Tyson argues hospitals depend on physics research that was not aimed at medicine

What was said

"In fact, you wouldn't have modern medicine without modern physics. And the people saying, "Let's fund medicine. We're done with physics." Physics was a 20th century thing. Yes. It won the war, but we want medicine for the 21st century. And there is no machine in a hospital without an onoff switch that isn't based on a principle of physics discovered by a physicist who had no interest in medicine."

Neil deGrasse Tyson argues on StarTalk Radio that modern medicine relies on foundational physics, saying that core hospital technologies ultimately depend on principles discovered by physicists who were not trying to solve medical problems. He criticises the idea that society can prioritise medical funding while treating physics as “done.”