Jack E. Steele
Encyclopedia
Jack E. Steele was an American
medical doctor and retired US Air Force colonel
, most widely known for coining the word bionics
.
. He attended Mendota Township High School (Mendota, Ill), then went on to study general
engineering at the University of Illinois
and the Illinois Institute of Technology
. He served in the US Army from 1943 to 1946, who put him through pre-med at University of Minnesota
in 1944. He received his M.D. from Northwestern University
in 1950. He spent a year there as Research
and Teaching Fellow in Neuro-anatomy before joining the US Air Force in 1951 where he served until retirement in 1971. He initially served as Ward Officer
of Psychiatry
and Neurology
until he joined 6570th Aerospace
Medical Research Lab in 1953. There he investigated stress effects of motions, sound and wind blast, but his main focus was on bionics
, a term he coined in 1958. The term was officially used in 1960 as the title of a three-day symposium in September of that year.
His work on bionics, and the USAF research on cyborgs, caught the attention of SF writer and aviation expert Martin Caidin
, whose 1972 book Cyborg
makes explicit reference to then-Major Jack Steele. The book formed the basis of the TV series The Six Million Dollar Man
(and spinoff The Bionic Woman
), which popularized, if somewhat inaccurately, the term bionics. (Dr Steele's original meaning was the study of biological organisms to find solutions to engineering problems, a field now also known as biomimetics
.)
After retiring from the Air Force, Dr. Steele continued to practice medicine with a focus on psychiatry, and served as Medical Director of the Comprehensive Drug Dependency Treatment Program at the Dayton Mental Health Center, where he worked for 20 years until retirement. Dr. Steele died in Dayton, Ohio
on 19 January 2009 after a protracted illness.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
medical doctor and retired US Air Force colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
, most widely known for coining the word bionics
Bionics
Bionics is the application of biological methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology.The word bionic was coined by Jack E...
.
Biography
Steele was born Jack Ellwood Steele in Lacon, IllinoisIllinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. He attended Mendota Township High School (Mendota, Ill), then went on to study general
engineering at the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
and the Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly called Illinois Tech or IIT, is a private Ph.D.-granting university located in Chicago, Illinois, with programs in engineering, science, psychology, architecture, business, communications, industrial technology, information technology, design, and law...
. He served in the US Army from 1943 to 1946, who put him through pre-med at University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in 1944. He received his M.D. from Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in 1950. He spent a year there as Research
and Teaching Fellow in Neuro-anatomy before joining the US Air Force in 1951 where he served until retirement in 1971. He initially served as Ward Officer
of Psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
and Neurology
Neurology
Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
until he joined 6570th Aerospace
Aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
Medical Research Lab in 1953. There he investigated stress effects of motions, sound and wind blast, but his main focus was on bionics
Bionics
Bionics is the application of biological methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology.The word bionic was coined by Jack E...
, a term he coined in 1958. The term was officially used in 1960 as the title of a three-day symposium in September of that year.
His work on bionics, and the USAF research on cyborgs, caught the attention of SF writer and aviation expert Martin Caidin
Martin Caidin
Martin Caidin was an American author and an authority on aeronautics and aviation.Caidin wrote more than 50 books, including Samurai!, Black Thursday, Thunderbolt!, Fork-Tailed Devil: The P-38, Zero!, The Ragged, Rugged Warriors, A Torch to the Enemy and many other works of military history...
, whose 1972 book Cyborg
Cyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
makes explicit reference to then-Major Jack Steele. The book formed the basis of the TV series The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man is an American television series about a former astronaut with bionic implants working for the OSI...
(and spinoff The Bionic Woman
The Bionic Woman
The Bionic Woman is an American television series starring Lindsay Wagner that aired for three seasons between 1976 and 1978 as a spin off from The Six Million Dollar Man. Wagner stars as tennis pro Jaime Sommers who is nearly killed in a skydiving accident. Sommers' life is saved by Oscar Goldman ...
), which popularized, if somewhat inaccurately, the term bionics. (Dr Steele's original meaning was the study of biological organisms to find solutions to engineering problems, a field now also known as biomimetics
Biomimetics
Biomimetics is the study of the structure and function of biological systems as models for the design and engineering of materials and machines. It is widely regarded as being synonymous with biomimicry, biomimesis, biognosis and similar to biologically inspired design.-History:The term biomimetics...
.)
After retiring from the Air Force, Dr. Steele continued to practice medicine with a focus on psychiatry, and served as Medical Director of the Comprehensive Drug Dependency Treatment Program at the Dayton Mental Health Center, where he worked for 20 years until retirement. Dr. Steele died in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
on 19 January 2009 after a protracted illness.