The arthroscope is a surgical instrument that permits the optical inspection of the knee. It was first developed in Japan in the 1950s by a group led by Dr. Masaki Watanabe at Tokyo Teishin Hospital, an institution dedicated to the care of Japanese postal workers and their relatives. It has been suggested that the diagnosis and treatment of knee arthritis received particular attention in Japan due to the cultural importance of the seiza kneeling posture.
This particular instrument was among the first practical arthroscopes in commercial production. During its rapid adoption over the 1960s and 1970s, the arthroscope evolved from a diagnostic instrument into the central component of an increasingly effective system for keyhole surgery that drastically improved outcomes and decrease healing time for knee joint surgery.
Japan in this period was known for the quality of its optical equipment, especially cameras. This instrument can be fitted to a 1/2 frame 35mm Olympus Pen film Camera. An Atlas of Arthroscopy, first published by Watanabe and collaborators in 1959, helped to spread the technique through excellent colour photos taken using the device. However, Watanabe’s contribution was initially underplayed by the international orthopedic community. Robert W. Jackson, who interned with Dr. Watanabe in Japan in 1964–65, is often credited as having introduced the instrument into the orthopaedic practice, in part through trials done at Toronto General Hospital in 1966. This artifact is one of several from his collection.
As the popularity of arthroscopy grew, various international manufactures of surgical instruments, especially those already manufacturing endoscopes, took over the market. The manufacture of precision optical instruments for surgery is now largely based in Germany.
