Thermography Historically

It’s always interesting to know the origin of something, so today we’re going to take a walk down history lane with the birth of thermography. For ease of all involved, there will be timeline highlights and then a few key points that I’ll go into a bit more depth. Let’s get started:

*In the 1800s Sir William Herschel discovered “infra-red rays”.

*In 1840 John Herschel (son of Sir William) coined the term thermogram. He created the first heat image by transferring a thermal impression to paper.

*In 1857 Spurgin compared surface temperatures to assist in diagnostic breast cancer.

*In 1892 Sir James Dewar introduced the concept of using liquified gases as cooling agents. Liquid nitrogen was used in the first thermography cameras.

*In 1946 the US military secretly develops the first infra-red line scanner, and then in 1954 thermography was declassified by the US Government.

*In 1956 Dr. Ray Lawson, a pioneer in the field, wrote the first medical paper on thermal imaging.

*In 1972 the Health Education and Welfare Department stated thermography is beyond the experimental stage.

*In 1982 the FDA approved the use of thermography as an adjunctive procedure.

To this day thermography is considered a valuable diagnostic tool in women’s breast health, acute/chronic/and preventative healthcare.

Next Friday we’ll talk about what 3 things factor into quality medical infrared imaging (MIR).

Cheering you on~

Noelle