World Congress on MP & BE Being Held in Kyoto

The World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering is being held in Kyoto
16th International Conference on Medical and Biomedical Engineering and he 9th International Conference on Medical Physics opened in Kyoto on July 7, 1991, with the blending of the old and the new - the history and traditional culture of Kyoto with the global importance of science and technology. The main theme of the conference, "The Frontiers of Medicine and Health Care - Important Issues for the Next Millennium," seemed emphasize the city's 1,000-year history.
The conference is being held between July 7 and July 12 at the Kyoto International Conference Hall. Two thousand participants from around the world are expected to attend. The event is sponsored by the Science Council of Japan and other medical and scientific organizations.
The conference opened with the demonstration of noh, Japanese traditional dramatic art.
As Hiroshi Abe, president of the World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, pointed out in his opened address, the world is moving toward "globalization" and this trend is also emerging in science and technology. He stressed the development of the "internationalization of medical care," the networking of medical information, and the provision of medical assistance to developing countries.
In welcoming the conference members to Japan, Jiro Kondo, president of the Science Council of Japan, drawing the connection between ancient and modern medicine, stressed the historical medical achievements of Asia, especially China, and noted the progress that Japan has made in medical high technology in recent years.
Dr. Lawrence H. Lanzl, president of the IUPESM, in addressing the conference, noted his personal experience and appreciation for biomedical engineering by relating the story of his heart attack and subsequent brush with death.
Dr. Robert H. Nerem, president of the IFMBE, (and newly installed president of the IUPESM) greeted the audience in Japanese, noting that, "I am at that dangerous stage - I know enough to ask a question, but not enough to understand the answer." The quip drew laughter from members who seemed to understand the difficulties of learning Japanese.
In his greetings, Dr. John R. Cunningham, president of the IOMP, noted his admiration for the conference's organizing committee. "During the first day, the wheels must be put into motion, but on subsequent days, they only needed to be oiled, "he said, of a difficult job well done. He noted nods of agreement from members of the audience.
Congratulatory statements also were read by representatives of Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu, Minister of Foreign Affairs Taro Nakayama and Teiichi Aramaki, the governor of Kyoto Prefecture.
The program concluded with a medley of folk songs from previous conference host countries performed by the Kyoto Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra.

For Medical Progress
By Hiroshi Abe
President, the World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering The World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering is the association of the 16th International Conference on Medical and Biological Engineering and the 9th International Conference on Medical Biophysics. Since 1976, this world congress has been held all over the world, and is the sixth cooperative world congress.
The main theme of this World Congress id "The Frontiers of Medicine and Health Care - Important Issues for the Next Millennium." Reviewing recent world affairs, these tremendous currents can be understood by the concept that the world is moving toward globalism from sectionalism. The trend is also the case in the world of science and technology.
In the last decade, each field of science, especially medical and technological science, has greatly developed in its own field, but has hardly interacted with each other and, consequently, has left much undersolved. However, in recent years, scientists are reaching the conclusion that sectional developments of medical science and technology cannot make rapid or effective progress in modern medicine, because internationalization of medical care networks of medical information, and medical assistance to developing countries cannot be achieved without the concept and performance of globalism in science.
This concept of globalism should not be abstractive to understand medical and technical sciences as a whole, but should be realistic to solve each individual problem. I believe that there is a great demands on us, who are involved in medical engineering, to contribute to medical progress and world health care within the vision of globalism.
In order to achieve this, we need to evaluate medical problems without making borders, limitations and sectionalism. This borderless and sectionless way of thinking is the only solution to throwing a new light upon medical problems, which is our goal as scientists for the next decade.
The World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering has continuously provided a unique philosophy in solving problems with the combination of medical science and update technology. This achievement and performance have been pioneers for the direction of science, and I hope that this World Congress will be epochmaking in providing new concepts to face and overcome medical problems in the world.
It is my fervent hope that all participants gathered on this occasion will enthusiastically contribute to making new concepts for the formation of a borderless science world and return to their own country full of wisdom for the next decade.

