Contribution of Godfrey Hounsfeild in Medicine - Essay Example

Hounsfield joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) where his interest in radio and radar was developed enabling him to build a large screen oscillator and demonstration equipment. Furthering his career, he was employed at the Central Research Laboratories of the Electronic and Music Industry spearheading the completion of “Britain’s first large solid-state computer and eventually adapting that design for use in transistors.” These experiences ushered him to the idea of building the CT scanner.

In 1967, Hounsfield hit the idea of building a computer-assisted tomography (CT) scanner, a computer that will aid in the analysis of X-ray data. His invention surpassed the traditional X-ray by presenting a more accurate picture of any organ in the human body. His device “uses information from many X-ray scans of the same area, taken at different angles, to generate a composite image.” Furthermore, this new machine is more convenient for patients as they can comfortably lie on their backs during the whole examination. The precision and sensitivity of the CT scan made it important in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders. The revolution in technology facilitates the invention of more advanced CT scanners which can build images in less than a second and allows better spiral scanning.

This contribution of Hounsfield in the field of medicine has been greatly valued. Before his death in 2004, he was bestowed different awards and recognition including the 1979 Nobel Prize. Read More