Graphics software for remote terminals and their use in radiation treatment planning
Karl H. Ryden, Carol M. Newton · 1971
Interactive graphics' ability to provide a meaningful interface to investigators in a variety of applied fields has been recognized for many years. Nowhere is this promise greater than in medicine and the life sciences. Levinthal's interactive program for constructing and displaying complex molecular structures is well-known. Neurath and Frey have analyzed chromosome spreads by delegating to human perception the light-pen dissection of individual chromosomes from overlapping clusters while leaving subsequent measurements and final classification to the computer. Cox and Clark's Programmed Console has introduced many radiotherapists to the use of computers in treatment planning. Other applications at this facility and elsewhere illustrate the great value of interactive graphics support in deriving insight from large clinical data bases, exploring complex biological models in the hope of improving treatment strategies, and developing cost-effective algorithms or special hardware for patient monitoring.