The Appearance of Medical Cinematography at the End of the 19th Century

Abstract

The papers highlight the appearance of medical cinematography at the end of the 19^th century. The study shows how in the 19^th century the idea was formed that inventions should serve the goals of science, which led to the creation of medical cinematography. The use of cinema in medicine was influenced by the discoveries of E.-J. Marey, who began to film the movements of the human body. One of the founders of the use of cinema in neurology were researchers G. Marinescu, P. Schuster and cameraman B. Matuszewski They filmed movements of neurological diseases and their overlays. G. Marinescu captured on film the movements of people with partial paralysis and the results of an experiment on treating it with hypnosis. And P. Schuster discussed the use of films for training medical professionals in universities and for educating other interested people about movement problems in neurological disorders. B. Matuszewski noted that diseases in neurology can be recorded with great accuracy only through a camera. In surgery doctor E.-L. Doyen used recordings to analyze his own practice, hoping to improve and rationalize surgical techniques, as well as to disseminate knowledge among his students. He created a series of films that recorded surgical operations on various parts of the body and were widely shown to a professional audience. In addition, the doctor tried to film the activities of his fellow professionals, thereby seeking to expand the use of cinema in medicine. Later, he conducted experiments in cinematography and began to use colour film shooting. The results of the study prove that most specialists used cinema to train doctors, although technical problems with the operation of the cinematograph caused certain difficulties in using it for educational purposes, which they tried to solve.