Surgeons? No thanks, I prefer robots.

Every day, technology continues to grow and revolutionize the world.  It has exceeded anything our grandparents could fathom.  During their youth, the notion of examining an unborn baby in its mother’s womb was limited to imagination. Today, ultrasounds are used daily to monitor the health of the baby and its mother.

Countless medical inventions have bettered understand of the functions of the body. The stethoscope by Rene Theophile Hyacinthe Laënnec has expanded our learning on the circulatory and respiratory system by allowing doctors to listen to the patient’s breathing and heartbeat.  The X-Ray by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen lets doctors investigate within the patients’ bodies, including their bones. The endoscope by Phillip Bozzini permits doctors to investigate within the body, especially the digestive, urinary, respiratory and cardiovascular system. Composed of a lighting system, image transmission system, bending mechanism and channels for air, the endoscope has permitted a deeper examination of the human body. 

One medical advancement from Canada is the discovery of insulin (Figure 1). Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas.  It decreases the blood glucose level by increasing its rate of utilization by the cells. Without insulin, the raised sugar levels may cause damage to the heart, eyes, kidneys and nerves. Therefore, insulin saved the lives of millions of diabetic patients.

Other Canadian medical contributions include the invention of the bone marrow compatibility test by Barbara Bain in 1960, the world’s first heart pacemaker by Dr. John A. Hopps in 1950 and the invention of a dual tone receiver by Michael C.J. Cowpland in 1972. The heart pacemaker was further developed by William Greatbatch who inserted a minute battery, inventing the first implantable pacemaker (Figure 2).

Recently, Canada has performed the world’s first all-robot surgery. Canadian physicians have successfully treated a prostatectomy patient using a Da Vinci surgical robot and an anaesthetic robot named “McSleepy”. It is the first of its kind to administer anaesthesia to a patient. McSleepy was developed by McGill University in Montreal, Canada. This computerized system administers three standard drugs used for putting patients under for surgery, and monitors their effects automatically. McSleepy can calculate the appropriate drug doses of anaesthesia faster and more precisely than a human. This piece of technology has been designed to analyze biological information and adapt to changes.

Currently, Professor Jake Barralet of McGill University is working to develop artificial bones. Although this research is under clinical trials, scientists have discovered a new technique of growing artificial bones from a modified version of an ink jet printer (Figure 3). Professor Jack Barralet described the process: "The 'paper' in our printer is a thin bed of cement-like powder. The ink jet sprays the cement with an acid which reacts with it and goes hard. That deals with one layer. Then new layers of fresh powder are sprayed on top and the layers build up to the shape we need". If the studies are completed, and the results are successful, this would be a major breakthrough in the field of bone graft surgery.

Pictures

Figure 1: Insulin was discovered by Banting and Best at the University of Toronto. Insulin lowers the blood glucose by increasing the rate of utilization by the cells. 

Figure 2: A pacemaker is a small device to helps the heart to beat more regularly. Pacemakers can help adjust heartbeats that are too slow, too fast or irregular.

Figure 3: The process of creating artificial bones, currently being studied and tested by Professor Jake Barralet of McGill University. This is creates perfect facsimiles of bones that can be used to replace the damaged bones.

Work Cited

"About.com: Http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/dm22in.html." Inventors. A Science Odessy, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. <http://inventors.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/dm22in.html>.

Bellis, Mary. "Canadian Inventors and Inventions." Inventors. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. <http://inventors.about.com/od/cstartinventions/a/Canadian_2.htm>.

Bellis, Mary. "History of the X-Ray." Inventors. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. <http://inventors.about.com/od/xyzstartinventions/a/x-ray.htm>.

Bellis, Mary. "Invention of the Cardiac Pacemaker - Artificial Hearts - Electrocardiography." Inventors. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. <http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blcardiac.htm>.

Bland, Eric. "Discovery News : Discovery Channel." Discovery Channel : Science, History, Space, Tech, Sharks, News. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. <http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/05/13/mcsleepy-anesthesia-02.html>.

Chiedozie, Anjus. "The History of Endoscopes | EHow.com." EHow | How to Videos, Articles & More - Trusted Advice for the Curious Life | EHow.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. <http://www.ehow.com/about_5454639_history-endoscopes.html>.

Naveen. "Top 10 Artificial Technologies Ready To Create A Real Human Being - Science Ahead." Science Ahead: This Blog Is a Window to the Ever-happening World of 'science' The Blog, Complete with Information and Views, Introduces Amazing Developments in Arenas like Technology, Nanotechnology, Space, Gadgets, Robots, Communication, Architecture Etc. N.p., 23 Apr. 2007. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. <http://www.scienceahead.com/entry/top-10-artificial-technologies-ready-to-create-a-real-human-being/>.

Roguin, Ariel. "Rene Theophile Hyacinthe Laënnec (1781–1826): The Man Behind the Stethoscope." Clinical & Medical Research. N.p., 1 July 2006. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <Rene Theophile Hyacinthe Laënnec (1781–1826): The Man Behind the Stethoscope>.

