| There have been many advances in the medical | | | | to the camera outside. The gamma rays travel |
| industry over the years and there continues to be | | | | through the nuclear medicine collimator before |
| more and more as time passes. Some of the | | | | entering the head of the camera which contains |
| advances in medicine are mere stops on the way | | | | crystals. |
| to something much better, but some of the | | | | The science behind how the gamma camera |
| others are ones that came about before their | | | | works is nuclear science and a bit hard to |
| time and they have hung around for a long time. | | | | understand, but the important thing for all of us is |
| One such medical advancement was the gamma | | | | that it does work. It has saved many lives by |
| camera. It has seen some modifications and | | | | detecting breast cancer in the early stages |
| improvements over the years, but it has | | | | allowing the victims of breast cancer to have a |
| remained intact for the most part over the years. | | | | much better chance of survival. |
| It was invented by a man named Hal Anger in the | | | | One of the main benefits of the gamma camera |
| early 1950's. He was an accomplished nuclear | | | | is the balance of accuracy and pin point detail with |
| scientist who understood the ability to combine | | | | cost and size. Because it is small enough to fit in |
| nuclear science with medicine. | | | | the doctor's office, it is also a lot cheaper to use |
| Hal Anger developed the gamma camera, which | | | | than the cousin of it, the MRI machine. |
| uses gamma rays emitted from inside the patient | | | | |