Who named and built the Désormeaux endoscope? The case of unacknowledged opticians Charles and Arthur Chevalier.

Announced in 1855, the Désormeaux endoscope articulated a scope expansion in medical utility of the uréthroscope initially presented to the Académie de médecine in late 1853. The former epochal term was never formally claimed, and although evidencing creative thinking by Désormeaux himself, production was a poorly acknowledged but seemingly close collaboration with two leading Parisian instrument makers: Maison Chevalier for the optical parts and Maison Charrière for the accessory catheter.

How Technology Shaped Modern Surgery.

The history of endoscopy and minimally invasive surgery is the story of technological advances in illumination, optics, and imaging that allowed operations to be performed within the body. After invention of the incandescent bulb by Joseph Swan and Thomas Edison in 1879, the basic design of early cystoscopes remained unchanged during the first half of the 20th century. Three inventions made endoscopy and laparoscopy possible. Invented in the 1950s, the Hopkins glass rod lens system was so elegant and effective-it gave images 80 times better than traditional Galilean optics-that endoscopes of the same design remain in use today. Also, originating in the same decade, fiber optics had in turn two major contributions: Flexible endoscopy and the transfer of light from a high voltage source into the body to illuminate internal structures and organs. Solid-state camera technology, developed in the late 1970s and 1980s, gave images of exceptional detail from a camera chip at the eyepiece of an endoscope. The panorama of advances created by the same technologies-global telecommunications, cellphone cameras, images from interplanetary space probes-reveals endoscopy and laparoscopic surgery as two more examples of today's technological age.

Philipp Bozzini (1773-1809): The earliest description of endoscopy.

The widespread use of endoscopy in today's clinical arena underscores its utility and growing significance within the field of medicine. Primitive forms of endoscopy have existed for hundreds of years, but it was not until the early 19th century that Dr Philipp Bozzini invented an endoscope that would form the basis of modern endoscopy. Born into an influential Italian family, Bozzini practiced medicine in a time and place of conflict and political unrest. His passion, ingenuity, and important social connections allowed him to create and introduce to the medical profession the Lichtleiter (light-conductor), which overcame two key issues plaguing endoscopy: inadequate lighting and poor penetration. A combination of professional rivalry and his premature passing stifled enthusiasm and further work on the Lichtleiter, but its value would not be lost forever. The advancements in the field of endoscopy that have come since the time of the Lichtleiter all build upon the principles of Bozzini, who became widely acknowledged as the father of modern endoscopy.

History of power sources in endoscopic surgery.

The history of energy sources used in surgery is inextricably linked to the history of electricity. Milestones include identification of safe electrical waveforms that can be used in the human body, patient isolation to prevent alternate-site burns, bipolar energy sources to negate capacitance injuries, laser energy, and the combination vessel sealing devices commonly used today. Engineering efforts to eliminate many of the hazards of electrosurgery are critical to how we practice modern gynecologic surgery. The introduction of bipolar instruments, increasing the safety of monopolar electrosurgery by not using hybrid trocars, and introduction of active shielding of the instruments from stray radiofrequency energy using intelligent secondary conductors have led to the re-emergence of electrosurgery as the universal surgical energy source. The low ongoing costs and the presence of electrosurgical generators in all hospitals readily enables electrosurgery to be the mainstay. Expensive lasers are confined to specialized centers, where they continue to be used, but for a long while filled a gap created by complications of electrosurgery. Sophisticated power sources continue to be introduced and include the ultrasonic scalpel, plasma surgery, and various devices for sealing vessels, all of which have advantages and disadvantages that are recognized as they begin to be subjected to scientific validation in randomized trials.

"Through the looking glass": optical physics, issues, and the evolution of neuroendoscopy.

Although the concept of endoscopy has existed for centuries, a practical, working neuroendoscopic system did not emerge until last century, as a result of numerous contributions and refinements in optical technology, illumination sources, and instrumentation. Modern neuroendoscopy would not be a flourishing field, as it is today, without the dedication, innovation, and implementation of emerging technology by key contributors including Maximilian Nitze, Walter Dandy, and Harold Hopkins. Despite several inherent and unique limitations, neuroendoscopic surgery is now performed for a variety of intraventricular, skull base, and spinal operations. In this review, the history of neuroendoscopy, key players who envisioned how the inner workings of the human body could be visualized "through the looking glass," and current state and future potential for neuroendoscopic surgery are discussed. Future directions of neuroendoscopic surgery will likely be guided by further miniaturization in camera and optical technology, innovations in surgical instrumentation design, the introduction of robotics, multi-port minimally invasive surgery, and an enhanced ability to perform bimanual microdissection.

