
Hooray! The Sterile Eye has been around for two years today (photo credit). This week I’m also switching to my new job, so the next year in this blog’s existence will for sure be an exiting one. Read more »
Second Blogiversary
Posted in Uncategorized with tags anniversary, blog, blogiversary on November 11, 2009 by ØysteinA Peek Inside the Surgery Museum
Posted in Links, Surgery with tags chicago, imss, museum, wired on November 9, 2009 by Øystein
A Peruvian skull with evidence of early trepanation. Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com.
Wired has posted a great article about the International Museum of Surgical Sciences in Chicago. Packed with beautiful photos, the article takes you inside the museum and showcases some of the most interesting items on display.
Anyone been to the museum? I sure want to visit after reading this!
The Unreusable Syringe
Posted in Medicine, Videos with tags AIDS, Marc Koska, syringe, TED on October 30, 2009 by ØysteinThe reuse of syringes is one of the major causes for the spread of AIDS, and accounts for more deaths annually than malaria.
In this TED Talk, British inventor Marc Koska presents the problem and a low-cost solution.
Quiz: What is this?
Posted in Medicine with tags physiology, quiz on October 13, 2009 by Øystein
What is this?
I took a picture of this thing yesterday. Well, not actually of it, but of a rendering of it. But what is it?
Close-Up Medical Photography
Posted in Photography with tags close-up, medical photography, singapore medical journal on October 8, 2009 by Øystein
Diagram from "The Use of Close-up Photography in Clinical Medicine".
I recently came across an article called “The Use of Close-up Photography in Clinical Medicine”, from the June 1962 issue of the Singapore Medical Journal. Although the photographic equipment has changed over the years, the principles remain the same, and are well described in this paper. Read more »
Keyhole Surgery
Posted in Photography with tags gaza, heart surgery, israel, picapp on October 7, 2009 by Øystein
WordPress just gained access to the huge photo database PicApp. I decided to check it out, and of course searched for the term “surgery”. Among the thousands of celebrity plastic surgery pics, I found this gem.
Click on the arrow to get rid of the thumbnails, and hover your mouse over the photo for the background story.
The Patient and the Photographer
Posted in Photography, Reflections with tags h. lou gibson, medical photography, patient, quote on October 6, 2009 by Øystein
Patients are people – people with problems. They are often in pain and usually apprehensive. To them, the medical photographer is someone who, once more, submits them to an institutional routine. He takes their pictures, with part or all of their clothing removed, to show what is usually an embarrassing condition or deformity. Again, indispensable as photography is in the teaching and advancing of medicine, it does not present to the patient the same direct benefit as a radiograph or a blood test.
H. Lou Gibson, Medical photography; clinical-ultraviolet-infrared (1973). (photo credit)
Filling the Gaps
Posted in Medicine, Videos with tags comedy, dara o'briain, homeopathy, science on September 30, 2009 by Øystein
I came across this great video clip of Irish comedian Dara O’Briain having a go at homeopathy, nutrinionists and other pseudosciences. I especially liked this passage:
Homeopaths get on my nerves with the ol’ “Well, science doesn’t know everyting.” Well, science KNOWS it doesn’t know everything, otherwise it would’ve stopped. (…) But just ’cause science doesn’t know everything, doesn’t mean you can fill in the gaps with whatever fairytale most appeals to you.
Hat tip to Life in the Fast Lane.
The Party Bag
Posted in Fun and weird, Photography with tags colorectal cancer, seasonal holidays, stoma, stoma bag on September 28, 2009 by Øystein
Colostomy (stoma) bags and mounting plate (top right).
I was going through a lot of old photos today, and came across a funny one I’d completely forgotten. About a year ago I was working with a medical writer to document treatment for colorectal cancer. I was going to take several photos to accompany this video and a text about living with a stoma. That’s when I decided to play a little trick on the writer. Read more »
No Scrubs
Posted in Fun and weird with tags bus, doctor, public transportation, scrubs on September 25, 2009 by Øystein
The hospital where I work has two major building complexes. The cancer center, where I spend most of my days, is located about a 15-minute drive from the main hospital. Some cancer surgery and other procedures are, however, only done at the main hospital, so I sometimes head over there with my cameras. This was one of those days. Read more »






