医学物理学科是医学影像和肿瘤治疗等大型医疗装备研发的源头学科

The Physical Problems in Medicine

按照世界卫生组织(WHO)的宣示,支持人类健康的基础学科主要是物理,化学和信息学。化学是药物的基础;物理是医疗器械的基础;而诊断和治疗依靠的是病人的信息。因此,医学和物理融合后形成的新学科:医学物理学科是医疗器械(包括医疗仪器和医疗装备)原始创新研发的源头学科。自从伦琴1895年发现X-射线并迅速在疾病诊断领域应用以来,以医学影像设备为代表的仪器装备是当今诊断领域内发展速度最快、技术最为复杂的一类大型医疗设备;自从居里夫人在19世纪末发现镭的天然放射性同位素并很快用于肿瘤治疗以来,以放疗为代表的各种装置是肿瘤治疗仪器和设备中使用最为广泛和效果最好的肿瘤治疗装置。虽然上述复杂的医疗装备的研发需要多学科人才的共同努力,但是处于这些学科核心地位的是医学物理学科。世界上50多年来已经形成并快速发展的医学物理学科已经定义了自己的学科的主流领域:医学影像物理和放疗物理,医学物理的领域还在不断扩大。关于这方面的认识已经越来越被人们所接受。从医疗器械装备有关高新技术产业发展的需要,强调重视医学物理源头学科并建立研发基地和临床实习基地的重要性。

According to the World Health Organization （WHO）, the basic sciences to support the human health are chemistry, physics and informatics. Chemistry is the base of pharmacy. Physics is the base of medical instruments and equipments （MIE）. The diagnosis and therapy of diseases are relying on informatics. Therefore, as the fusion results of physics and medicine, medical physics is the creative source science of MIE. Among all diagnosis tools, medical imaging devices arethe fastest-developed and the most-complicated MIE since Roentgen discovered X-ray which was quickly used in medical diagnosis in 1895. Among all treatment tools, the radiotherapeutical devices are the most-widely used and the most effective MIE for tumor treatments since Mrs. Courier found the nature radiation isotope Radium at the end of 19th century and began to use it in tumor therapy. Although the research and development （R＆D） of so-complicated MIE need many subjects of science and engineering, the kernel science is medical physics. With the results of more than 50 years＇ development in developed countries, medical physics has defined its own field, which is the medical imaging physics and the radiotherapeutical physics. But, the definition has been expanded to be wider and wider. Therefore, we should pay more attention to the establishment of Medical Physics in China. In order to develop medical physics in china, the bases of R＆D and clinical practice should be also built.