The words “innovation” and “invention” are often lumped together. Although one may think that they are the same, there are important distinctions between these two words. Dr. Richard S. Koplin uses his experiences from engaging in these processes to express the differences between the two and how they have affected not only his life, but the world around us.
Invention can be defined as the creation of a product or introduction of a process for the first time. Innovation occurs if someone improves on or makes a significant contribution to an existing product, process, or service. If invention is a pebble tossed in a pond, then innovation is the rippling effect that the pebble causes. Someone has to toss the pebble. Innovators recognize that the ripple caused by the pebble will eventually become a wave.
Innovators like Dr. Koplin spot the next big wave before it happens. It is the act of riding the “next big wave” that drives the creative nature of any innovator. Dr. Koplin has had many successes with innovation, but things do not always go as planned. Innovation is not a straight line.
Dr. Koplin specifically looks to innovate in the medical field, specifically in optometry. However, historically, innovation in medicine has been met with skepticism, indifference, and often downright hostility. Lack of structured education has been a major cause of the lack of innovation in medicine. There are many cases dating back to the mid-17th century in Britain and colonial America that display this problem.
Most general medical care in early America was practiced by housewives growing medicinal herbs in their gardens. There were a large number of charlatans that practiced medicine without possessing the knowledge or skills that they claimed to have. This caused deaths of many people, including leaders in the United States.
Garfield’s wounds also led to two innovations: the air conditioner and the metal detector. Innovation can come from anything!
However, when the process of innovation is corrupted, things tend to go awry and people may fall prey to corrupt financial incentives. Do you usually take Tums when you have heartburn? You may be wasting your money…
There are other barriers to innovation including prejudices against race and religion. An example of racism impeding medical innovation, shown in the video below, is the case of Vivien Thomas. Vivien Thomas worked as a janitor in an early heart lab in the 1930s as a means to make money during the Depression. Thomas was a very intelligent man and actually invented a surgical cure for “blue babies.” He was not allowed to work on his patients, but worked behind his surgeon employer. It was not until 1969 that he received recognition for his innovations.
Along with racism, public suspicion, creationism, and idiosyncratic notions impede innovation. The anti-vaccination movement is a contemporary display of such skepticism. Creationism taught in the classroom is also disruptive to teaching the scientific process. Prejudices against religion can often hinder innovation in medicine as well: There are problems in Africa and the Middle East where people urge resistance to polio vaccination because the vaccines are administered by Jewish doctors. The recently developed, “Da-Vinci” surgical robot is a current example of “fake” innovation.
Dr. Koplin said, “A great idea is just a great idea, unless you have a bridge.” When Dr. Koplin came up with a new way to determine the topography of the cornea, he did not know how he would obtain the means to make it a reality. Mainframe computational capacity in 1988 was insufficient to compute the data elements in a timely fashion. However, technology keeps advancing. Today, we can do the task with an iPhone in real time! Awareness of the timeline for the necessary supporting technology to be developed is critical, but just because an idea isn’t feasible right now, doesn’t mean it might not be some day. So, what can one do to innovate RIGHT NOW? Look around you. INNOVATION IS EVERYWHERE!
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