“To See Today with the Eyes of Tomorrow”: A History of Screening Mammography

Mammography represents an interesting chapter in the history of American medical technology. Throughout much of the 20th century, physicians showed little interesting in using x-rays to help diagnose breast cancer. But beginning in the 1960s, with the growing interest in early detection, the professionalization of radiology and cancer activism, and the increasing allure of visual imagery in medicine, screening mammograms became the centerpiece of efforts to lower mortality from breast cancer. Despite its popularity, however, mammography remains highly controversial as physicians, statisticians and the public have continued to debate its actual clinical value. Mammography well exemplifies how cultural, ideological and political factors influence both the dissemination and evaluation of medical technologies.