中国医学物理学的过去、现在与未来

医学物理（medical physics，MP）是把物理学的原理和方法应用于人类疾病的预防、诊断、治疗和保健的一门交叉学科，是物理学与医学实践相结合的一门独立的分支学科．它是研究人类疾病诊、治过程中的物理现象，并用物理方法表达这种现象．医学物理包括放射肿瘤物理（rsdiation oncdogy physics，ROP）、医学影像物理（medical imaong physics，MIP）、核医学物理（nuclear medicine physics，NMP），其他非电离辐射如核磁、超声、微波、射频、激光等物理因子在医学中的应用，和保健物理（heath physics，HP）等分支内容．医学物理学和生物医学工程学（biomedical engineefing，BME）是一对栾生的兄弟学科，分别从物理学的角度（前者）和工程学的角度（后者）研究人类疾病诊断、治疗及健康保健过程中的生命现象和采取相应的物理措施和工程手段。医学物理学与物理医学（physical medicine，PM）是完全两个不同的概念，前者是物理学的分支，后者是医学的分支．自上世纪60年代以来，中国医学物理学有了很大的进展，推动了中国现代放射肿瘤学、核医学和医学影像学的发展；成立了自己的学术组织，并成为国际医学物理组织（IOMP）的成员国组织．随着中国逐步奔入小康社会，为适应人民大众对健康的需求和现代化医院发展的需要，中国医学物理应该加快发展．

The past, present and future of medical physics in China

Medical physics is an independent branch of physics applying the concepts (or principles) and methods of physics to the practice of medicine. It explores, explains and expresses the physical phenomenon related to the diagnosis, treatment of human diseases, and the health of human beings. It includes radiological imaging physics, radiation oncology physics, nuclear medicine physics, the use of non-ionizing techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance, ultra-sound, microwaves, radio frequency waves, and lasers, as well as health physics. Medical physics and biomedical engineering are closely related academic disciplines that both deal with the same problems in medicine but from the different points of view of physics and engineering, respectively. In contrast, physical medicine is a branch of medicine and is different academically from medical physics, which is a branch of applied physics. Since the 1960s medical physics in China has achieved rapid development that has greatly promoted the progress of the modern medical sciences of radiation oncology, nuclear medicine, and medical imaging in the country. In the 1980s the Chinese Society of Medical Physics was founded, becoming later a member of the International Organization for Medical Physics. To meet the needs of the health care of the Chinese people and the modernization of Chinese hospitals, it is essential for the Educational Department of the National State Council to set up the academic discipline of medical physics, and the profession of medical physicist in hospitals in China.