Meandering in Medical Physics: A personal account of hospital physics

by Roberts; J.E

• ISBN13: 9780750304948
• ISBN10: 0750304944
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-04-01
• Publisher: CRC Press

Summary

When Professor J E Roberts was first employed at the then Cancer Hospital (Free) 1932, the words medical & physics were rarely joined together. This is an account of Professor Roberts' experiences in professional life, in the UK & overseas. It is enhanced by photographs from the BIR & Dr R F Mould's extensive archive, & contains commentary on seminal developments in the discipline from Dr Mould. It documents the early history of medical physics & provides an insight into the very basic equipment & working conditions well known to hospital physicists not so very many years ago. This book will entertain, enlighten & educate.

Table of Contents

Introduction	xi
Preface	xiii
List of Illustrations	xv
A New Profession	1	(10)
Rontgen and the Discovery of X-rays	2	(3)
Medical Physics in Britain in the War Years (1939--1945)	5	(1)
Developments in Radiology and Radiotherapy	6	(1)
Developments in Ultrasound and MRI	7	(1)
Developments in Nuclear Medicine	8	(1)
Developments in Physics and Associated Technologies in Other Areas of Medicine	9	(1)
Conclusions	10	(1)
Setting Out	11	(11)
The University of Leeds	11	(1)
A First Visit to The Cancer Hospital (Free)	12	(4)
The First True Hospital Physicists	16	(1)
Work at The Cancer Hospital (Free)	17	(5)
Early Days	22	(20)
The Duties of a Medical Physicist	22	(3)
X-ray and Other Equipment	25	(4)
Radium	29	(1)
Hunting for Radium	30	(2)
Radium `Bombs'	32	(2)
Development, Maintenance and Quality Assurance	34	(1)
The Rontgen: the Unit of `X-ray Dose'	35	(2)
Measurement Problems	37	(1)
Dosimetry Research at The Cancer Hospital (Free)	38	(2)
Dose Distribution	40	(1)
Absorption Coefficient Measurement	40	(1)
Conclusions	41	(1)
New Horizons	42	(8)
The Middlesex Hospital	42	(3)
Treatment Planning	45	(3)
Expansion at the Middlesex	48	(1)
Farmer-type Dosemeters	49	(1)
A Growing Business	50	(9)
Radium Regulation in the UK	50	(2)
Physicists in Medicine	52	(3)
Marking Time	55	(1)
Radium, Sponges and Syrup	56	(1)
Conclusions	57	(2)
Post-War Explosion	59	(12)
Professor Sidney Russ Retires	60	(1)
Joel Professor of Physics Applied to Medicine	61	(1)
J E Roberts
Building a New Department: Physics Applied to Medicine	62	(2)
Microwave Generators	64	(2)
Other Activities	66	(1)
A Training Ground for Medical Physicists	67	(3)
Conclusions	70	(1)
Nuclear Medicine	71	(9)
The Development of Radioactive Nuclides	71	(2)
The Isotope Unit	73	(2)
A New Department: The Institute of Nuclear Medicine	75	(2)
Thyroid Function Tests: Immunoassay or Saturation Analysis?	77	(1)
The Discovery of Aldosterone	78	(1)
Conclusions	78	(2)
Professional Peaks	80	(11)
The British Institute of Radiology (BIR)	80	(4)
The Hospital Physicists' Association (HPA)	84	(1)
J E Roberts: Founding Editor of Physics in Medicine and Biology	84	(3)
Institute of Physical Sciences in Medicine (IPSM)	87	(1)
The Society of Radiographers	87	(1)
The Stanley Melville Memorial Medal	87	(3)
A Lecture at the Royal Institution	90	(1)
Physicist---The Odd-Job Man	91	(5)
Electric Shock Therapy	92	(1)
Anaesthesia	92	(1)
Radiography of Postage Stamps	93	(1)
Lighting Engineer	94	(2)
ICR, Zurich, 1934 and ICR, Chicago, 1937	96	(20)
The 4th International Congress of Radiology	96	(1)
The Journey to Zurich	97	(1)
Courtesy of Philips	98	(1)
Via Cologne (Koln)	99	(3)
An Expensive Bath in Zurich	102	(1)
The Congress	102	(1)
The Scientific Programme	103	(1)
The British Contribution	104	(1)
My First International Paper	105	(1)
St Moritz	105	(1)
The Return Home	106	(1)
The 5th International Congress of Radiology	107	(1)
The Palmer House Hotel, Chicago	108	(1)
Chicago and Notes from the Congress	108	(1)
American Medical Physics	109	(1)
New York	109	(1)
Washington, DC	110	(1)
Cleveland	111	(2)
Boston	113	(1)
Conclusions	114	(2)
North America	116	(15)
Gamma-ray-emitting Radioisotopes: Cobalt-60	117	(4)
Renewing Old Contacts	121	(2)
Roentgens, Rads and Riddles	123	(1)
Mexico Congress	124	(1)
Iodine-131	125	(1)
Physics in Medicine and Biology and Robert Maxwell	125	(2)
1959	127	(3)
Conclusions	130	(1)
Far and Wide	131	(17)
The Curie Institute	131	(1)
Development of Medical Physics Overseas	132	(1)
Hong Kong	133	(2)
Australia	135	(2)
Hong Kong Revisited	137	(1)
South Africa	137	(1)
Malaysia, India and Singapore	138	(4)
Egypt, Libya, Sudan and Syria	142	(5)
Conclusions	147	(1)
Sabbatical Interlude	148	(13)
Regional Adviser: Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East	148	(3)
Arrival in Beirut	151	(1)
The First Two Months	152	(1)
Greece and Cyprus	153	(1)
Turkey	154	(1)
North Africa	155	(1)
East from Beirut	156	(3)
Conclusions	159	(2)
Medical Physics has Arrived	161	(7)
The Profession of Physics Applied to Medicine	161	(1)
The National Radium Commission and the Founding of the HPA	162	(2)
Consultant Adviser (to the Chief Medical Officer)	164	(1)
The Zuckerman Committee	165	(1)
The IPEM	166	(1)
Conclusions	167	(1)
Sitting Down	168	(5)
Retirement	168	(2)
Staff Mascot	170	(1)
A 90th Birthday Seminar	170	(3)
Index	173