investigate problems through various devices geared to analyze a patient. This can include X-rays, CT and MRI scans, ultrasound equipment, or electron microscopy.

4. Tissue engineering is the latest form of biomedical engineering, and relates to the effort by scientists to create and manufacture artificial tissues and organs for use in human patients. Some early success has been made, including working bladders that can be grown and then transplanted into people.

Although industry professionals have only recently started to use the term of biomedical engineering to describe the unique convergence of sciences that leads to advanced medical device creation, the practice actually goes back many centuries. The oldest known record is from a mummy that was discovered in Thebes. The preserved body had the first known instance of a prosthesis in the form of a wooden toe that was attached to the foot using string. While modern technology has found more effective ways of applying the principles of biomedical engineering, the search to improve the quality of human life has always been present.

Scientific exploration of the relation between mechanics and biology flourished during the 17^th century. Galileo, William Harvey, Rene Descartes, Giovanni Borelli, Robert Boyle, and Robert Hooke all shared a desire to study the mechanics of the human body. These scientists used their knowledge of physics, mathematics, and biology to make advances in the understanding of cells, blood flow, heart and lung function, skeletal and muscular makeup, vision, other physiological matters.

Many of the greatest developments in biomedical engineering happened during the 19^th century. It is at this time that an increased amount of awareness was placed on the maladies that affected human life and how a physician could best deal with these issues. The stethoscope is one of the most popular medical tools used today, but the truth is that it was invented nearly 200 years ago when a French doctor felt uncomfortable in leaning up to a woman's chest to hear her heartbeat. His solution was to use a rolled up newspaper to amplify the sound of the heartbeat, thus creating the first stethoscope.

Another discovery in the 19^th century was the invention of X-rays by Wilhelm Roentgen who noticed that certain rays could create an image on paper that had been coated with a specific substance. This sparked a great deal of research into how the rays could be used, with the eventual result being the common X-ray, one of the most frequently used tools for diagnosing medical problems. The time after the World Wars was also an incredible era for medical innovation, with many universities beginning to offer specialized programs for biomedical engineering.

It wasn't until the 20^th century that specialization became the way of engineers, physicians, and scientists. Then, in the 1960s, it became clear that medical advances would often depend on engineering problem solving, and many engineers became interested in studying medical techniques.

With each year, professionals in the biomedical engineering industry are finding new and improved ways to treat conditions that limit a patient's quality of life. There is much speculation about where the future of biomedical engineering is headed, complete with robotic nanobots, genetic sequencing, and cellular scanning devices. With the Internet serving as the backbone of communication, experts in the discipline can share information and learn at a more rapid pace than ever. As modern technology progresses, the ability of the medical sciences to provide effective solutions for health issues will only increase.