Health Sciences · Robert W. Jackson Arthroscopy
A brown cardboard box contains an assortment of surgical artifacts. A label in red embossing tape reads “JACKSON’S MODIFIED GUIDE”. Written on the box in red ink: “Dr Jackson’s Arthroscope // Don’t touch”
2021.JAC.106.1 – Watanabe “Type No. 21” Arthroscope (5.5 side view telescope). This arthroscope has the serial number “844[?]” printed on the eyepiece. The conductive clip is attached. There is a piece of brown tape on the eyepiece.
2021.JAC.106.2 – Watanabe “Type No. 21” Arthroscope (5.5 side view telescope). This arthroscope has the serial number “787” printed on the eyepiece. The conductive clip is attached.
2021.JAC.106.3 – Watanabe “Type No. 21” Arthroscope (5.5 side view telescope). This arthroscope has the serial number “1059” printed on the eyepiece. The conductive clip is attached.
2021.JAC.106.4 – Watanabe “Type No. 21” Arthroscope (5.5 side view telescope). This arthroscope has the serial number “1064” printed on the eyepiece. The conductive clip is attached.
2021.JAC.106.5 – Unknown Watanabe Arthroscope. This arthroscope has the serial number “2931” printed on the eyepiece. Note that this example is unusual in not having a mount for a halogen light.
2021.JAC.106.6 – Watanabe “Type No. 21” Arthroscope (4.9mm direct view telescope). This arthroscope has the serial number “855” printed on the eyepiece.
2021.JAC.106.7 – Watanabe “Type No. 21” Arthroscope (4.9mm direct view telescope). This arthroscope has the serial number “1029” printed on the eyepiece. The barrel has a note taped to it that reads “SPARE// QUITE FOGGY”. This was placed in a plastic bag along with its accompanying T.G.H (Toronto General Hospital) Repair tag.
2021.JAC.106.8 – Teaching attachment with one side removed. Two lenses and two brass tubes have fallen out of the detached optical tube. These pieces have been placed in a separate plastic bag.
2021.JAC.106.9 – Four curved metal tubes. Two of these have three grooves on one end. Two have two grooves.
2021.JAC.106.10 – A small (6 x 3.5 x 2cm) white cardboard box labelled “Spare bulbs of Side view scope for No. 21 Arthroscope. 6 dozens (72 pieces). It contains 12 bulbs.
2021.JAC.106.11 – A small (5.5 x 3.7 x 1.5cm) clear plastic box labelled “Fuses for Fiber Optic Light Source”. It contains one fuse.
2021.JAC.106.12 – One unidentified cable.
Note: 2021.JAC.106.5 is an unusual (and so far unidentified) example of a Watanabe arthroscope. It has therefore been given a separate entry in this catalogue.
Accession Number: 2021.JAC.106.1-12
Alternative Name:
Primary Materials: Stainless Steel, Glass.
Markings:
(Box) Height = 7, Width = 32.5, Length = 15
An arthroscope is an optical instrument for viewing the interior of a joint during a surgical operation. Its development made possible minimally invasive surgery for many knee operations. It significantly improved diagnoses and healing times for many knee conditions. Specialized arthroscopes may also be used on smaller joints.
This set contains several early examples of the Watanabe “Type 21” Arthroscope. I also contains a number of related artifacts, including several curved metal tubes, whose purpose has not yet been identified.
Condition:
Associated Instruments:
Manufacturer: Shinko Optical Co., Tokyo, Japan.
Date of Manufacture: c. 1960s – 1970s
This collection was given by Dr. Robert Jackson to his colleague Dr. John C. S. Cameron. The date of this gift is currently unknown.
Around 2016, Dr. Cameron passed the collection to Dr. Sebastian Tomescu of the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the University of Toronto Department of Surgery.
On August 25, 2021, Dr. Tomescu donated this collection to the University of Toronto with the intention that it be reunited with Dr. Jackson’s collection.
DeMaio, Marlene. “Giants of Orthopaedic Surgery: Masaki Watanabe MD.” Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research 471, no. 8 (August 2013): 2443–48. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-013-3052-1.
The “History of the IAA” page of the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (ISAKOS) provides a detailed account of the early development of the field of arthroscopy. https://web.archive.org/web/20221024172129/https://www.isakos.com/archives/IAA-History (archived October 24, 2022).
Historical Notes: