1961 IRE TRANSACTIONS ON BIO-MEDICAL ELECTRONICS 229P

Medically- and Engineering-Oriented Facilities,

Instruction, and Research in
Bio-Medical Electronics*
V. W. BOLIEt, M. J. SWENSON$, W. B. BOASTI , AND R. GETTY §

INTRODUCTION in such publications as the IRE TRANSACTIONS ON Bio-

r I HE medical and engineering professions, in the MEDICAL ELECTRONICS, the IRE-PGME BIBLIOGRAPHY
broadest sense, have the same total goal, i.e., the ON MEDICAL ELECTRONICS, and one issue (vol. 47;
exploitation of basic science for the benefit of November, 1959) of the PROCEEDINGS OF THE IRE.
man. Thus, the dominant motive for research in either However, it was clear that much more could be ac-
of the two fields goes well beyond "knowledge for the complished if coordinated efforts were established at the
sake of knowledge." This similarity of total purpose was academic level.
in previous years a dormant, untapped potential. Ex- In 1957, a comprehensive academiiic progranm in bio-
cept for a few isolated contributions, the broad bio- medical electronics was initiated at Iowa State Unli-
medical concepts of naturally-developed information versity. For more than three years this program has
systems remained unavailable to the engineer, and the included a facilities program, a training program, and a
powerful analytical tools of the engineer remained un- research program, all of which are administered jointly
available to the bio-medical research worker. Concepts by the Colleges of Engineering and Veterinary Medicine
of medical instrumentation and mathematical treat- through a permanent administrative committee. This
ments of medical phenomena were largely limited to the committee is composed of the heads of the departmenits
traditional approach of biophysics and biochemistry. of Veterinary Anatomy, of Veterinary Physiology and
Bio-medical instrumentation was seen as a problem Pharmacology, and of Electrical Engiiieering, the asso-
of national proportion in the 1955 meeting of the Biology ciate directors of the Veterinary Medical Research In-
Council, sponsored by the Dept. of the Air Force, the stitute and the Engineering Experiment Station, and
Dept. of the Navy, and the AEC. According to the the chairman of Bio-Medical Electronics. The chairmani
resultant 1956 report by Klopsteg:1 has equal responsibilities to the Colleges of Engineering
and Veterinary Medicine through the dual appointmeint
"There is need for action in the area of biomedical of Professor of Electrical Engineering and Professor of
instrumentation .. matters cannot be left to the Veterinary Physiology.
laissez-faire treatment." As partially reported on several other occasions,3"6
"The university must be urged to set up needed this program has developed to the point where a specially
courses, to employ and recognize the personnel re- designed laboratory research building is nearing com-
quired to handle instruction, and to see that the pletion, many graduate students have been trained
teaching is as carefully organized as are the more through special courses, and numerous research projects
orthodox items in the curriculum." are in various stages of completion. The objectives of
the program are training and research in 1) advanced
The Klopsteg report, of course, did not produce im- design of instruments for biological and medical meas-
mediate changes. In fact, the previous trend of unco- urements, 2) advanced instrumental methods for solving
ordinated research efforts in bio-medical instrtumenta- biological and medical research problems, 3) applica-
tion continued with noteworthy results in many cases. tions of feedback theory to the studv of physiological
Some of these significant contributions were noted in a
1956 survey by Bolie.2 Many others have been reported I V. W. Bolie, "Comments on the I.S.U.
Biomedical Electronics
Program," summary of panel discussion "New Challenges to Electri-
cal Engineers from Medical and Biolobical Problems," AIEE Winter
*
Received by the PGBME, February 15, 1961. General Meeting, New York, N. Y.; February, 1960.
t Prof. of Elec. Engrg. and Veterinary Physiology. 4 D. King, "The biomedical electronics program at I.S.U.," The
$ Head, Dept. of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology. Iowa State University Veterinarian, vol. 22, pp. 150-151; March,
1 Prof. and Head, Dept. of Elec. Engrg.
§ Prof. and Head, Dept. of Veterinary Anatomy.
1960.
6 V. W. Bolie, et al., "Special Design of the I.S.U. Bio-Medical
Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. Electronics Laboratory Building," presented at the Symp. on Edu-
1 P. E. Klopsteg, "Instrumentation in Bio-Medical Research," cational Frontiers in Bio-Medical Engineering, Burlington, Vt.; May,
Publication 472, Natl. Acad. of Sciences, Natl. Res. Council, Library 1960.
of Congress 57-6001-7, Washington, D. C.; December, 1956. 6 V. W. Bolie, et al., "A comprehensive academic programme ini
2 V. W. Bolie, "Electronics in medical research," Proc. Iowa biomedical electronics," ProC. Third Internatl. Conf. on Medical Elet-
Acad. Sci., vol. 64, pp. 272-275; April, 1957. tronics, London, Eng., IEE, Loondoni, pp. 150-151; July, 1960.

