Introduction to Technology

Chapter 14: Medical Biotechnologies

Chapter Summaries

Section 14.1
Medical technology is a biotechnology. Biotechnologies make use of information about living things. Prevention involves technologies that remove or kill pathogens. Governments remove pathogens from water supplies. Sanitation removes waste that causes disease or contaminates. Immunization helps the body fight disease. Ergonomics is the design of equipment and environments to promote safety, health, and well-being.

Section 14.2
Using microscopes, doctors and technicians can examine body fluids for pathogens and other signs of disease. In genetic testing, a person’s genes are examined. Genes are the carriers of heredity. Imaging machines show doctors the inside of the body. The first imaging machine was the X-ray machine. Imaging technologies include CT scans, MRIs, ultrasound, and endoscopes.

Section 14.3
Penicillin was the first antibiotic. Many important medicines have been developed. In recent years, laser surgery has become important. Lasers do not cause bleeding. Implants are small electronic devices inserted in the body. People who are blind or deaf may recover partially or completely. Genetic engineering alters or combines genetic material to treat a disease or modify the body. Telemedicine is medicine at a distance.