Harold Johns

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Harold Elford Johns (born July 4, 1915 in Chengdu , China , † August 23, 1998 in Kingston , Ontario ) was a Canadian medical physicist and pioneer of radiation therapy .

Life

Johns was born in China, where his parents - Alfred and Myrtle Johns - served as Presbyterian and Methodist missionaries and teachers, respectively. His father was a professor of mathematics at West China Union University ( Sichuan University ). When the situation in China became too dangerous, the family returned to North America in 1926 or 1927, first to Tacoma , Washington , then to Brandon , Manitoba , and finally to Hamilton , Ontario .

Johns earned a bachelor's degree in physics from McMaster University in Hamilton in 1936 and a master's degree from the University of Toronto in 1937 and a PhD in low-temperature physics in 1939 . The work earned him a research grant to Cambridge , which he was unable to attend due to the outbreak of World War II. Instead, Johns went to the University of Alberta and also worked as a teacher of physics and mathematics and the practical application of radar and radio navigation in the training of pilots in the Royal Canadian Air Force . In addition, he carried out material tests ( radiographic tests ) on aircraft with a discarded X-ray tube or radium needles .

In 1945 or 1946, Johns received a position at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon as an assistant professor to Ertle Harrington and as a physicist for the Saskatchewan Cancer Commission , where he first established the field of medical physics in Canada . In 1948 he ensured the safe operation of the first betatron in Canada and in 1951 played a leading role in the development of the cobalt cannon . In 1956, Johns became head of the physics department at the Ontario Cancer Institute . In 1958 he became professor and head of the department of biophysics at the University of Toronto . In 1980 he retired.

Harold Johns was with Sybil Johns, geb. Hawkins, married. The couple had three daughters.

Act

Johns is considered to be the pioneer in the development of the cobalt cannon and other forms of high-energy radiation therapy , which for the first time successfully irradiated malignant tumors deep within the body. He has made numerous contributions to research and teaching in the field of clinical physics and biophysics . His textbook The Physics of Radiology appeared in four editions between 1961 and 1983 and has been translated into several languages, including Chinese .

Johns influenced the development of the first computed tomography , sonography , magnetic resonance tomography and mammography . He published important papers on the damage to DNA caused by ultraviolet radiation . He did research to determine the radiation dose necessary to treat various types of cancer and to measure the radiation dose during therapy.

Johns has published more than 200 peer-reviewed papers and supervised more than 100 doctoral and post- doctoral students .

Awards (selection)

The University of Western Ontario in London (Ontario) presents a Harold E. Johns Award for biomedical research . The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation (as part of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research ) in Toronto awards a Harold E. Johns Research Prize .

Fonts (selection)

  • The Physics of Radiation Therapy. 1953
  • The Physics of Radiology. 1961

literature

  • Gordon F. Whitmore: Harold E. Johns 1915-1998 . In: Radiation Research . tape 151 , no. 2 , 1999, p. 232-233 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Search Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada (rsc-src.ca); Retrieved September 21, 2013
  2. ↑ Harold E. Johns BSc, MSc, PhD, LLD, FRSC at the Gairdner Foundation (gairdner.org); Retrieved September 21, 2013
  3. ↑ Harold Elford Johns, OC, Ph.D., LL.D., FRSC with the Governor General of Canada (gg.ca); Retrieved September 21, 2013
  4. ↑ U of S 'cobalt-60' physicist Johns added to Science & Engineering Hall of Fame. In: news.usask.ca. Retrieved April 14, 2018 .
  5. ↑ Dr. Harold Johns - Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. In: cdnmedhall.org. August 23, 1998, accessed February 21, 2016 .
  6. ↑ Davey wins Harold E. Johns Award for biomedical research. Communication from the University of Western Ontario dated October 17, 2005
  7. ↑ The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation 2011 Report (PDF, 2.3 MB); Retrieved September 21, 2013
personal data
SURNAME Johns, Harold
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Johns, Harold Elford; Johns, Harold E.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian medical physicist and radiation therapy pioneer
DATE OF BIRTH 4th July 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH Cheng you
DATE OF DEATH August 23, 1998
Place of death Kingston (Ontario)