A. M. Cormack
Tufts University
February 23, 1924 - May 7, 1998
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Scientific Discipline: Applied Physical Sciences Membership Type:
Member
(elected 1983)
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A. M. Cormack developed the technology for one of the most widely used diagnostic tools in medicine: the Computerized Axial Tomographic (CAT) scan. He constructed the CAT scan to measure density variations in human organs. Cormack developed algorithms that converted numerical data from an artificial skull into images using a scanner composed of acrylic glass (Lucite) and aluminum. He used these algorithms to create a system of image reconstruction drawn from the attenuation of X-rays penetrating an object from multiple directions (analogous to a three-dimensional X-ray). Cormack also investigated the use of protons instead of X-rays for the CAT scan, incorporating the distribution of gamma ray pairs from positron annihilations as a unit of measurement.
A native of South Africa, Cormack went to the University of Cape Town where he earned his B.Sc. degree in 1944 and his M.Sc. degree the following year. After lecturing at his alma mater from 1946 to 1947 and from 1950 to 1956, he became an associate professor of physics at Tufts University in 1957. He rose to the position of associate professor in 1960, professor in 1964, and University Professor in 1980. He held the job until 1994 when he became University Professor Emeritus. At Tufts, Cormack served as the chairman of the physics department from 1968 to 1976. He was also the associate editor for the Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography from 1977 until his retirement. He was a member of the American Physical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Institute of Medicine. For producing one of the most important medical advancements of the 20th Century, Cormack was awarded the two most prestigious scientific awards any scientist could receive: the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology in 1979 and the National Medal of Science in 1990.
