A brief overview of nuclear medicine in China

The year 1956 witnessed the birth of Nuclear Medicine in China, when the first course, Biomedical Applications of Isotopes, was offered in our country by the Peking Union Medical College (PUMC). This course was preceded by a training course in nuclear instruments in which students learned to construct the radiation detection devices required for performing experiments using radioisotopes. In 1958, several courses in clinical nuclear medicine brought up the first generation of nuclear medicine physicians in China. Historically, some of the chief events include: (1) operation of the first reactor, producing 33 radioactive isotopes in 1958; (2) first linear scanner built in 1960; (3) setting up an organization for the control of radiopharmaceuticals in 1961; (4) distribution of the first batch of cyclotron-produced isotopes in 1963; (5) development and use of the first radioimmunoassay (RIA) procedure in 1963; (6) production of tritium in 1964; (7) production of 99.8% enriched heavy water in 1965; (8) supply of 99mTc and 113mIn generators in 1972; (9) first gamma camera imported in 1972 and first homemade gamma camera installed in 1977; (10) founding of Chinese Society of Nuclear Medicine (CSNM) in 1980; (11) publication of the Chinese Journal of Nuclear Medicine beginning in 1981; (12) first single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imported in 1983. At present, there are 556 nuclear medicine departments in China with 4,000 staff.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)