Medical Inventors - do you ever wonder about them?

Not long ago, I was watching a piece on the television show 60 Minutes and it was about the inventor of the medical respirator, Dr. Forrest Bird. Many years ago, I worked in an intensive care unit and the respirators were often called "birds." I never stopped to wonder why, but now it makes sense.

Today, I was reading the news and I noticed that the inventor of ultrasound to detect cancerous tumors has died (Medical Inventor, Dr. John J. Wild Dies).

When I was watching the piece on Dr. Bird, I began to realize that we have so much around us that affects our life every day, yet most of us likely don't know how they came to be. I realize that some people don't really care, but I think many are like me and like to learn how certain inventions came about.

I've had many ultrasounds, for pregnancies and for illnesses that needed ruling out or diagnosing. When I think back to how the technology was invented, I can't imagine having such a vision of how something could work and then working for years on getting it to function the way you think it should. I mean, I think we all dream of something that we think would be the next greatest invention, but how many of us follow up on it?

If you get a chance to watch the Dr. Bird segment, I recommend it. It's eye opening (to me) to actually see someone who has made such an impact on human life around the world.

I'm the new Healthbolt blogger

I don't know if any of you have ever read Healthbolt, but it is a fun and quirky type of medical/health blog. It's part of the b5media network, where I used to write Help My Hurt, Womb Within and Cancer Commentary. Those three blogs were blended into a general Conditions and Diseases blog, for which I'm now the primary writer. I also write the Men's Health blog. So, they're keeping me busy there.

The fun in writing for Healthbolt is I can tackle some of the more unique stories. I've got some coming up about someone who makes beautiful glass art of viruses, bad breath destroying an astronaut's dream, and condom negotiation, just to name a few.

So if you're interested in this type of thing, I invite you to head on over and see what's in store for Healthbolt. And don't be shy. Comments and ideas are always appreciated!