A Memorable Congress
By Jiro Kondo
President, Science Council of Japan
The Science Council of Japan was established in 1949 as an organization of the government representing qualified Japanese scientists both here and abroad, covering all fields of cultural, social and natural sciences. The aim of the council is to promote scientific development and improve administration, industry and life through science.
Since the foundation of our council, we have been working to contribute to the progress of science in cooperation with academic organizations of the world by sponsoring many international congresses here in Japan, and by sending Japanese delegates to international congresses held overseas. We do this because we believe that the promotion of international scientific exchanges is one of our most important duties.
This congress is the sixth cooperative World Congress since 1976. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to its remarkable growth in terms of both quality and number of participants during that 15-year period.
I sincerely hope the World Congress enjoys great success. I also hope that each of you from abroad will enjoy your stay in Japan. Kyoto has been an old capital in Japan, and has many old temples and shrines that you may enjoy. I believe that this meeting will become truly memorable for you through personal contacts with fellow scientists, and that you will learn more about Kyoto, this unique city making new progress toward the 21st century. I hope that you will learn about Japanese culture as well as gain a worthwhile experience through participation in this congress during your stay in Kyoto.

Opening Lecture: Novel Light for Science Frontier
By Chiyoe Yamanaka
The recent developments of high power short wavelength lasers as well as synchrotrons radiation sources are reviewed. Applications of these novel light sources have strong influence on the research in medicine, energy and communication. The laser material processings including the biomedical application are briefly discussed. The new extremely bright lasers are the highlight in laser application which includes the X-ray laser, the laser particle accelerator, nuclear interaction as well as the laser nuclear fusion. The huge industrial applications are also presented. The coming century will be called the era of photons.
The energy concentration in spatial and temporal spot is an essential feature of the laser application. We can specify the high power lasers in three categories: the energy shortage type which has a small stimulated emission cross-section, the energy conversion type which has no energy storage and the extremely bright laser due to a very short pulse duration.
The 21st century will be the age of photons, while this 20th century is defined as the era of electrons. Photonics will then take over electronics.
In the 1980s, the laser application extended in wide ranges: optical fiber communications, CDs, laser printers, laser processing, laser medicine, laser chemistry and laser fusion, etc. The market share expanded 20 times in this decade.
In 1990, the second generation of laser starts. We can expect the new direction of applications. Until now, the laser applications are to utilize the energy of laser light in spatial and temporal distribution.
In the future, laser technology will develop in such fields using the light frequency phase and the momentum or energy of photons. The light computer, quantum well laser depending on quantum mechanics, laser cooling techniques, laser biotechnology and laser mechatronics laser fusion will be on the stage of application.

Contributing to Health Care

By Robert M. Nerem, President of IFMBE
It is a great pleasure for the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering (IFMBE) to be returning to Japan for its 16th International Conference.
This 1991 World Congress represents the sixth time that IFMBE has met together with the International Organization for Medical Physics, and this joint World Congress has become the premier meeting of its type, bringing a worldwide focus on technology in health care. Included in the meeting will be a spectrum of activities, ranging all the way from basic research to the application of engineering and physics in the hospital setting.
We are very appreciative of the extraordinary efforts that have been provided by Dr. Hiroshi Abe as World Congress president. Our major mission at this World Congress will be to evaluate the state of the art and to look into the future in research on and the application of technology in health care.
We are sure that the 1991 Kyoto World Congress will be the most successful such meeting ever.

By John R. Cunningham, President of IOMP
We are beginning a new decade, and are about to begin both a new century and a new millennium. The theme of this meeting will concentrate on "Important Issue for he Next Millennium." It will attempt to chart some of the directions and progress of research and applications, so that technology may better serve mankind through the field of medicine.
It gives me great pleasure, on behalf of the International Organization of Medical Physics (IOMP) to thank our Japanese colleagues for their willingness to organize and host this important meeting. I know from experience, what a difficult and time consuming task it is. I extend
particular thanks to the congress president, Dr. Hiroshi Abe, and to his hard working staff for undertaking this job.
I, personally, have attended and participated in other meetings in Japan, and therefore I have no hesitation in predicting that this meeting will be good and memorable, and that it will serve as a model for future meetings in the new millennium.

By Lawrence H. Lanzl, President of IUPESM
As president of the International Union of Physics and Engineering Sciences in Medicine. I want to welcome all of you to the World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering.
Three years ago, at our last World Congress in San Antonio, Texas, the International Union signed a contract to hold this congress here in historic Kyoto.
All of the scientific and engineering endeavors in our professions are directed at the health and welfare of the people in our national adhering societies as well as people of other nations. We are fortunate to work in fields of broad scope that encompass biological, physical, and medical sciences, and that we have opportunities like the present one to talk freely with colleagues from around the world.
I hope to have a chance to talk with many of you; and I trust that all of you will find this meeting a valuable contribution to your knowledge and experience at the professional and personal levels.

