Canon Medical Systems in 2020

In recent years, medical imaging has made astonishing advances, lighting the way for healthcare professionals to diagnose and treat patients with greater accuracy than ever before. Canon Medical Systems is at the forefront of that effort. The company has always focused on research and innovation; today, over a hundred years after its founding, Canon continues to push boundaries and work towards ever-greater capabilities in medical imaging.

History of “Firsts”

The company that grew into Canon Medical Systems was founded in 1914, at a time when modern medical imaging was in its infancy. The x-ray, discovered by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen in 1895, was still a brand-new technology; physicians were exploring its use, but the early machines were slow and cumbersome to operate. That’s what drove the Tokyo Electric Company to start research on x-ray tubes. In 1915, the company successfully prototyped the first x-ray tube in Japan.

Building on this legacy of innovation, Tokyo Electric went on to create the first fluorescent plate in Japan (in 1932). In 1983, the company created Japan’s first magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines. The company later changed its name to Toshiba Medical Systems.

Meanwhile, in 1940, Canon Inc made its entrée into the healthcare field when it pioneered an indirect pulmonary camera which could be used to detect pulmonary tuberculosis. In the decades to come, both Toshiba and Canon became known as drivers of innovation in the medical imaging field. It’s no surprise that these two giants eventually came together.

Medical Systems Made for Life

In 2018 Toshiba Medical Systems formally announced its new name. From that point onward, the company has been known as Canon Medical Systems. Canon Medical continues the company’s century-old tradition: a focus on purpose-driven innovation, with the goal of improving the lives of both patients and medical professionals.

Its products are “made for life”: they are purpose-built to make diagnosis both quicker and surer, so that physicians are able to provide early treatment. With better and more reliable diagnostic tools, physicians are also able to focus more of their energies on the needs of their patients.

The partnership between Toshiba Medical Systems and Canon is a natural alliance between two fundamentally like-minded companies. Both businesses have a historic and ongoing focus on research and innovation, coupled with a deep sensitivity to patients’ needs. Their merger is promising in terms of opening up the path to future discoveries and products in the field.