A medical innovation that might eliminate prolonged infections and speculated healing. Check out this new idea of 'smart' stiches that notify caregivers if something is going wrong during the healing process.

Learn about the work done by Albert Macovski, which included the development of digital radiography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and learn how these inventions impact the medical world.

Learn about the inventor of "the first reliable low-cost, mass-produced medical respirator," Forrest Bird. This article overviews his education and career, the development of the respirator, and the effects the respirator has had on the...

Here is information on Dean Kamen's education, career, and his contributions to the medical world. Learn about his "revolutionary, pocket-sized infusion pump [that] allowed patients to reeceive regulated intravenous medication."

Read about William D. Coolidge, his education, work, and his invention--the X-Ray Tube--as well as other medical innovations he is credited with. Learn how x-rays work and how they have contributed to the medical world.

The stethoscope is the single most widely used medical instrument in the world. But where did the idea come from? Jessica Oreck shares the modest origins of this incredibly useful item. [1:48]

From entertainment devices to lifesaving medical technologies, Latino inventors have advanced humankind through their contributions. Latino inventors have created revolutionary devices that have transformed our everyday world - and often...

Learn about Dr. Patricia Bath, an opthalmologic surgeon, credited with the invention of the Laserphaco Probe, a surgical device used in the removal of cataracts. Learn about Bath's early education, her studies of the blindness rates at...

Read about MIT teacher and practitioner Ernesto Blanco, inventor of the stair-climbing wheelchair. This article provides details on the inventor's life, his career outside of MIT, and his inventions that continue to help the handicapped...

Read about Bessie Blount's contribution to medicine--her work as a physical therapist and her invention of a feeding device for amputees.

Otis Boykin was a successful African American inventor whose inventions include resistors for electrical equipment and missiles, a controller for pacemakers, and a burglar-proof cash register.

Learn about the cutting edge inventions being brought about by teens at Stanford University's bioengineering boot camp for high school students.

Learn about various medical devices invented and used by the ancient Greeks including "a portable waterclock used to measure the pulse of patients" and a "surgical instrument, known as 'the spoon of Diokles.'"

Read about Jonas Salk and the development of the polio vaccine. This article from the MIT Invention Dimension includes several links to further information on the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis and the Salk Institute for...

Learn about the inventor of the medical cardiac pacemaker, Wilson Greatbatch. This site provides a brief bio on Greatbatch, information on the invention's impact, and a portrait of the inventor.

Read about the education and career of Raymond V. Damadian, inventor of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and learn how the MRI has impacted the field of medicine.

Read about Robert Koffler Jarvik, the "inventor of the first permanently-implantable artificial heart." This article provides a biography of the inventor, the reasons why he became interested in creating an artificial heart, and his...

From pioneering inventions to bold scientific and medical advancements, find out more about 11 innovations that changed the course of human history.

This site provides information on Colin S. Twitchell, inventor of the multi-terrain wheelchair. Learn what inspired Twitchell and about his career at MIT.

Learn about the development of the prosthetic arm by Ivan Yaeger. This article talks about his work creating articial limbs for a little girl born without arms and how these limbs worked.

A brief history of medicine told in five snapshots of time: ancient times, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the early modern period (eighteenth and nineteenth centuries), and modern times.

Find a timeline of important medical inventions of the 20th century. Inventions include the first electrocardiograph, the first kidney dialysis machine, the first plastic contact lens, and the first artificial heart.

This is a virtual exhibition of inventions from ancient Greece that have been reconstructed by Kostas Kotsanas after over two decades of study and research. Click on 'The Museum' link at the top of the page to read an explanation and to...

From the auto shop to the doctor's office, the oscilloscope is an important diagnostic tool. A mechanic may use an oscilloscope to measure engine function, while a medical researcher uses it to monitor heart activity.