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230 IRE TRANSACTIONS ON BIO-AIEDICAL ELECTRONICS Oc lober^

functionis, 4) applications of informationi theory to the essary compromiiises could have beeni resolved satisfac-
study of anatomical structures and functions, and 5) torily without these maniy interdisciplinary coniferenices.
applications of biological concepts to the design of self-
organizing data systems. INSTRUCTION
The purpose of this paper is to present a detailed MIaniy commllercial and government orgainizations in
description of the program together with a discussion the United States are expanding their activities in the
based on our previous experienice with it. It is hoped area of bio-medical electronics and its ramifications in
that the opinions expressed in the discussion will be of computer design, space technology, and medical auto-
some value to others now organizing, or planning to mation. However, more time Imlust elapse before a clear-
organize, similar programs. cut demand for bio-medical engineers in large quanti-
ties develops. Furthermore, the greatest need at present
FACILITIES is ani increased supply of research-level personnel with
Facilities for the Iowa State University Bio-MVledical sufficient interdisciplinary training anid experience to
Electronics program have in the past been furnished by actually inifluence the direction of development of the
the Departmenits of Veterinary Anatomy, of Veterinary field itself. For these reasons, courses of instructioni in
Physiology and Pharmacology, and of Electrical En- our bio-medical electronics program were designied pri-
gineering, and will still be used to some extent for re- marily for graduate students seeking ani official minior
lated activities in the future. It was realized shortly in the subject.
after the program was initiated in 1957 that additional Graduate students froml aniy miiajor field are admitted
laboratory space was required, and that the facilities to the courses provided they possess the appropriate
should be designed solelv to meet the requirements of prerequisities. In order to satisfy the requiremenits for
bio-medical electronics. a minor in bio-imiedical electronics, they mnust satisfac-
The convenitional problemiis of designiing anid raisinig torily demonstrate adequate proficienicy in the six
funds for a research laboratory building are well known areas of mathemiiatics, physics, chemistry, anatomy,
and need niot be repeated here. It is sufficient to say that physiology, anid electroniics. Sinice every graduate stu-
the building is a $407,500 structure involving 4000 dent is treated as a special case, the degree of proficiency
square feet of floor space oIn each of three floors, and is he acquires in each of the six basic areas will depend
constructed as a wing extenidinig fronm the quadranigle of soImlewhat upoIn his backgrounid, miiajor field of study,
buildings housiing the College of Veteriniary Medicine. and anticipated career.
The unconivelntionial problems were mnaniv. One was Typical sequences of related course work, for a first
the prevention of 60-cps electrical initerference in low- miiinor in bio-medical electronics for graduate students
level measurements by rejectinig all sinigle-ended appa- seeking the Ph.D. degree in the engineerinig or bio-
ratus in favor of differential-input equipment and de- imiedical fields are showni in Table I. In additioni to the
signing the entire 110-v (220 v for X-ray anid electron courses listed, or acceptable substitutes, the studenit is
microscope equipment) ac power bus as a 3-wire sys- expected to satisfy the requirements of his major field
tem, balanced with respect to ground. Our previous ex- for the Ph.D. degree. Of the ten courses listed for each
perimental studies of 60-cps interference with balanced of the two student categories, only the first five are ex-
and unbalanced systems had shown that the avoidance pected of students seeking only the I\I.S. degree with a
of the nieed for various elaborate cuLres was well worth m-inor in bio-medical electronics. Sinmilarly, only the first
the cost of prevention. seven courses are expected of students seeking the Ph.D.
The basement floor of the new laboratory building degree with only a second nlinor in bio-miedical elec-
provides for air-conditioning equipment, special animal tronics.
quarters, refrigeration rooms for animal-tissue samples, Undergraduate college training has traditionally em-
and a radiotracer laboratory. The second floor includes phasized the vital roles of chemistry in the bio-mnedical
seminar and office space and special instrumentation re- sciences and miiathematics in the enigineerinig sciences.
search laboratories. The third floor includes anl elec- DefiInite sigins are now developing in favor of additionial
tronic shop, chemistry and drug rooms, a specially- chemistry in the undergraduate engineering curricula
shielded surgery room, additional research space, and and additional mathematics in the undergraduate bio-
special provisions for X-ray and electron microscope medical curricula. For example, chemical techniques are
equipment. finding new applicationis in electrical enginieerinig, anld
In order to arrive at an optimum design of such a the use of advanced mathematics in physiology research
facility for interdisciplinary research, it was necessary is increasing. For the time being, however, we have
to plan the details in many (about 20) half-day confer- found that the first two subjects listed under each stu-
ences spread over the better part of a year. These con- dent category in Table I are generally necessary in or-
terences always included electrical engineers, veteri- der that the subsequent courses can be taught with an
narianis, and architects. It is doubtful whether the nec- eve on producing leaders instead of followers.

