The Beatles’ gift to… science?

October 21, 2008

I learned something new today, and one I did not expect to learn from a medical journal. Through the years, I’ve been editing STM (scientific, technical, and medical) articles, and rarely have I learned anything plainly because the topics are usually way beyond my understanding, and science is really not my forte.

Reading through the article about the Nobel Prize laureates in the field of physics and medicine, I was led to The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust Web site. Surprise, surprise. The title of my article’s reference is, The Beatles greatest gift… is to science!

Just the words The Beatles already caught my attention. I initially thought I clicked on the wrong site. What’s that phenomenal music group got to do with science? I’ve read a lot about their contributions to music, their huge influence on their society (both good and bad), and John Lennon’s controversies, including his statement, “We’re [the Beatles] more popular than Jesus.”

I like the Beatles. I wish there is a group such as that at this time—the Fab Four’s music transcended time and defied geographical and sociocultural boundaries. They touched the lives of not only those from Liverpool but also from across nations.

The article is discussing about the important invention of the CT scanner, believing it to be “one of the top five medical developments of the twentieth century.” Here are some of the excerpts:

As a direct result of The Beatles’ success, Dr Timmis claimed, the [CT] scanner’s inventor, Sir Godfrey Hounsfield, was able to devote about four years developing the scanner from its 1968 prototype, to something that could be used in a clinical setting. His work was done in the Central Research Laboratory, a facility near Heathrow airport that was part of the EMI Group. Having sold 200 million of the Fab Four’s singles, (at seven inches, almost enough vinyl to stretch the length of the equator) the Beatles’ record company, EMI, was able to fund Hounsfield to do his research and the scanner was ready be used in hospitals in the 1970’s.

Dr Timmis said that EMI’s research had initially estimated a worldwide need for only 25 of the machines, but thanks to their decision to invest in the pioneering technology, now there are thousands of the scanners worldwide being used in hospitals every day.

Although it was actually the EMI (the Beatle’s record company) who funded the research, I still think it’s nice that this very significant invention is a “direct result of the Beatles’ success.” I’m one with the many people who think that The Beatles is not just a rock-and-roll band!