The endoscopic instrument has a long, stretched out shaft (5) and at least one rod-shaped lens (6) arranged therein. The rod lens (6) is provided on its peripheral surfaces (10) with a coating that increases the breaking strength. The coating may be, for example, polyimide, amorphous carbon, or silicon-oxide carbide. To increase adhesion of the coating the rod lens may be pretreated with caustic on its peripheral surfaces.

An endoscope comprising a body, including an elongated tubular distal section adapted for insertion into a patient and optics for transmitting an image through the distal section so that the image can be viewed at a viewing location. The image-transmitting optics include an elongated image-transmitting rod for transmitting the image to at least a region of the distal section. The image-transmitting rod is subject to breakage by bending forces and is divided longitudinally into discrete elongated...

An optical device for an endoscope comprises inner and outer tubes of which the inner contains the optical system, a sleeve of wider internal diameter than the tubes, the sleeve being rigidly connected to the proximal end part of the outer tube and being connected to the inner tube, and means interposed in the connection between the inner tube and the sleeve for taking up relative longitudinal expansion therebetween.

An endoscope including a rigid tube containing a rod lens, and a lens next to the rod lens cemented to it. Both lenses are embraced by the tube. The risk of destruction of the cement bond joining the lenses is reduced by reducing the diameter of the rod lens along a major portion of its length spaced from the cement bond. The invention includes a rod lens for this use, which has a reduced diameter for the major portion of its length between its ends.

A lighted curette which is adapted for use in removing an undesirable substance from either an ear canal or a nasal passage. The lighted curette comprises a lighting member to which is attached a handle from which extends a stem. The stem has an engagement member adjacent the end thereof for engaging and removing an undesirable substance from a nasal passage or an ear canal. Light rays are emitted from the lighting member and illuminate the engagement member. A magnification lens is attached to ...

A cell scraper includes a grip, an elongate arm and a scraper blade. The cell scraper includes a substrate molded from a substantially rigid plastic. The substrate includes a blade support remote from the grip. The cell scraper also includes a resilient material over-molded onto the substrate. The resilient material may be molded onto the grip to facilitate gripping. Additionally, the resilient material is molded around the blade support to define a flexible blade for efficiently scraping cells ...

A proximal adaptor for an over-the-wire angioplasty catheter is disclosed which contains a retractable catheter slitting element and a releasable guidewire seizing element, both of which are controllable by a manually operated element or elements accessible from the exterior of the adaptor.

A method and apparatus for measuring the temperature profile of a surface exhibiting spatial and/or temporal variations in temperature, e.g., the surface of a machine or of a biological system, is disclosed. The inventive method involves forming a layer of fluorescent material, less than about 10 .mu.m in thickness, in thermal contact with the surface. The fluorescent material is subjected to fluorescence-inducing energy, and the resulting fluorescence, which varies as the temperature of the sur...

An elongated plastic sample collector probe for cell sampling, particularly including mucosal cells. The probe has a generally rigid rearward handle portion, a forwardly narrowing tapered shank portion, and a small sample collector cup at the forward tip of the shank portion. The plastic material of which the probe is made has the physical characteristics of flexibility and elasticity, and these characteristics cooperate with the forwardly narrowing taper to provide the probe with a progressivel...

A tongue cleaner having an elongate shank portion for holding thereof and a portion extending from one end thereof for supporting a tongue scraping edge. The support portion is skewed relative to the shank portion to slope downwardly for effecting engagement of the edge with a posterior part of the upper surface of the tongue so that the posterior part may be comfortably scraped.