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1961 Bolie, et al.: Inst1ruction and Research in Bio-Medical Electronics 231

TABLE I
t1 YPIICAL SEQUENCES OF RELATED COURSE WORK FOR A
FIRST MINOR IN BIO-MEDICAL ELECTRONICS

Courses for students majoring Courses for students majoring

in an engineering field
organic chemistry
biophysical chemistry
mammalian aniatomy
imiammalian physiology
bio-electronics
advanced biochemistry
endocrinology
iieuroanatomy
neurophysiology
bio-medical electronics
in a bio-medical field
physics
calculus
electrical circuits
basic electronics
bio-electronics
electronic systems
differential equations
electrical transients
Laplace transforms
servomechanism theory

Completioni of the first five courses, or their equiva- chemistry, preferably biochemistry. In additioni to the
lents, from the appropriate column of Table I, is con- conventional descriptive physiology and comparisoils
sidered absolutely essential for the student to be between animals and man, the course includes mathe-
credited with a minor in bio-medical electronics. Some matical problems in circulation, diffusion, respiration,
flexibility is encouraged in the subsequent courses, metabolism, acid-base balance, and neuromuscular and
however. For example, certain engineering students autonomic functions (the text used for the winter,
might take a course in quantitative experimental physi- 1960, quarter was Ruch and Fulton, "Physiology and
ology in lieu of endocrinology, or certain bio-medical Biophysics"). Each student becomes proficient in stand-
students might take a course in analog and digital com- ard laboratory procedures such as anesthesia, arterial
puters in lieu of servomechanism theory. cannulations, drug infusions, and blood sampling.
The course in gross anatomy consists of three one- Special topics by individual students are also enicour-
hour lectures and one three-hour laboratory session per aged.
week for 12 weeks and is offered as a graduate-level The course in bio-electronics likewise consists of three
course under the title of "Anatomy for Bio-Medical one-hour recitation periods and one three-hour labora-
Electronics" in the Department of Veterinary Anatomy. tory session per week and is offered under the title of
It deals with macroscopic and microscopic anatomy "Bio-Electronics" in the Department of Electrical En-
using the dog as the pattern animal and emphasizes an gineering. It deals primarily with the engineering of
engineering point of view. The prerequisite is credit or biological transducers, amplifiers, and recorders. The
classification in biophysical chemistry and electronics. prerequisites are the previously described course in physi-
In addition to the conventional introduction to anatomy ology and at least two courses in basic electrical circuits
by means of lectures, demonstrations, and laboratory and electronics or their equivalent. From Table I it is
dissections, the course involves network concepts, sta- seen that the bio-electronics course is unique in that it
tistical variations, age changes, analogies, mathematical includes graduate students from both the bio-medical
descriptions of the cardiovascular, respiratory, lym- and engineering fields, giving each student an oppor-
phatic, digestive, excretory, and neural systems. Also tunity for some interdisciplinary responsibilities before
included are the structural relationships between ani- he graduates. Due to the prerequisites, the course in-
mals and man. Special topics are encouraged to gener- volves very little of the introductory material found in
ate creative engineering in related subjects such as arti- the few textbooks on "medical electronics." Instead, it
ficial limbs and organs, surgical and stereotaxic appara- places considerably more emphasis on special projects
tus, and neurological instrumentation. requiring not only the design of electronic equipment
The course in mammalian physiology also consists of from given specifications, but also practice in the de-
three one-hour recitation periods and one three-hour velopment of reasonably compromised specifications.
laboratory session per week for 12 weeks and is offered This encourages pre-research efforts to examine crit-
under the title of "Physiology for Bio-Medical Elec- ically existing instrument designs for acquiring medical
tronics" in the Department of Veterinary Physiology data, and to gain some initial experience in making im-
and Pharmacology. It deals with mammalian physi- provements. Subjects such as radio telemetry, noise
ology using mainly the dog as the pattern animal and filtering, and computer analysis of data are covered in
again emphasizes the engineering point of view. The detail.
prerequisites are the previously described course in anat- The advanced course in bio-medical electronics is de-
omy, or its equivalent, and an additional course in signed specifically for the candidate for the Ph.D. de-

