Physics for Health Science applies the concepts and principles of physics to medicine and healthcare. It deals with understanding body functions in health and disease, and uses various medical instruments that rely on physics concepts. Some key areas of application include understanding circulatory and nervous systems, measuring vital signs like blood pressure and temperature, and using instruments like X-rays, ultrasounds, ECGs and MRIs for diagnosis and treatment. Physics concepts like mechanics, properties of matter, and electromagnetic radiation are fundamental to many medical devices and imaging technologies.

1. HBS 100 (Physics for Health
Science )
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICS FOR HEALTH SCIENCE

2. Presentation Outline
• Definition of Physics for Health Science
• Branches of Physics for Health Science
• Applications of Physics for Health Science

3. Definition of Physics for Health Science
• Physics: Physics is considered basic science because it deals with matter and
energy and its transformation. It is about the nature of basic things such as motion
forces and energy. These basics things are called mechanics. Other than properties
of mechanics Physics also deals with the properties of matter, heat, light, sound,
magnetism, electricity, nuclear energy and structures.
• Physics for Health Science is the application of the knowledge of physics to
medicine or healthcare.
• It also deals with the application of concepts and methods from physics to the
diagnosis and treatment of human disease.

4. Applications of Physics for Health Science
1. Understanding of the functions of human body in health
conditions (physics of physiology) and to understanding of the
functions of human body in disease conditions (physics of
pathology)
2. In the instrumentation used in diagnosis and treatment of diseases
(clinical medical physics)

5. Applications in understanding the body
physiology in health conditions
• The laws of physics are applied in all aspects of body function.
• Knowledge of the laws of physics will therefore help in understanding
the body physiology in health conditions. Eg
 Pumping of blood by the heart and its flow back to the heart
(circulatory system)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ1_TAwCUWw
 Conducting electrical impulse to the brain and stimulation of the
responses (nervous system),
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9M2_0wwumo

6. Applications in understanding the body
physiology in health conditions
VITAL SIGNS
Can be observed, measured, and monitored to assess an individual's
level of physical functioning.
• Blood pressure
• Temperature
• Pulse rate
• Respiratory rate
 Homeostasis

7. BLOOD PRESSURE
• Normal Values:
• 80/45 (infants)
• 120/80 (30 years old)
• 140/85 ( 40 years old and over)
• Higher in men than in women and children
• Lowest during sleep
Physics Concepts:
• Ideal Gas Law
• Force pump

9. TEMPERATURE
The degree of body heat
• Results from metabolism (the
conversion of food into protein,
carbohydrates and fats with the
release of energy in the form of
heat)

10. TEMPERATURE
Temperature regulators in humans :
• Perspiring
• evaporation through pores in the skin
• Panting
• evaporation through pores in the mouth
• Shivering
• activates certain muscles to increase metabolism and thereby warms
the body

12. 2. Applications In the instrumentation used in
diagnosis and treatment of diseases
• The use of clinical thermometer to measure body temperature in order
to identify a disease condition
• The use of spignometer to measure blood pressure
• The use of stethoscope to feel the rhythms of the heart beat
• The use of microscopes to magnify and see microorganisms in
samples collected from patients to identify causes of diseases
• The use of X-rays to produce images of bones and other hard body
components to identify diseases or causes of diseases.

13. X-Rays
• X-rays: photons of electromagnetic radiation produced when a target of
heavy metal is struck by electrons travelling at high speed. Approx. 1%
of the electrons produce an X-ray photon  the rest is lost in heating
up the target
• Uses
- identify bone fractures
- identify tooth decay
- identify tumours & disease in soft tissue
- treatment of tumours by radiotherapy
- treatment of cancers (radiotherapy) with high energy X-rays

14. Ultrasound
•Ultrasound: sounds above the audible
frequency range for humans
•Uses: non-invasive imaging, used to detect
distances, depths and for medical purposes

15. Ultrasound
• Ultrasound is often used to detect functions inside the
body:
• Sound waves are passed through a gel on the skin to
prevent reflection as it passes from one tissue to
another (velocity change) absorbed by tissue material
& reflected by many percentages depending on the
tissue type

16. Ultrasound
• This determines an overall
image when the wave is
connected to a receiver

17. Sound in Medicine
• Doctors have used stethoscopes to listen
to human body’s internal sounds since the
early 19th century and the ultrasound
imaging has develop to a powerful device
in obstetrics and other medical aspects
that expectant mothers need to know the
gender of their offspring by 20 weeks of
development.

18. Other Instrumentations applying
• Electrocardiograph (ECG)
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Ultrasound (eg echocardiography or sonography)
• Lasers.
• Spectrophotometry
• Radiation therapy for cancer