Carestream Health Powers Further Discoveries at Chicago´ Field Museum

Digital medical imaging and information technology from Carestream

Health, Inc. is playing a key role in helping The Field Museum of

Chicago discover and analyze secrets hidden within its world-class

collections.
Carestream Health has donated a computed radiography (CR) system that

enables The Field Museum"”for the first time"”to

capture, archive and share digital x-ray images from more than one

million priceless specimens and artifacts in its Anthropology

collection. The Field Museum is also using a picture archiving and

communications system (PACS) from Carestream Health for the management

viewing and storage of the growing collection of digital images managed

by the museum´s staff.
"The availability of this advanced x-ray

system will have tremendous benefits not only for research, but also for

management of our collections," said Robert D.

Martin, the A. Watson Armour III Curator of Biological Anthropology at

The Field Museum. "Non-invasive visualization

of specimens and artifacts can yield valuable new scientific

information, and it can also provide crucial indications for proper

conservation of specimens in our care."
Images of an ancient Egyptian mummy demonstrate how digital images are

superior to film images. Recently captured digital images have revealed

a previously unknown erosion of the parietal lobes in the mummy´s

skull. This could indicate the presence of parasites, anemia or

malnourishment shortly before death. Similarly, curators will be looking

for signs of spinal cord deterioration in other specimens, which could

be a sign of tuberculosis.
"The nice part about this new digital

equipment is that it is very fast and the images are so sharp," said J.P. Brown, Conservator, Anthropology, The Field Museum. "This

system allows us to do in a day what it used to take a week to

accomplish." The CR system has already led to

new discoveries, Brown added. A digital image of the pelvis of the same

Egyptian mummy revealed that the person was most likely a woman between

30 and 40 years old. Additionally, an image of a Peruvian "false

head" (falsa cabeza) revealed the

surprising presence of shells inside the artifact. Anthropology

Collections Manager Chris Philip identified shells inside the stuffing

of the mask. The clarity of the image allowed Invertebrates Collections

Manager Jochen Gerber to specify two complete shells as Mesodesma

donacium, an edible marine clam inhabiting the waters off the west

coast of South America. This may help to answer the tantalizing question

of why this "false head" was packed with shells. The shells appear to be a deliberate addition to

the filling of the mask, possibly a food offering, but their meaning is

unclear since no other specimens with added shells are known.
In another example, an image of the head of a statue of a king from a

Sassanian palace in Iraq revealed metal pieces that had been added to

the statue as part of a restoration that was probably performed in the

late 1940s. Prior to capturing this image, Field Museum conservators had

planned to treat the statue with water to soak out salts that had

accumulated in it over the years while it was buried in the ground. If

they had done so, the metal pieces would have rusted and the pressure

from the rust would have caused the piece to break apart. Now"”armed

with new information"”the conservators are

developing a method to stabilize the artifact that does not involve

immersing it in water.
For several decades, The Field Museum used x-ray film to capture images

of its unique collections. "With the CR

system, the museum´s staff is realizing the

many benefits of digital imaging technology in its day-to-day operations," said Laryssa Johnson, Marketing Director, Digital Capture Solutions

Carestream Health. "For example, this system"”typically

used by healthcare facilities worldwide to capture patient x-ray images"”is

now producing high-quality digital images of the museum´s

priceless artifacts for use in ongoing research projects."
Carestream Health´s CR system is ideal for

use with organic objects such as mummies, leather goods and baskets, and

can generate excellent images of denser museum pieces such as ceramics

stucco and beads. The company´s digital

workstation"”also on site"”allows

the museum to have one centralized image review platform with a powerful

database that provides quick and easy access to studies and images.
"As one of the world´s

leading educational institutions, The Field Museum´s

collection-based research and exhibits help create greater public

understanding and appreciation of the world in which we live," said Diana Nole, President, Digital Capture Solutions, Carestream

Health. "Our digital technology is helping

the museum´s talented staff further unlock

the many mysteries contained within its priceless collections."
Carestream Health has a special business unit"”its

Non-Destructive Testing Solutions group"”that

develops and delivers non-destructive testing systems for a wide variety

of industries and businesses around the world. The company has dedicated

resources available to the museum/art world for implementing innovative

digital systems for capturing images of architectural objects, mummies

dinosaurs, sculptures, paintings, historical artifacts and much more.
About The Field Museum
Founded in 1893 and in its current building since 1921, The Field Museum

is one of the world´s premier natural history

museums, housing more than 24 million artifacts and specimens. It is

also a major scientific research center, with a presence in scores of

countries and with more than 70 scientists working at the museum and

around the world in anthropology, botany, conservation, cultural

understanding, geology and zoology.
The Field Museum is located at 1400 South Lake Shore Drive and is open

daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except for Christmas Day and New Years Day.

For general information and special events please call 312-922-9410 or

visit the museum´s interactive web site at www.fieldmuseum.org. For travel information, please call the Illinois Department of

Transportation, 312-368-4636, or the RTA Travel Center Hotline

312-836-7000.
About Carestream Health, Inc.
Carestream Health, Inc., is a leading provider of dental and medical

imaging systems and healthcare IT solutions; molecular imaging systems

for the life science research and drug discovery/development market

segments. The company´s Non-Destructive

Testing Solutions group provides high-quality KODAK INDUSTREX products

and services to industrial markets around the world. Carestream Health

was formed in 2007 when Onex Corporation (TSX: OCX.TO) purchased Eastman

Kodak Company´s Health Group. For more

information please visit www.carestreamhealth.com/.
Carestream Health, an independent company, has licensed the Kodak brand

for use with its own brands across its portfolio of products. CARESTREAM

is a trademark of Carestream Health, Inc.
2008