Seven Theme Sessions Scheduled July 8 - 10
From July 8 - 10, seven theme sessions under the respective titles of Micromechanical Systems, Microsensors and Teleoperation in Future Medicine; Medical Artificial Intelligence in the '90s; Cellular Engineering Applications in Medicine; Molecular Biology and Engineering Applications; MBE and MP in Developing Countries; Medical Imaging - Recent Progress of Fundamental Concepts in Radiological Imaging; and Medical Optics were held, generating lively discussions.
The following is a summary of the theme sessions entitled MBE and MP in Developing Countries which was chaired by Dr. M. Saito and Dr. M. Bracale in the afternoon of July 9 at the main hall. Included as subthemes were: The Role of Medical Technologies in Developing Countries, Medical Physics in the Developing Countries: Critical Issues, Collaborations in ME in Asian Countries, and Development of Medical Physics Infrastructure in India and South Asia.
In both developed and developing countries, medical engineering and medical physics are important areas of knowledge as they comprise the basics of medical treatment. In this sense, the necessity for development and diffusion of expertise in these areas in order to upgrade medical treatment in developing countries has long been pointed out. Committee have been set up to assist developing countries within the MBE and MP international organizations since around the 1970s, their main activities including the gathering and collation of opinions from within the organizations and people in related fields.
Although the necessity of medical engineering and medical physics in these countries as in developed countries is recognized, due to differences in national conditions, know-how and skills that match the needs of the former must be developed and made available to these countries while at the same time issues such as education must be resolved.
At the MBE and MP international conferences which are held once every three years, issues concerning developing countries have been taken up as major symposium themes, and since the 1985 Helsinki conference have come to be a theme shared by both organizations.
The task is not be easy, however, as conditions vary greatly among such nations including factors such as the differences in the mechanism of diseases and medical functions. A case in point are medical equipment and the environment in which they are used, the most obvious differences being heat and humidity.
Moreover, as international standards such as ICE are based on conditions existing in developing countries, although they are useful measures of quality control of medical appliance technology exchanges between developed nations, when applied to technological exports from developing countries where environmental conditions differ, they are found to be somewhat inadequate. In addition various differences including that of climate limit basic technology which can be used most efficiently in these countries.
Aid to developing countries is a longstanding issue. Although medical appliance technology was not fully recognized as an important area of aid in the past, the efforts of the members of the organizations have borne fruit and its importance is now recognized by people in related fields and has come to be regarded as a top priority issue.

IUPESM Presents Awards
The International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine (IUPESM) presented its Award of Merit to Dr. John Alexander Hopps, of Ottawa, Canada. Dr. Hopps, together with Doctors W. G Bigelow and J. C. Callaghan, developed the first cardiac pacemaker at the Cardiovascular Laboratory, Banting Institute, Toronto, in 1949-50. The cardiac pacemaker has become a very widely used instrument and has lead to the extension of life for millions of people, who went on to live full and productive lives.
The award is honor persons whose activities have had "considerable impact on the development of biomedical engineering or medical physics," said Nandor Richter of Budapest, Hungary, who presented the award in the name of the IUPESM. The award also is given for service to the international scientific organizations of medical physics and biomedical engineering.
"Dr. Hopps devoted his full life to biomedical engineering, promoting it both in the laboratory and in society, "said Richter in presenting the award. Richter also cited Hopps' indirect contribution to medical engineering. The development of the pacemaker "drew attention to medical engineering" and "certainly gave help to many other fields of biomedical engineering," Richter said.
"It is particularly appropriate that this should happen in Japan," Dr. Hopps said in accepting the award. "I have many happy memories of this country." Hopps' first association with international medical science took place in Tokyo in 1965 where he attended an IFMBE conference with a group of Canadians.
Dr. Hopps, however, was a little disappointed by the fact that he will not be able to fully enjoy the sights of Kyoto. "There's so much that we'd like to see, but we have to get back home," he said in an earlier interview during the president's reception.
"I'm anxious to see the temples and Kyoto Cultural Center," added his wife, Eleanor, during the reception "One of the nicest things for us is that we were at all of the last six conferences and we met all of our friends again."
Dr. Hopps served as secretary-general of the IUPESM from 1985 until 1988.
The IUPESM also presented two researchers with its "Young Investigators' Award." The first price went to Dr. Farshid Guliak, of Columbia University.
Dr. Oliver Thew, of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Germany, received the second place price.
The awards competition is open to young researchers, 32 years old or younger, who attend the congress.