An endoscope is an instrument that allows a doctor to look inside the human body. Evidence of such instruments have been found since early Greek and Roman times. In 1805, Philip Bozzini made the first endoscope called ‘lichtleiter’ which means light guiding instrument. He used this tube to examine the pharynx of a living person for the first time.
In 1853 Antoine Jean Desormeaux first developed an instrument specially designed to examine the urinary tract and the bladder. He was the first to coin the term ‘endoscope’. In 1932, Dr Rudolph Schindler invented a flexible gastroscope and examined the inside of a stomach through numerous lenses positioned throughout the tube. In 1965, Harold Hopkins introduced rod lenses to give a clearer view.
Today’s endoscopes use optical fibres. One of the two main cables of the endoscope carries light down into the body while the surgeon looks down the other which has a camera. This camera sends back information to a computer. The procedure is conducted to look at internal organs and structures and is an important aid to diagnosis.
Picture Credit : Google
