Radiology
Radiology is the branch of medical science that uses imaging of the body to aid in the
diagnosis and
treatment of
disease, and includes the use of a wide array of imaging technologies such as infrared and ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. The advantage to radiographic procedures is that they are far less invasive than other diagnostic procedures and
treatments.
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X-ray technology, based on the discovery of x-rays in 1895 by William Roentgen, was the basis of modern radiology. During the First World War, noted scientist Marie Curie was instrumental in the development and use of early
radiography units in
military hospitals. 1920 saw the founding of the Society of Radiographers, and within five years, radiology was recognized as a legitimate specialty within the medical field.
The use of radiation as a cancer treatment and diagnostic tool actually predates the Nuclear Age by several years. In 1937, Dr. Joseph G. Hamilton used radioactive iodine as a treatment for thyroid disease; that same year, radiation therapy was used to treat a leukemia patient in Berkeley, California.
Today, radiology consists of two major categories. Diagnostic radiology uses imaging technology in order to diagnose disease and predict the future course of a disease, as well as determine appropriate treatments. Radioactive isotopes are used in order provide an image of the internal organs and their function.
Infrared imaging uses heat for the same purpose; while the resolution is substantially lower, it does not require the use of radioactive isotopes, and is useful for detecting tumors near the skin. Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves for the same purpose, providing three-dimensional images in real time.
Therapeutic radiology employs ionizing radiation to treat disease. Though this used to be a subspecialty of radiation; today however, radiation oncology is considered a separate field, and has its own training and certification process.