In a previous blog, I mentioned the name “John Wild”. John Wild is considered to be the father of modern ultrasonic technology.
He invented ultrasonic imaging techniques used to view live soft tissue inside a human. His discovery would eventually become the standard for medical screening and diagnosis.
Influence in Ultrasonic Technology
John’s field of expertise did not stop with the medical world. At the early age of 14, he was awarded his first patent for an automatic valve that distributed hot and cold bathwater evenly. Later, he became a surgeon specializing in venereal diseases. In 1944, Wild joined the Royal Army and reached the rank of major.
While with the British army, he contributed to other parts of the war efforts as well. During WWII, when petroleum was low, John discovered a way to convert Harley Davidson motorcycles with side-cars to run on fuel produced from charcoal.
His work as a surgeon led him to discover that pulse-echo ultrasound, or sonic energy, could be reflected as it echoes from soft biological tissue. This discovery in the 1950’s pioneered the production of ultrasonic images of living tissue in real time.
Wild would go on to establish the Medical Technological Research Department at St. Barbabas Hospital in Minneapolis. He received many prestigious awards for his contributions to the field of technology and medicine. He passed away in 2009 at the age of 95, but his legacy to the world of ultrasonic technology will never die.
