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"â€for the first time"â€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"â€armed
with new information"â€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"â€typically
used by healthcare facilities worldwide to capture patient x-ray images"â€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"â€also on site"â€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"â€its
Non-Destructive Testing Solutions group"â€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
