History of medical ultrasound

Abstract

Since the foundation of the World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology in 1976, the preservation of the historical record and the dissemination of the knowledge of the history of medical ultrasound has been one of the Federation’s responsibilities as enshrined in its Constitution. Formally, this responsibility is carried by the History and Archives Committee. In practice, however, the work has been undertaken by small numbers of enthusiasts and, particularly, by the archivists of the affiliated Societies and other organisations that maintain collections of equipment, photographs, and written records. A very successful Symposium on the History of Medical Ultrasound was held by WFUMB in Washington DC in 1988: this brought together many of the pioneers. Also, during the period since 1988, 15 historical review papers, occupying 450 pages, have been published in Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, which is the official journal of WFUMB. In reality, history is a living subject: the causes and effects of historical events need to be put into context. Recognising this, WFUMB is seeking to promote an appreciation of the history of medical ultrasound during this Tenth Congress by distributing a CD to all delegates to serve as a reference source, and by staging a Plenary Lecture by Dr. Ramunas Kondratas, Curator in the Division of Science, Medicine, and Society at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.