Digestive Endoscopy in the Second Millennium: From the Lichtleiter to Echoendoscopy

The rise of modern endoscopy -- and the myriad techniques that it has
engendered -- is one of the most compelling success stories in modern medicine.
Digestive Endoscopy in the Second Millennium is a balanced, comprehensive
history of the field, from the early tubes, candles, and catheters that preceded
modern endoscopes to sophisticated techniques, such as endoscopic
ultrasonography, diagnostic and therapeutic laparoscopy, and many others.
Meticulously researched, the book features all of the major advances in
endoscopy over the past century, along with the stories of the highly creative
medical and technical innovators behind them -- from Bozzini and Kussmaul to the
present. Rare archival photographs and illustrations of people, places,
instruments, and pathology supplement the text.

Recognized worldwide as a leader
in the field, Francisco Vilardell traces the stories of the forerunners of
endoscopy, rigid gastroscopes, the semi-flexible gastroscope; the emergence of
optical fiber fiberscopy and rigid esophagoscopy; the evolution of rigid
rectosigmoidoscopy, fibercolonoscopy, and biliopancreatic endoscopy, and more.

A
uniquely valuable resource for all those who practice and teach digestive
endoscopy, this elegant volume also offers fascinating historical insight into
mans never-ending quest to explore the inner workings of the human
body.