Lumen in obscuris: the winding road of modern endoscopy.

The historical process leading to the recent invention of endoscopic capsules that are swallowed and travel through the alimentary canal, or to virtual voyages inside the human body--one of the last amazing digital technologies--has been long and winding. This essay seeks to retrace some steps of that process, since the second half of the 18th century. Numerous medical practitioners, technicians, and instrument makers aimed to explore inner body parts and interspaces by means of the sense of sight. In the mid-19th century Endoscope was called the instrument that would allow to bring light into unknown recesses and visualize them; urethra and bladder were the organs at first investigated, but soon the medical gaze proceeded to penetrate the esophagus and the stomach, not without several obstacles to be overcome.

Evolution of the endoscope and endoscopic sinus surgery.

Advances in instrumentation are part of the natural evolution of any surgical discipline. During this process, there are certain key junctures where the state of the art in technology truly augments the surgeon's ability to manage higher levels of pathology. The present era of endoscopic sinus surgery has been hallmarked by extension of minimally invasive techniques to complex pathologies including advanced inflammatory disease, and pathology involving the orbit, skull base, and brain. Evolution of the armamentarium for endoscopic visualization has been a central feature in this. In this article, key historical elements are reviewed and the technical principles behind these important advances in endoscopic visualization are discussed.

[Introduction of cold light to endoscopy]. / Die Einführung des Kaltlichts in die Endoskopie.

It is the aim of the paper to describe how, 40 years ago, optic glass fibers were developed, and what has been K. Storz's contribution to the new technology. In 1951 the term "Cold Light" was used the first time for illumination of a French type film- and photoendoscope. In 1957 the gastroenterologist B. Hirschowitz at Ann Arbor, U.S.A. succeeded making glass fibers of high light-guiding properties. In 1961 the Cystoscope Makers Inc (ACMI) at New York using these fibers brought the first flexible gastroscope on the market, still equipped with a conventional electric lamp. But in 1960, the year before, the physicist's of ACMI, J. H. Hett and L. Curtiss built the first cold light endoscope using glass fibers for both light and images conduction. In the following years ACMI equipped all of his endoscopes with this new type of illumination. Not before 1963 did K. Storz and the other German manufacturers produce their first cold light cystoscopes. Not possessing the know-how of glass fiber manufacturing, they had to get their fibers from abroad. K. Storz transmitted the term "cold light", which before had been the label of his French-type endoscopes, to the new glass fiber illumination. He constructed an excellent light source for fiber illumination without having light cables of his own fabrication. That is why his name is intimately connected with cold light illumination. But, nevertheless, the invention of the new glass fiber illumination must be credited to B. Hirschowitz and the physicists of ACMI in the U.S.A.

[Biography of Phillip Bozzini (1773-1809) an idealist of the endoscopy]. / La biografía de philipp Bozzini (1773-1809) un idealista de la endoscopia.

Philipp Bozzini was born the 25 of May of 1773 in Mainz, Germany. The 12 of June of 1797 obtain the title of medicine doctor. From 1804 it is practically dedicated of complete to the development of its instrument, this have the approximated form of one metallic vase of 35 cm height, had in leather. In its previous face it has a circular opening that is divided vertically by a partition. In left half is the luminance source (a wax candle) and behind is a mirror, that it projects the light produced towards the interior of the corporal cavity to explore. By other half, the observer receives the reflected light and the image of the explored organ. In the later face they adapt according to the cavity diverse specula's, this allow to inspect ear, urethra, feminine bladder, rectum, uterine neck, nasal or wounds. Philipp Bozzini, profit with modest means available at the beginning of XIX century, to demonstrate to the medical world the way of endoscopes. It was with its instrument and ideas, 3/4 of century advanced to the technical and scientific possibilities of the moment. The historians are in agreement, in which this instrument, with artificial light, diverse mirrors and specula's war the beginning of a numerous family of endoscopies.

The Hopkins rod-lens system.

Surgeons have always been ready to adapt advances in technology into their practice. The discovery by Wilhelm Roentgen of X-rays in 1885 was applied within weeks of its publication to the diagnosis of fractures and the location of foreign bodies. The development of the electric light bulb by Edison enabled Max Nitze, Professor of Urology in Berlin, to develop the electrically illuminated cystoscope, which he patented in 1877. By 1911, Hugh Young used a cystoscope with a punch device to perform transurethral prostatectomy. Rapidly other electrically lit 'scopes' were introduced--the gastroscope, bronchoscope, thoracoscope and so on. All had two problems: they were rigid instruments and lacked really brilliant illumination.