From sonar to medical ultrasound—The impact of Paul Langevin

Abstract

The technical developments and discoveries of Paul Langevin figuratively and literally powered an incredible spectrum of scientific achievement. The quartz transducer technology of his 1918 patent (Procédé et appareils d'émission et de réception des ondes élastiques sous-marines à l'aide des propriétés piézo-électriques du quartz. – French Patent No. 505,703) enabled a level of acoustic output power generally unavailable at ultrasonic frequencies along with an increase in detection sensitivity. While there were disputes as to who should have been included on this patent, its effect on the field of ultrasonics is clear. The impetus for this work was largely high-power sonar for military application but his reported observations of effects on fish and even humans ushered in a new era of ultrasound bioeffects investigations including those of the famous Loomis Laboratory and numerous others. This is arguably the genesis of the rich tradition of research in ultrasound bioeffects and helped drive the pursuit of diagnostic and therapeutic applications of ultrasound including work by such famous researchers as the Fry Brothers. This presentation will review the evolution of bioeffects from the Langevin’s work and its impact on the field of medical ultrasound.