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2 32 22LRE 7 RANSACTIIONS ON BIO-AVIEDICAL ELECTRONI\CS Oc-lober'1
TIABLE II
(COURSE OUTLINE FOR ADVANCED BIO-MEDICAL ELECTRONICS
1. In strument design.
I'ransfer function requirements for transducers. Properties of new
enginieering materials especially suited to detecting bio-medical
processes. Conversion circuitry for simplifying data presentation.
Self-powered systems for detecting and transmitting biological
information. Experiments in telemetering remote stimulation and
response data. Design of electronic systems for medical automation.
2. Electrical engirneerirng concepts in bio-medical research.
Root-locus and other servomechanismn concepts and information
theory applied to the living animal. Electrical network theory
applied to the cardiovascular system. Field theory applied to
thermal, chemical, and electrical gradients. Considerations of
prosthetic requirements and anatomical organ replacements. Se-
lected bio-medical problems relating to space travel.
3. Bio-medical concepts in electrical engineering research.
Advanced anialogies between neural networks and electronic-data
systemis. Adaptive servomechanisms with multiple feedback loops
of imperfect behavior. Theories of machine learning, the per-
c'eptron and other self-organizing information systems. Designs of
automatic seekers of correlations and ftunctional relationships.

gree in electrical elnginieerinlg who seeks a first minor ill have been published through niormal channels.7 -11
bio-medical electronics. It is offered under the title of Other results are in preparation for publication, while
"Bio-Medical Electronics" in the Department of Elec- newer projects are in various stages of completioni.
trical Enigineering and consists of three one-hour recita- While there are some good points in favor of encour-
tion periods and one three-hour laboratory per week aging research onl a sporadic, individual basis, we have
for 12 weeks. The prerequisites are onie course each in uniformly held the view that research in bio-medical
bio-electronics, informationi theory, analog and digital electronics at the academic level should be m-ioderately
computers, advanced servomechanisms, anid neuro- coordinated and that it should be strongly linked to the
physiology. It deals with 1) advanced electronic de- training of graduate students. This latter poinit is coni-
signis for bio-medical measurements and medical auto- sistent with the idea that the lifetime productivity of a
mation, 2) applications of informationi theory, elec- research professor can easily be exceeded in both quani-
tronic computers, and servomechanism concepts to the
study of biological svstems, and 3) recent theories of V. WN. Bolie, "Microliter Oxygen Detection in Medical Re-
self-organizing data systems. A somiiewhat more de- search," presented at AIEE Annual Meeting, New York, N. Y.,
tailed outline of this course is showni in Table II. February, 1960; published in IRE TRANS. ON MEDICAL ELECTRONICS,
vol. ME-7, pp. 330-333, October, 1960.
The other coturses listed in Table I are of the conven- 8 V. W. Bolie and F. M. Long, "A theoretical study of a rain-
tional type and need niot be further elaborated here. doimly excited mechanical oscillator," Proc. Iowa A cad. Sci., vol.
67, pp. 382-388; April, 1960.
Contrary to what m-night be expected, it has been our 9 V. WN. Bolie and J. C. Wauer, "Stability of Equations for Buf-
experience to find that no special urging is required for fered Solutions," presented at Iowa Academy of Science Annual Meet-
ing, Iowa City, Iowa; April, 1960.
graduate studenlts to take these courses, anid it has not 10 V. W. Bolie and N. R. Cholvin, "Effects of capillary perme-
been necessary in any case to reduce the course coIn- ability on tracers in the blood," Proc. Iowa Acad. Sci., vol. 67, pp.
507-510; April, 1960.
tenit. As the state of knowledge in bio-medical enginieer- 11 R. F. Schauer, "Very Low Frequency Characteristics of Speech,

ing advances, it is possible, however, that gradual Ph.D. thesis, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa; June, 1960.
12 V. WN. Bolie, "Glucose-insulin feedback theory," Proc. Third,
chaniges will becomiie appropriate. Internatl. Conf. on MHedical Electronics, London, England, IEE,
LIondon; July, 1960.
13 M. J. Swensoni and V. WV. Bolie, "Physiological Instrum-ientat-
tion Emphasizing Biomedical Electronics," presented at the Ameri-
RESEAR(JI can Society of Veterinary Physiologists and Pharmacologists Annual
Meeting, Fort Collins, Colo.; August, 1960.
T7he College of Engineering, one of the early de- 14 V. W. Bolie, "Critical Damping in Normal Blood Glucose Regli-
-elopers of a teaching program in nuclear engineering, lation," presented at the American Physiological Society Auttt
Meeting, Palo Alto, Calif.; August, 1960.
and the College of Veterinary Medicine, which is active 15 R. H. Mattson and M. S. Ulstad, "A System for Telemeterinig
in basic medical research such as gerontology and Physiological Data," presented at the Thirteenth Annual Conif. on
Electrical Techniques in Medicine and Biology, Washington, D. C.;
pharmacodynamics, both have long histories of re- November, 1960. Published in the AIEE-ETMB Digest of Tech.
search publications which need not be reviewed here. Papers, pp. 54-55; October, 1960.
16 R. J. Gowen, "Blood Pressure Waveforms," M.S. thesis, lowa
Some of the results of bio-medical electronics research State University, Ames, Iowa; February, 1961.

