Cell Processor

Cell Processor

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Description (Brief)
The prototype ThinPrep Cell Processor for preparing cytological specimens, known as the Alpha II, was developed for the preparation and detection of pre-cancerous or cancerous cervical cells. The prototype comprises three parts, the processor, the controller and the tank farm.
Manufactured by Cytyc Corporation in 1990, Alpha II was one of three prototypes used for the first studies of liquid based cytology.
For over eighty years the Pap test or Pap smear, named for the staining technique developed by George Nickolas Papanicolaou, M.D. (1883-1962), has been a part of women’s yearly gynecological exams. The Pap test is used to detect pre-cancerous or cancerous cells. In 1990 a new method of liquid based cytology revolutionized the way cervical cells are examined for abnormalities.
Location
Currently not on view
Object Name
cell processor
thin-prep
motor
date made
about 1990
maker
Cytyc Corporation
Measurements
overall: 22 in x 25 in x 14 in; 55.88 cm x 63.5 cm x 35.56 cm
ID Number
2012.0029.01.1
accession number
2012.0029
catalog number
2012.0029.01.1
patent number
5143627
Credit Line
Gift of Daniel Lapen
subject
Women's Health
Gynecology
See more items in
Medicine and Science: Medicine
Health & Medicine
Data Source
National Museum of American History
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