Reflections on the early years of nuclear medicine.

In the early years of nuclear medicine, physicians explored applied nuclear physics, and physicists pursued uncharted areas in medicine. Reflections from Jim Adelstein, MD, PhD, John McAfee, MD, Henry Wagner, MD, Fred Bonte, MD, Dave Kuhl, MD, and Alex Gottschalk, MD, add to the appreciation of the diversity in those early years. These reflections may serve many purposes. For some, they may provoke nostalgia for the better life gone by. For others, reflections may create an awareness of the people and the process of what it took to be where we are today. For still others, this may provide some impetus to better understand the origins of modern imaging technologies and their diffusion. Which techniques in use today will be in use 30 years from now? Why will some survive and others go by the wayside? From research into the process of technology transfer and diffusion, can we learn to put our efforts today where they will have the greatest benefits to human beings some 30 years from now? How can we maximize the present value of our efforts to improve diagnostic imaging? Reflections from the past may help.