Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria Department of History of Medicine JOSEPHINUM , Währingerstrasse 25 A - 1090 Vienna

The Nitze-Leiter Museum of Endoscopy

This museum houses the world's largest collection of medical endoscopes and was opened in 1996 to document the development of endoscopy used in different branches of medicine. The Museum owes its foundation to the urologist Hans-Joachim Reuter who entrusted the greater part of his collection in the form of a permanent loan to the Institute for the History of Medicine in 1995.

The Institute for the History of Medicine already possessed a significant collection of endoscopic instruments and the two collections supplement each other admirably in many ways. The artefacts from Stuttgart also complement other collections of the institute. Thus, for example, Leopold Schroetter von Kristelli, who pioneered the field of endoscopy of the pulmonary airways, received the patent in 1906 for the apparatus he had developed to illuminate the body cavities. The patent certificate is in the possession of the institute (manuscript collection), whilst the instrument itself belongs to the Reuter collection. The newly-founded endoscopy museum, accommodated in two rooms in the Josephinum specifically-adapted for this purpose, thus represents an addition to the general medical history museum of the institute, but is actually an autonomous specialist museum. The International Nitze-Leiter Research Foundation, with its administrative seat in the Institute for the History of Medicine, has set itself high standards. In addition to attending to the upkeep of the endoscopy museum and expansion of its scientific collection, it has pledged to undertake research into the history of endoscopy, holding scientific meetings, organising exhibitions and publishing relevant research findings. Moreover, the association is obliged to find the necessary funding to realise these projects, partly accruing from membership subscriptions and partly through donations.

In 1806 Philipp Bozzini, a doctor from Frankfurt, was the first to succeed in looking into various body cavities by means of his "Lichtleiter" (light conductor). This apparatus, whose source of illumination was a candle, was indeed successfully tested in the illustrious medizinisch-chirurgisch Josephs-Akademie (founded in 1785), for implementation in rectoscopy and colposcopy, initially on corpses and, subsequently, on living persons. Even a particularly fine cannula was intended for insertion into the bladder via the urethra.

Construction drawings of the "Bozzinischer Lichtleiter" Experiments with this apparatus were undertaken in December 1806 and in January 1807 in the Josephinum

Regrettably, Bozzini's early death interrupted the promising experiments and his pioneer work in this field sank into oblivion. Half a century elapsed before the French physician Antonin J. Desormeaux resurrected Bozzini's invention and developed the Lichtleiter further, replacing the candle by the much brighter-burning gas flame. His instrument rapidly became established in the medical profession and it was manufactured as from 1853 in quite large numbers. As a consequence of its success, Desormeaux has gone down in medical history as the "father of endoscopy". In 1868 Adolf Kussmaul attempted for the first time to pass a metal tube measuring 13 mm in diameter down the oesophagus of a sword-swallower into his stomach. However, this attempt, which took place in Freiburg, was unsuccessful due to the lack of adequate illumination.

Maximilian Nitze

Modern endoscopy was born in Vienna in 1879: Maximilian Nitze and Josef Leiter presented their novel construction, the "Blasenspiegel" - a cystoscope.

Josef Leiter

Modern endoscopy was born in Vienna in 1879 when the Dresden physician, Maximilian Nitze presented his novel "Blasenspiegel" (bladder mirror), i.e. cystoscope, constructed in co-operation with the Viennese instrument maker, Josef Leiter. However, it was a lengthy and tortuous developmental path between these beginnings of endoscopy and the procedures currently at the disposal of contemporary physicians. The innovative ideas and craftsmanship underlying these advances are admirable, as illustrated by the numerous exhibits in the museum, e.g. the urological endoscopes of the end of the 19th century, when modern endoscopy was in its infancy. Procedures to visualise the oesophageal and gastric mucosa, as well as the related technique of bronchoscopy, are illustrated by appropriate instruments, in keeping with their importance. Likewise, instruments for illuminating the throat, vocal chords, nose, ears and eyes are displayed. The characteristic property of endoscopy, namely enabling cavities to be inspected without any marked damage to the external tissues, is useful not only in general medicine and veterinary medicine, but also in many technical fields, as well as in the preservation of monuments and in environmental conservation. These applications are also illustrated by artefacts in the endoscopy museum. Manfred Skopec

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