Radiology-A Specialty

As the subject lies helplessly, anxious by the Frankenstein nature of his surroundings, he ventures into a dimension unknown to his senses but native to his psyche. The colossal machinery analytically swarms round his body, releasing discrete levels of electro-magnetic energy. His body absorbs and reflects the waves as his physiological processes are short-changed by this new toil. And as the subject is aware of the nearing end, the specialist arms himself with the end-product. Black, upon white, upon grey, yet all so revealing of the inner anatomy. The specialist sighs with a sorrow tone, as the malignant mass makes itself apparent on the seemingly uninterpretable scans. The esteemed specialty of radiology is becoming an increasingly critical facet of a physician’s armamentarium. A very discipline with both the capacity and the signature dexterity to combine a differential diagnosis with a detailed outlook of the body via that of diagnostic imaging. Armed with an intimate knowledge of the anatomical fronts, radiologists make their discipline one that the likes of surgery and therapy are increasingly dependent on. With the discovery of the radiograph, better known as’ x-rays’, by Wilhelm Rontgen in the late 19^th century, a field was founded on the concept that imaging was the junction between an accurate diagnosis and a radical, curing treatment of the disorder. The medical establishment honours the conquering of the physiological fronts, but questioning how big a role the specialty of radiology has to play throughout the establishment is nothing short of revealing and controversial. It is an avenue many have ventured, yet few have returned with a literary account of their experiences. While radiology remains the specialty; the radiologist, the specialist and the diagnosis, the specialisation; it becomes all revealing of both its internal and external affairs. Radiology is an exploitation of the advances made throughout that of imaging and the application of the anatomical basis of medicine towards that of a diagnosis. The radiological role is one of pre-eminence, but only to a fine point. The anatomical expertise is only a single approachable angle, while the wealth of protocol executed by that of the radiologist is indicative of a dual role in and around the medical community. The radiologist reviews, diagnoses and refers the patient to other physicians, who have the resources and prowess at their disposal to treat, heal and cure. The referring by that of the radiologist is akin to that of an attorney sending their client to a prominent law firm, for his capacity and individual resources do not suffice. Such an analogy is both flawed and mistaken, for the role of radiology is to make a diagnosis through that of imaging and not to therapeutically intervene on disease and disorder. This contradictory paradox is one of many controversies surrounding that of radiology and its root specialties. A paradox that exhibits the role of the physician or surgeon as both practical and worthy of absolute credit, while focusing complete disregard towards the diagnostic role played by that of the radiological discipline. And as the specialties ponder a revolutionary stance that will elevate their discipline, they share a transcendent unity, an intimacy deeply rooted within that of the medical establishment.