Medical Physics: Task 1

By Emma

What exactly is medical physics?

Medical physics is the application of physic concepts , theories and methods to medicine and healthcare. Over the past 50 years the knowledge of physics concepts has lead to development in medical technology and equipment that can be used to examine inside of our bodies, saving the time and money to carry out surgery.Many improvements have been made such as-• It was discovered that gamma rays can be used to treat and diagnose

cancer• The reflection and refraction of light can be used to look inside the

body• you can monitor the electrical activity of your heart to check if its

healthy or not

What is an endoscope and how does it work?

An endoscope is a small tube which allows a doctor to look inside the passageways in a patients body without needing surgery. It can be inserted into the mouth or any other natural opening in the body. Or a small cut can be made to observe the chest , abdomen or joints and to remove obstructions and take samples from diseased areas. Endoscopes consist of a flexible tube which contain glass fibres called optical fibres. The endoscope has a light source attached to the tube, the light passes through one of the optical fibres and down the endoscope and out the end