Camera To Help Diagnosis

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31077, 4 June 1966, Page 5

Camera To Help Diagnosis

(By

GERARD POWER,

oj the

Australian News and Information Bureau) A CAMERA which can film inside a human body has been developed by three scientists at the University of Melbourne. It is a major achievement in the field of medical cinematography and has won wide overseas acclaim. A colour film produced with the revolutionary camera has won the Combined Royal Colleges’ bronze medal, the premier award for medical photography. The award has been made only five times since its inception in 1957. The design has met the rigorous demands of clinical photography for a small lightweight camera with a large film capacity and an optical viewfinder system which does not impede normal manipulative procedures. The camera has a miniature head with its gate and shutter mechanism separated from the heavy film magazine and motor by a specially designed long flexible film transport. It was designed by three former Hungarian scientists in the university’s Department of Experimental Surgery. The men are Dr. George Berci, senior lecturer in experimental surgery, Mr Frank Mere!, a medical appliance manufacturer, and Mr Leslie A. Kont, a senior technical officer. The camera enables a continuous visual record to be made of a moving organ in each phase of its activity. With the help of a motionpicture film taken during the actual inspection of the organ concerned, repeated observation is possible at leisure in an undisturbed atmosphere, and subtle effects, which may

point to pathological changes, can be reassessed during projection. A minimal lesion which may be overlooked on first inspection may be detected on review later. The film also enables a comparison of appearances at different stages during a patient’s treatment.

The camera is precision engineering with several remarkable features. The separation of film magazine and motor from the film gate, lens and view-finder introduces a new concept in camera design. The two component parts are connected by a flexible tube covered by corrugated rubber. The film moves from the magazine through the tube to the lens and back again. The completely separate location of the heavy camera from the lens on the endoscope enables the use of a 400 ft 16mm film magazine to give doctors a comprehensive record.

A built-in rotating mirror shutter makes continuous observation possible even during filming. The view-finder displays a similar image to that seen through the endoscope. A foot switch allows the doctor to stop or start the electrically-driven camera motor. The head of the endoscope is equipped with a 40 mm f/2 lens with a tiny cold light providing illumination. The flexible film transport is a remarkable piece of equipment. The film is supported and drawn through a series of stainless steel clips mounted on a flexible steel strip. The tube can be twisted with no damage to the film.

The small camera head can be coupled to any endoscope with ease and for the patient’s added protection a sterile sleeve can be placed over the camera to cover the greater

part of the flexible film transport. The miniature camera can also be attached to operating microscopes used for delicate manipulations in the inner ear and for neurosurgical purposes.

The designers had to overcome several problems during the camera’s development. Using conventional equipment they found that in the study of functional disorders the time needed to attach and adjust the camera to the endoscope was too long and sometimes a unique opportunity to record vital information was missed.

The distance between the endoscope and the examiner's eye suddenly increased when the camera was attached and it was difficult to maintain sterile conditions.

Although the camera was bulky, the film capacity was small.

All these problems were overcome by designing the camera to enable the entire operation to be carried out using the view-finder system. Final proof of the camera's remarkable efficiency came with the production of the colour film “Endoscopy” which won the colleges’ bronze medal.