The basic story is that Olympus began developing the leading range of medical gastroscopy cameras and endoscopes - for viewing into the human digestive system - as early as 1949. The capabilities of the technology were enhanced dramatically with the arrival of fibre optics in the 1960s, permitting the operator to see what they were photographing for the first time.

The pictures below show the main camera control unit ... and the "business end", in which the viewing lens and taking lens can be see in the little oval window, with the light/flash unit above. The film sat in the screw-off tip.

Gross.