The life of the inventor of mammography Stafford L Warren

Stafford L. Warren was one of the most important contributors to radiology during his lifetime. Not only was he the first doctor to perform a mammogram, but he was also involved in making UCLA one of the most prestigious medical universities in the country, was special assistant on mental disabilities to Presidents John F Kennedy and Lyndon B Johnson, and helped the US government on nuclear weapons tests before speaking out about the dangers of nuclear fallout from weapons tests, which were controversial at the time. However, his strong views would eventually be considered, leading to the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963.

Born in New Mexico in 1896, Stafford L. Warren attended the University of California, Berkeley, graduating with his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1918. Heading to the University of California, San Francisco, he graduated with his Ph.D. in Medicine in 1922. and then did postdoctoral work at John Hopkins School of Medicine and Harvard University.

Warren became an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine in 1926. Since the Department of Radiology was brand new at the time, Warren was one of the original group of medical professionals that Dean George Whipple chose to train. part of the faculty staff. By 1930, Warren was an associate professor of medicine. He began studying the work of Albert Salomon, a sociologist at the University of Berlin who produced more than 3,000 images of mastectomy specimens and extensively studied the many forms and stages of breast cancer. Since Salomon was not interested in acknowledging the life-saving aspects of his discoveries, Warren expanded his research, using radiology to track changes in breast tissue and developing a stereoscopic technique in which the patient lay on her side with one arm raised while being x-rayed. This was a breakthrough for breast cancer screening, as it made breast cancer diagnosis possible without surgery. Warren later published “A Radiological Study of the Breast” in 1930. Today, Warren is cited as the inventor of mammography for his breast imaging technique. Every year, mammograms are responsible for diagnosing millions of cases of breast cancer, effectively saving the lives of women around the world.

Having reached a major milestone in his career and having developed a new technique to save lives, Warren went on to take on a new project: overseeing the health and safety of thousands of people during the Manhattan Project. His new position meant being responsible for the safety aspects of the detonation of the Trinity nuclear test at Alamogordo, New Mexico on July 16, 1945. He later took charge of radiation safety when he led a team of surveyors to Japan and the atoll. Bikini in 1946, where more nuclear tests were conducted. Warren was in charge of evaluating the radioactive contamination of the environment and the atmosphere, so he was horrified.

In response to this, in an article for LIFE magazine in 1947, he wrote: “The development of atomic bombs has presented the world with a variety of formidable scientific, moral, and political problems, almost all of them still unresolved.” He went on to write an in-depth analysis of the effects of the bombs, the people and environment affected, the length of time the effects of the bomb lasted, the security measures used during the Bikini expedition in which “a month passed before men could stay on some of the boats for more than an hour”, and “300 men from the security section lived and worked in the contaminated area to protect some 42,000 members of the Bikini expedition. Each group that entered the target area He was accompanied by a security team monitoring who determined how long he could stay.” The men were then carefully bathed when they returned, and if their Geiger counters indicated radioactive contamination, they were to bathe again. “Occasionally, when a man removed his protective gloves in the ‘hot’ area, security would have to dissolve the outer layer of skin on his hands with acid.” Clothing and other materials found to be too contaminated were sunk into the ocean a mile below the surface, because there was literally “no other way to permanently keep them away from humans.”

In the article, Warren concluded that no one involved can ever prepare atomic weapons and that “no defense would have been effective. The only defense against atomic bombs is still beyond the reach of science. It is the prevention of atomic warfare.” “

Warren left his position in 1946 and became Chief of the Medical Section of the Atomic Energy Commission, which is a civilian agency that succeeded the Manhattan Project; and later received the Army Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit for his contributions to atomic and radioactive weapons safety.

In 1947, Warren was once again heading a new medical college, this time UCLA, which had been voted to establish a medical school for southern California. He was named the school’s first dean. In 1951 the first students enrolled, 28 in total, and there were 15 teachers. In 1955, when the class graduated, there were 43 teachers. UCLA Medical Center officially opened in 1955, and Warren passed many milestones and accomplishments while he was there, including the addition of schools of Dentistry, Nursing, and Public Health.

Warren was not only responsible for the invention of mammography, but also for a number of impressive achievements related to radiation safety and education. His inventions and teachings continue to save lives every day, making him one of the great medical innovators of our time.