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1961
tity aind quality by the upper 10 per cenit of his post-
doctoral graduates.
As previouisly meintioned in the discussioni of course
work, each graduate student is given a special topic to
investigate in parallel with the progress of the course.
This not only gives the student some pre-research ex-
perience in the responsibilities of individual initiative,
but also permits exploratory efforts to be made without
regard to ultimate feasibility. Some of these explora-
tory efforts result in feasible research projects.
Previous bio-medical research projects at Iowa State
University have included studies in the reduction of
electrical interference, nerve impedance measurements
with special electrode designs, the development of ultra-
safe cardiac defibrillators, microliter oxygen detection,
biological power sources, engineering studies of body
fluid regulation, the anatomical limits of speech, hor-
mone feedback theory, medical telemetering systems,
automatic sphygmomanometry, phonocardiography of
the human fetus, and digital computer analysis of
human cardiovascular data. More recent research proj-
ects have included the design of improved sensors for
automatic counters of blood cells and bacteria, the en-
gineering of a complete electronic system for neuro-
anatomy research, the investigation of automatic de-
termination of particle sizes for rare-earth toxicity ex-
periments, the development of a compact data system
for experimental physiology, electronic improvements
in high-altitude chamber designs, enigineeriing analysis
of glucose homeostasis, and surgical implantations of
electronic devices in experimental animals. Newer proj-
ects are being initiated as time permits.
SUMMARY
The Iowa State University program in bio-medical tration for 1962.
electronics is characterized by the following features:
1) It has been in operation on an organized and in a fortunate catalyst in a coordinated acadenmic effort
documnented basis siince 1957.
2) It is joiintly operated by the Colleges of Enginieer- ture teamwork.
ing and Veterinary Medicine, through an ad-
ministrative committee of interdisciplinary com-
position.
3) It is conducted within the scope of the graduate and the U. S. Senate, p. 95; April, 1960.
college, and first and second minors in bio-mned- and18 "Life Sciences and Space," Report of the Committee on Science
ical electroniics are conferred.
Bolie, et al.. Ins/ruction and Research in Bio-Medical Electronic.2 233S
4) The program chairmIianl is trainied anid experieniced
in the engineering and the bio-medical sciences.
5) The objectives include the designi and use of bio-
medical instrumentation, the use of engineerin-g,
concepts in bio-medical research, and the use of
bio-medical concepts in engineering research.
6) The facilities include a specially designed bio-med-
ical electronics laboratory building--a $407,500
structure which was jointly sponsored by the
State of Iowa and the National Inistitute of
Health.
7) The associated research projects are closely liniked
to the training prograimi and deal with a wide
variety of topics.
8) Numerous graduate studenits have beeni trainied inl
biomedical electronics, some have acquired ad-
vanced degrees, and twelve have comupleted the
1960-1961 sequence of special courses.
A program of the scope discussed here presumiies that
the current national growth of bio-mnedical electroniics
activities will continue. This assumption is supported
by independent findings published in recenit reports of
the United States Congress. In ani April, 1960, report of
the Senate,"7 it was noted in general that:
"There is a wide gap between these two areas of sci-
ence (physical and medical) which must be bridged
by greater knowledge and understandinig anid the de-
velopment of a commoni laanguage for professional
workers in both fields."
In an October, 1960, report of the House,'8 additionial
evidence of expanding interdisciplinary initerest is fouind
in references to a Life Sciences Research Facility pro-
posed by the National Aeronautics and Space Adminis-
The real harmony between medicine anid engineerinig
is
bio-medical electronics. We believe this inatural coIml-
patibility has practically unlimiiited possibilities for fu-
17 "Federal Support of Medical Research," compiled
by the Coml-
mittee of Consultants on Medical Research to the Health, Education,
Welfare Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriationls of
Astronautics, U. S. House of Representatives, House Rept. No.
2227; October, 1960.

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