Yamaguichi, T. "The Function of the Endoscope." PubMed.gov. Apr. 1990. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2366385>.

"YouTube - McSleepy." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U6-44cudw4>. 

Blogs Commented

Mary's BioBlog

Wayne's BioBlog

Welcome to the Farm, where genetically modified food is grown.

Most people imagine that their food is grown on a happy farm. The chickens run freely in their coops and the cows roam the pastures eating grass. Consumers are unaware of how their food is raised. In reality, the chickens are genetically modified, to grow bigger. The extra weight causes the birds’ leg to collapse, or causes heart failure (Figure 1). The cows are force fed corn which is not part of their natural diet resulting in health concerns for the animals (Figure 2). The farming techniques are so unethical that multiple food companies refuse to be interviewed about their product productions.

There are two types of agriculture. The first type is Sustainable Agriculture, which is the increase in food yields without damage to the environment.

Pros	Cons
·    No chemical pesticides, herbicides and insecticides.	·    Small Scale Production
·    No growth hormones	·    Products are expensive
·    Raise wide range of animal breeds and crop variety. Farmers raise animals and plants adapted to the surrounding environment.
·    Fair wages and sanitary working environment.

The second is Industrial Agriculture, a food system of large scale agricultural production with the use of chemical pesticides, etc.

Pros	Cons
·    Large Scale Production	·    Use of chemical pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides
·    Products are cheaper	·    Use of antibiotics, growth hormones, and genetic engineering
	·    Rely on monoculture crop system à few selected breeds are grown.
	·    Unsanitary conditions in the farm houses or slaughterhousesà cause food-borne diseases.

Sustainable agriculture is more ethical, but industrial agriculture is cheaper. Many companies follow the latter to increase their gross profit. As a result, industrial agriculture is causing the genetic diversity is declining.

Our food supply is based on a small variety of crops, including corn and soy beans. There is controversy involving soy beans. Monsanto, a chemical company, developed a soy bean, called Round Up, that was resistant to a certain pesticide (Figure 3). In 1996, when Monsanto began to sell Round Up, only 2% of soybean in the US contained the patent genes. By 2008, over 90% of the US soybeans contained the genes. Soon all the soy beans will contain the patent gene. The genetic diversity among this crop will decrease and less productive breeds will become extinct. Also, if a disease that destroyed the soy beans with the patent genes were to develop; most of the crops would be destroyed and the food industry would suffer.

Sustainable agriculture is capable of providing for the rapid growth of global human population, if some changes were made. Currently, the food industry is concerned about money; the cost for materials and labour (Figure 4). There are cases of companies using cheap ingredients to keep the food flavourful and/or using illegal immigrants for cheap labour. If the companies take the steps to improve their product manufacturing, such as improving the working environment for their employees, then the unethical industrial agriculture will eventually evolve into moralistic sustainable agriculture while producing the yield needed to serve the population.

Pictures

Figure 1: Some companies genetically modified the chickens so that they grow bigger and faster. The birds are growing at such a fast rate, that the bones and unable to develop. As a result, many chickens are extremely weak in the legs. Also, many chickens die from heart failures due to the extra weight.

Figure 2: The cows are force fed corn which is not a component of their natural diet. Corn is given becuase it is a cheap alternative and helps to fatten the animal. 

Figure 3: The Roundup Soybeans produced by Monsanto. These soybean seeds are resistent towards a certain pesticide.

Figure 4: A comic to demonstrate the wages paid to the labor workers in industrial agriculture.

Work Cited

 "Food | Beef: Glossary." New American Dream Home. Web. 06 Feb. 2011. http://www.newdream.org/food/glossary.php.

"Randomwiktor's DeviantART Gallery." RandomWiktor on DeviantART. Web. 06 Feb. 2011. http://randomwiktor.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=un natural#/dm07op.

"S - Sahel to Systems Theory - Geography Dictionary." ITS Tutorial School (ITS) Hong Kong - English Tutor HK, IELTS Tuition, IB, IGCSE, SAT, GCSE, HKDSE Teacher, UK A Level. Web. 06 Feb. 2011. http://www.tuition.com.hk/geography/s.htm.

 "YouTube - Food INC Documentary Movie On Who Is In Control Of Your Food Must See 7 / 10." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. 30 Dec. 2010. Web. 06 Feb. 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVDuRSkx-30.

Food Inc. Dir. Robert Kenner. Perf. Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser and Gary Hirshberg. Food Inc. 30 Dec. 2010. Web. 12 Jan. 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVDuRSkx-30.

 

Frosch, Dan. "Article « The Dernogalizer." The Dernogalizer. Web. 06 Feb. 2011. http://madrad2002.wordpress.com/tag/article/.

 Melissa. "An Apology to Peas." Mundane Ethnography. 15 Aug. 2010. Web. 06 Feb. 2011. http://www.mundaneethnography.com/.

Blogs Commented On

http://jayy-tan.blogspot.com/2011/01/its-not-farmits-factory.html#comments
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