L1 Biophysics

• Study of biophysics helps a nurse understand the following contents of nursing:
• Measurement:

  • Accuracy in preparation of medications
  • Assessment of patients by measurement of vital signs
• Motion:

  • Inertia in accidents
  • Physiological reaction to high velocity centrifuges
• Gravity:

  • Circulation of blood
  • Postoperative position
  • Postural drainage
  • ESR estimation
  • Dependent position for edema patient
• Center of gravity:

  • Body mechanics
  • Crutch walking
  • Lifting and turning patients
• Specific gravity:

  • Underwater exercises
  • Examination of body fluids
• Force:

  • Torques in traction
  • Muscle action
• Pressure:

  • Suction
  • Positive pressure ventilation
  • Administration of irrigation and parenteral fluid
  • Internal and external respiration
  • Oxygen therapy
• Heat:

  • Thermometry
  • Steam inhalation
  • Thermography
  • Application of heat and cold application
  • Basal metabolism
  • Autoclave and sterilization
• Light and sound:

  • Actions of lenses
  • Microscopy
  • Refraction
  • Audiometry
  • Use of mirrors in apparatus
  • Ophthalmoscope
  • Visual fields
  • Human audibility
• Work and energy:

  • Circulation of blood
  • Pulse formation
  • Work done by heart and skeletal muscles
• Molecular physics:

  • Artificial kidney
  • Surface tension of antiseptics
  • Colloidal dispersions
  • Viscosity of blood
• Atomic physics:

  • High energy radiation
  • Radioisotopes
  • X-ray therapy
  • Tracer studies of metabolism
  • Precautions in use of radioactive material
  • Half-life in radiotherapy
• Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that applies approaches and methods traditionally used in physics to study biological phenomena
• In 1982, Karl Pearson introduced the term "Bio-Physics" in The Grammar of Science to describe the science that links the physical and biological sciences
• First group of people to conduct the study of biophysics were conducted during the 1840s by a group known as "the Berlin School of Physiologist"
• Members of the Berlin School of Physiologist:

  • Hermann von Helmholtz
  • Ernst Heinrich Weber
  • Carl F. W. Ludwig Johannes Muller
• Johannes Peter Muller was a German physiologist, comparative anatomist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist
• "Gang of four": Emil du Bois-Reymond, Ernst von Brücke, Hermann von Helmholtz, and Carl Ludwig, all being physicians and students of Johannes Müller, developed a research program based on the rejection of the prevailing notion that living animals depend on special biological laws
• Adolf Fick published what is probably the first biophysics text in 1856
• Erwin Schrödinger dominated Biophysics and studied the effects of radiation on living things
• The book "What is Life?" written in 1944 explores the basic principles of biology and physics
• The book connects genetics, thermodynamics, and quantum mechanics to understand the fundamental nature of life
• James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the double helix structure of DNA in 1953 with the help of Rosalind Franklin's X-ray crystallography research
• Rosalind Franklin also contributed new insight on the structure of viruses, laying the foundation for structural virology
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to create detailed images of organs and tissues within the body
• Examples of when an MRI scanner would be used include anomalies of the brain and spinal cord, tumors, cysts, breast cancer screening, injuries or abnormalities of joints, certain heart problems, diseases of the liver and abdominal organs, and more
• Computed Tomography (CT or CAT) scans help diagnose diseases and create new treatment methods using a combination of X-rays and a computer to create detailed pictures of organs, bones, and tissues
• A pacemaker is a small device placed under the skin in the chest to help control heartbeats, particularly for arrhythmias
• Areas of Biophysics include membrane biophysics, computational/theoretical biophysics, protein engineering, molecular structures, and mechanisms
• Biophysicists work to overcome disease, produce renewable energy sources, design technologies, and solve scientific mysteries
• Biophysicists use computer modeling methods to manipulate protein and virus structures, study molecules in motion, build neural networks for neuroscience, and apply biophysics to bioengineering, nanotechnologies, and biomaterials
• Biophysicists have been essential in developing diagnostic imaging techniques, medical applications, and understanding ecosystems
• Biophysicists work in universities, hospitals, tech startups, and engineering companies
• Historical figures in biophysics include Heraclitus, Epicurus, Gallen, Leonardo Da Vinci, Borelli, Giovanni Alfonso Borelli, and Luigi Calvani/Alessandro Volta
• Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz (31 August 1821 – 8 September 1894) was a German physicist and physician who made significant contributions in several scientific fields, particularly hydrodynamic stability
• Helmholtz Association, the largest German association of research institutions, is named in his honor.
• His contributions in different fields are:

  Mathematics concerning the eye

  Mechanical foundations of thermodynamics

  Law of perception and law of nature
• Ernst Heinrich Weber (24 June 1795 – 26 January 1878) was a German physician who is considered one of the founders of experimental psychology.
• His studies on sensation and touch,