3 ms·

> Nilsson was only able to photograph one living foetus, though, using an endoscopic camera that travelled into a womb. How was this approved? Inserting an end

> Nilsson was only able to photograph one living foetus, though, using an endoscopic camera that travelled into a womb. How was this approved? Inserting an endoscope into the uterus (presumably through the cervix) is likely pretty uncomfortable to the mother and has a decent risk of causing infection or loss of pregnancy and there is no offsetting medical benefit to either the mother or the fetus.

cdirkx 7y ago
I recently attended a presentation of a company that is planning an eventual experiment with a birth aboard a space-plane. I can't imagine a medical benefit of this, yet they say they have already been approached by several candidate mothers. People make decisions based on a lot of factors; being the first baby born in space or the focus of "the best photo of the 20'th century" has other (perceived) benefits.
eatbitseveryday 7y ago
From the article in the same paragraph: > All the other images were either miscarried or terminated pregnancies. Did his imaging cause these?
- jacquesm 7y ago
  "Nilsson had set up a studio at the hospital where his subjects would be placed in an aquarium-like environment, which is why they appear to float in space. Together, his shots create a spellbinding timeline, from an egg fertilised with sperm to foetuses at various stages up to six months."
- jws 7y ago
  It does not appear so. The article says the hospital called him whenever there was a fetus available and that he had to complete his photography within a few hours. He had an aquarium-like tank at the hospital to suspend the deceased fetus in to take the pictures, which is why they look like they are floating. The single image taken in utero may have been during a procedure. The article's phrasing doesn't make it sound like it was done primarily so he could have a picture.
- frostburg 7y ago
  No, he just waited for subjects (which might have taken some doing, because he photographed very neat specimens).
jws 7y ago
Sounds like a routine thing, for certain values of "routine". Endoscopic fetoscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure performed during pregnancy that allows physicians to view the fetus in-utero. Physicians use endoscopic fetoscopy to evaluate, diagnose, and treat fetal abnormalities. – https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/endoscopic-fetoscopy https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/endoscopic-fetoscopy
- Someone 7y ago
  It wasn’t routine in 1965, and, possibly (browsing the article, it doesn’t appear to say whether it was) wasn’t medically necessary.
vilhelm_s 7y ago
I don't know how the 1965 photo was made, but he went on to take more later, apparently in connection with amniocentesis. [0] > LN: Oh, yes. There has been a revolution by a German optical company called Storz. They have made an endoscope with a diameter of 0.6 millimeters and one that is 0.8 millimeters. So now we can check the human embryo in a very smooth and very nice way. > NOVA: Do you go through the cervix? > LN: No, not the cervix. We make a kind of laparoscopy through the uterine wall. You know when the doctors are checking the genes with amniocentesis? We have done a few cases here in Sweden and in Europe during amniocentesis. And there we had the opportunity to take wonderful pictures of the fetuses. I guess during laparoscopic surgery you typically insert a camera anyway, so maybe taking some additional photos doesn't add so much risk. [0] https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/odyssey/nilsson.html https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/odyssey/nilsson.html
- killjoywashere 7y ago
  Storz remains a standard in laparoscopic surgical equipment.

cdirkx 7y ago

I recently attended a presentation of a company that is planning an eventual experiment with a birth aboard a space-plane. I can't imagine a medical benefit of this, yet they say they have already been approached by several candidate mothers. People make decisions based on a lot of factors; being the first baby born in space or the focus of "the best photo of the 20'th century" has other (perceived) benefits.

eatbitseveryday 7y ago

From the article in the same paragraph: > All the other images were either miscarried or terminated pregnancies. Did his imaging cause these?

jacquesm 7y ago
"Nilsson had set up a studio at the hospital where his subjects would be placed in an aquarium-like environment, which is why they appear to float in space. Together, his shots create a spellbinding timeline, from an egg fertilised with sperm to foetuses at various stages up to six months."
jws 7y ago
It does not appear so. The article says the hospital called him whenever there was a fetus available and that he had to complete his photography within a few hours. He had an aquarium-like tank at the hospital to suspend the deceased fetus in to take the pictures, which is why they look like they are floating. The single image taken in utero may have been during a procedure. The article's phrasing doesn't make it sound like it was done primarily so he could have a picture.
frostburg 7y ago
No, he just waited for subjects (which might have taken some doing, because he photographed very neat specimens).

jws 7y ago

Sounds like a routine thing, for certain values of "routine". Endoscopic fetoscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure performed during pregnancy that allows physicians to view the fetus in-utero. Physicians use endoscopic fetoscopy to evaluate, diagnose, and treat fetal abnormalities. – https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/endoscopic-fetoscopy https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/endoscopic-fetoscopy

Someone 7y ago
It wasn’t routine in 1965, and, possibly (browsing the article, it doesn’t appear to say whether it was) wasn’t medically necessary.

vilhelm_s 7y ago

I don't know how the 1965 photo was made, but he went on to take more later, apparently in connection with amniocentesis. [0] > LN: Oh, yes. There has been a revolution by a German optical company called Storz. They have made an endoscope with a diameter of 0.6 millimeters and one that is 0.8 millimeters. So now we can check the human embryo in a very smooth and very nice way. > NOVA: Do you go through the cervix? > LN: No, not the cervix. We make a kind of laparoscopy through the uterine wall. You know when the doctors are checking the genes with amniocentesis? We have done a few cases here in Sweden and in Europe during amniocentesis. And there we had the opportunity to take wonderful pictures of the fetuses. I guess during laparoscopic surgery you typically insert a camera anyway, so maybe taking some additional photos doesn't add so much risk. [0] https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/odyssey/nilsson.html https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/odyssey/nilsson.html

killjoywashere 7y ago
Storz remains a standard in laparoscopic surgical equipment.