Today, MCI wants to celebrate the life of Sir Godfrey Newbold Hounsfield, an electrical engineer who invented of the CT scanner and won the Nobel prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1979.
Even as a child he loved to experiment, leaping off haystacks attached to a home-made glider and, in an experiment to see how tar barrels filled with water and acetylene could be propelled into the sky, he nearly got himself killed. Thankfully, he never grew past this phase and, as a young man, he joined the RAF as a reservist and learnt about radar and electronics. This led him to obtain a Diploma of Faraday House. Already, Hounsfield had found his happy place academically.
In the late 1950s – early 1960s, he had the seed of an idea for the CT scanner whilst hillwalking. If only we could all have such life changing inspiration while we’re out on a walk! It wasn’t long before Hounsfield had built a prototype machine that could take images like transactional ‘slices’ of an object. Hounsfield first tried the machine out on a preserved human brain, then a fresh cow’s brain. Finally, he tried the machine in himself. It wasn’t until 1971, however, that the CT scanner finally made its way into general medical use. It was only a few years later in 1975 that a whole body scanner was introduced. These amazing machines have saved countless lives.
For a man who claimed that he wasn’t much of an academic as a child, he certainly forged ahead as an adult. Even after his retirement, he worked as a consultant until 1984. After he had stopped being a consultant, he used the prize money he received from winning the Nobel Prize to build a lab in his home. He died on the 12 August 2004, at 84 years old, leaving the world a better place.
MCI has helped both the medical and pharmaceutical industry for over a decade. We have repaired all manner of machines. If you are having problems with your machinery, give us a call to see how we can help you keep your machinery going. Have a great week everyone!
