The fiftieth year anniversary in a marriage is commonly known as the “golden anniversary.” A certain technology just had its golden anniversary – the CT scan.
You may not have heard of Godfrey Hounsfield, but you’ve most certainly been impacted by his work. After an unremarkable career in school, he joined the British Royal Air Force, where he showed a predilection towards operating radar machines and other technologies. HE was encouraged by his superiors to pursue a degree in engineering, and eventually secured a job with EMI – best known for releasing Beatles albums, but also had a robust research and development branch in electronics and engineering.
One day, Hounsfield met a physician who complained about how X-Rays were excellent at showing bone structure, but very poor at showing the shape ans structure of the brain. Hounsfield devised a complicated series of scans that could replicate the structure of the brain. Initially, EMI had minimal faith in his invention, but as he soldiered on it became apparent he was making a breakthrough. Eventually, Hounsfield’s invention was so recognized that he was awarded a share of a Nobel prize, and was even knighted by the Queen!
Today, CT scans are an irreplaceable tool for the medical profession. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to see inside a closed box” as Hounsfield envisioned. Advancements in the process have only heightened the importance of CT scans in the medical field.
