The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-06-22

of the body, the medical world
started something which certainly
would have surprised the fathers
of medicine of rs years ago.
~0f course, rs years ago the med
ical fathers had more or less got
ten used 20 being able TO see up
the nose and into the ear and down
the throat and into the back Of the
AYE, but they had never conceived
VI an electric light connected with
a series Of mirrors in a tube so
small that it would go down into
the stomach and be able TO reveal
the entire surface Of that organ.
The instrument which examines
the stomach (the gastroscope) is
only the latest Of the many cleo
trically lighted instruments which
have been devised TO explore the
cavities Of the body. | have no
doubt that some day-even before
die-somebody will have an cleo
trio instrument that will 60 down
along hair follicle and watch the
hair grow.
Science Of Endoscopy
As a matter Of fact, this is not
at all impossible and reminds US
of the old sneer Of one of the men
who, when the stethoscope was
first introduced into England,
wanted TO know whether you could
put one end TO the ground and the
other TO your ear and hear the
grass grow.
The whole group Of these in
struments are called endoscopes
and the science is called endoscopy,
but it doesn't mix. Every man has
TO specialize in his own form Of
endoscope and to ask an oculist,
who looks at the back of your eye
with an ophthalmoscope, to inter-
pref what he would see in the
stomach with gastroscope would
be to make a lifelong enemy of
him. In fact, the mere suggestion
would probably throw him into
shock.
They are wonderful little CAD
gets, but it takes the specialist at
the other end to interpret what he
sees. In other words, the most i'm
portant part about Johnny at the
rat-hole is not the rat-hole but
Johnny.
They fascinate me and some Of
ny younger friends are kind
to allow me to take a look
occasionally through one of their
Instruments. For instance, one is
allied the peritoneoscope, which
las saved many person from OPP
grafton. 1t is used to look at the
organs inside the abdomen.
All the surgeon has to do is TO
give the patient local anesthetic,
make small hole in the skin Of the
abdomen under aseptic conditions,
put in the peritoneoscope, turn on
the light and look around. Al hurts
very little - not one-thousandth
line as much as a regular opera
ION on the abdomen-and the in
formation which the surgeon gets
5 often enough to prevent any fur
her operative procedure or to in
iicate just how much should be
lone.
When, as ! say. some Of my
Younger friends are kind enough
o let me look through one of these
hings, l have the greatest con-
ldence in what they see, but all l
zee myself is something that looks
lind Of red and hubby and shiny,
% ! am afraid l will never get
much advantage out Of the instru-
nent to poke down a hair follicle
md watch the hair grow. | am
'oing to have to wait-as | always
lave-until those hairs get long
md thick enough TO grab with
,air Of tweezers and then give
hem a good, old-fashioned 10th
entury yank.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
H. Y.;-What is the cause Of
steomyelitis and is there any
ure for same?
Answer: Osteomyelitis is an alb
cess Of the bone. 1t usually comes
rom a pus infection of the skin
nd it can be treated very success
ully by surgery.