On-board electronics – For health reasons

2023-08-03 13:59:02

Prostheses are part of the great medico-surgical contributions to the quality of life. Dentures from Egypt seem to be the oldest. Spectacles began to become widespread in the late Middle Ages. The acoustic trumpets followed, completing to overcome three deficiencies of our species.

The wooden leg is probably the first orthopedic prosthesis, already mentioned in antiquity, pirates made it famous. Current prostheses are miraculous, to the point of eradicating lameness.

The first synthetic cornea dates from the French Revolution. It was not until 1950 that the first plastic lenses were implanted, while cataract surgery had been practiced for 4000 years.

The artificial kidney dates from the 1940s, has allowed the survival of many patients. The artificial heart has not yet proven itself, but prosthetic heart valves have enabled good survivals. Finally, prosthetic electronics became commonplace in 1958 with the famous pacemaker.

These audacious feats have saved millions of years of quantity-quality of life for a derisory cost.

After the 1980s, the profitability of prosthetics fell sharply, like many dazzling, brilliant and expensive technological advances with poor health profitability.

The electronics added to certain orthopedic prostheses have allowed slight improvements at a prohibitive cost. Proponents of an exoskeleton believed to improve gait following stroke don’t bother to verify the lack of negative feedback for brain recovery. As for the electronic voice prosthesis for laryngectomees, it takes a lot of enthusiasm to believe that it will help some old smokers. For hearing, cochlear implants are offered, they also target the large tinnitus market. Caution is required.

Electronic audacity is now limitless. An electronic capsule claims to be able to stimulate hunger in anorexics. It is therefore necessary to foresee an increase in the obesity market, while waiting for electronics capable of reducing appetite. The ideal would be a capsule equipped with an on/off button that can be manipulated from your smartphone. For the other end of the intestines, a vibrating capsule is proposed to treat constipation. Yes Yes.

An electronic implant the size of a grain of sand can measure blood sugar, cholesterol and various protein levels and transfer them via bluetooth to a computer. I let you imagine the excitement of these patients and doctors in front of this biological and electronic communion. However, let us correct the words of these blissful transhumanists: the prostheses have not “increased” A wise manthey simply compensated – sometimes brilliantly – for some of its deficiencies.

All this on-board electronics will do nothing for public health. As for the ecological aspect, it will be necessary to provide for recycling in the funeral chambers.

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