Which Medical Technologies Were Developed by Accident?Which Medical Technologies Were Developed by Accident?

Inventions that were discovered inadvertently often make for good stories. For instance, consider how a Raytheon engineer named Percy Spencer became known as the inventor of the microwave oven. While working on a radar research project after World War II, he stood in front of microwave-emitting vacuum tubes known as magnetrons. He reported feeling a tingling sensation and later noticed that the Mr. Goodbar candy bar he had in his pocket had melted. Then, working under the assumption that the magnetron equipment was the cause, his next inclination was to put some unpopped popcorn in front of the device. The result was the first microwave popcorn.

A recent slideshow presentation on EDN cites the above example, along with 9 other examples of inventions that were developed, at least partially, by accident.

Two of those examples relate directly to the field of medical technology: the accidental discovery of the x-ray by German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen who observed that the electromagnetic radiation from Crookes tubes could travel through solid objects.

Accident played a role in the development of the implantable cardiac pacemaker as well. In the 1950s, Wilson Greatbatch was developing an oscillator to detect heart sounds. He selected a resistor that provided an amount of resistance other than what he intended but later discovered that it provided a steady electrical pulse. Two years later, he had developed the first implantable pacemaker.

Along with the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming, the development of the implantable pacemaker and x-ray technologies are the most commonly referenced examples of medical technologies discovered by accident.

The premise that technologies are discovered accidentally is itself not solid, explains Patrick Driscoll, president and founder of MedMarket Diligence LLC (Foothill Ranch, CA) on Quora. "What I think is more accurate, and lends more credibility to the scientists (and innovators) involved, is that during the course of experimentation of scientific principles (microwaves, X-ray, adhesives at 3M, etc.) scientists inadvertently discovered [an unexpected result]. 

Having established that point, it does seem clear that accident has played a role in many technologies that are widely used--many of them used in the field of medical technology as well as for other industrial applications. Take for instance, stainless steel as an example. In 1912, metallurgist Harry Brearly was working on improving the durability of gun barrels by using a variety of steel alloys. While none of them performed as he would have hoped, he noticed that a sample with roughly 12 percent chromium did not rust.

Cyanoacrylate, which is the generic name for what is commonly known as "Superglue," is another example of an accidental discovery. The adhesive was first discovered in 1942 as researchers were looking to develop materials for plastic gun sights. The American scientists rejected the material because its extreme adhesion. The material was rediscovered nearly a decade later in 1951 by Eastman Kodak researchers Harry Coover and Fred Joyner.

Brian Buntz is the editor-in-chief of MPMN. Follow him on Twitter at @mpmn and @brian_buntz.