Filming Surgery in 1957
January 28th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
CC-BY National Museum of Health & Medicine. Click for larger version.
The last week I have been in contact with the kind people of the Otis Historical Archives at the National Museum of Health & Medicine regarding a post I’m writing. In the process they dug up this very interesting photo from an OR in 1957. « Read the rest of this entry »
The OR Before CCTV
January 18th, 2011 § 2 Comments
Click to see larger version.
From the March 1948 issue of Mechanix Illustrated:
Telescopes and mirror give many eyes a close-up view of a delicate cataract operation which heretofore could be observed by only one or two. It happened in Doctors’ Hospital, L. A.
I can’t help but think that they wrestled for the best places, and that those in front (who obviously won) must be orthopedists. Who else would have the muscle to subdue a whole gang of ophthalmologists? But then again, why are they interested in a cataract operation?
Hat tip to Modern Mechanix.
After the Curtain
September 7th, 2010 § 7 Comments
Medical Photography Section , University of Oslo © All rights reserved.
This photo of an operating theatre at Rikshospitalet national hospital ca. 1900 is one of my absolute favorites from our archives. Even though the lights are out and the room empty, there’s an intense atmosphere to it. You can almost see the surgeons and the eager students. The light falling on the wall, the wet floor and the wheeled table that’s slightly out of balance with the rest of the room. Very dramatic.
Wish I had more details about it, but even the photographer is unknown.
White Scrubs Only
July 5th, 2010 § 4 Comments
"Green scrubs only". Photo by Øystein Horgmo © All rights reserved.
A man was sitting on a bench outside the hospital, chatting with a friend in the warm summer sun. He was wearing green scrubs, green shoes, surgical cap and a mask around his neck.
Although it’s explicitly stated in the hospital’s infection prevention guidelines that it’s forbidden to wear green scrubs outside the operating ward, it’s a common sight in the cafeteria, outpatient clinics and hallways. Even outside in the sun. Why? « Read the rest of this entry »
Nauseated
May 11th, 2009 § 2 Comments
I read this interesting article by an American surgeon on getting used to cutting people, and it got me thinking of one of the most common reactions I get from non-medical colleagues and friends when talking about or showing my work: Don’t you get nauseated?
My office is the office closest to a door used by all the smokers in my department. I usually work with my door open, so whenever I’m editing and someone’s on their way to a smoke, there’s a lot of OMGs and yucks to be heard. A few are intrigued and stops for a while, but most rush past, making sure not to watch the computer screens. They cannot understand how I can stand working with this stuff. « Read the rest of this entry »
Cleaning video equipment
January 28th, 2009 § Leave a Comment
I recently got a question via the contact form concerning the cleaning of video equipment before entering an OR. As this may be interesting to others, I post the question and my answer here. « Read the rest of this entry »
Lego Eye
November 27th, 2008 § 4 Comments
Photo by Øystein Horgmo © All rights reserved.
Found an old picture I made for a presentation a couple of years back. It strikes me now that the pictured scene is very bizarre. « Read the rest of this entry »
The surgeon’s domain
October 17th, 2008 § 4 Comments
When you’re entering the OR, you’re entering a domain under the supreme reign of the surgeon. Not that you could ever fail to notice. « Read the rest of this entry »
Swan neck camera
February 28th, 2008 § Leave a Comment
When I first started filming surgery I was presented with a camera I’d never seen before. They called it a “swan neck camera” and the department that used it thought it was the greatest invention in video ever. « Read the rest of this entry »
