7 Decades of Change — What’s Amazing

Part 6 of 7

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Medical Advances

When I had an MRI of my knee, I remembered my fascination with Dr McCoy’s tricorder to diagnose illnesses. The invention of medical imaging systems provided information that eliminates the need for invasive procedures or surgeries. Since the 50s, medical technology has given us the insulin pump and the CT scanner. Who could have imagined an artificial heart in 1982 or a bionic limb?

Dr. William DeVries implanted the Jarvik 7, named after the device’s inventor, Dr. Robert Jarvik, giving Dr. Barney Clark the first permanent artificial heart in 1982. Today, artificial implants are used as a bridge until a heart is secured for transplant.

A patient with muscular cancer received the “Edinburgh Modular Arm System,” the first bionic limb in 1993. The patient wore a cap that contained micro-sensors which detected brain impulses sent to his missing limb and used them to control the arm. Today, computer chips sync joints to Bluetooth devices that coordinate movement. –Top Medical Technology Advances From the Last 100 Years

Besides MRIs, medical advances we take for granted that didn’t exist in the 1950s include…