To its proponents, the ultrasound scanner is a safe, reliable, and indispensable aid to diagnosis. Its detractors, on the other hand, argue that its development and use are driven by the technological enthusiasms of doctors and engineers (and the commercial interests of manufacturers) and not by concern to improve the clinical care of women. In some U.S. states, an ultrasound scan is now required by legislation before a woman can obtain an abortion, adding a new dimension to an already controversial practice. "Imaging and Imagining the Fetus" engages both the development of a modern medical technology and the concerted critique of that technology. Malcolm Nicolson and John Fleming relate the technical and social history of ultrasound imaging-from early experiments in Glasgow in 1956 through wide deployment in the British hospital system by 1975 to its ubiquitous use in maternity clinics throughout the developed world by the end of the twentieth century. Obstetrician Ian Donald and engineer Tom Brown created ultrasound technology in Glasgow, where their prototypes were based on the industrial flaw detector, an instrument readily available to them in the shipbuilding city. As a physician, Donald supported the use of ultrasound for clinical purposes, and as a devout High Anglican he imbued the images with moral significance. He opposed abortion-decisions about which were increasingly guided by the ultrasound technology he pioneered - and he occasionally used ultrasound images to convince pregnant women not to abort the fetuses they could now see. "Imaging and Imagining the Fetus" explores why earlier innovators failed where Donald and Brown succeeded. It also shows how ultrasound developed into a "black box" technology whose users can fully appreciate the images they produce but do not, and have no need to, understand the technology, any more than do users of computers. These "images of the fetus may be produced by machines," the authors write, "but they live vividly in the human imagination."

How engineers and clinicians developed the ultrasound diagnostic scanner and how its use in obstetrics became controversial.

About the Author
Malcolm Nicolson is the director of the Centre for the History of Medicine, University of Glasgow. John E. E. Fleming worked as an engineer with Tom Brown to develop the first ultrasonic scanner to go into production, then as research technologist in Ian Donald's Department of Midwifery.

Reviews
This book, like the work that led to the development of the world's first successful ultrasound scanning technology, is a pioneering effort. -- Nano Khilnani Biz India Magazine An excellent historical account and celebration of one of the unsung heroes of modern obstetrics. -- Marcellina Coker Obs Gynae & Midwifery News I have learnt a lot from this well researched book. It contributes to a lively field in a novel way, and raises many interesting questions. -- Tatjana Buklijas Social History of Medicine An important contribution to our understanding of ultrasound fetal imaging and to literature on the history of medicine, science, and technology. -- Lisa M. Mitchell Bulletin of the History of Medicine



Book Information
ISBN 9781421407937
Author Malcolm Nicolson
Format Hardback
Page Count 336
Imprint Johns Hopkins University Press
Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press
Weight(grams) 567g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 27mm