Laser Instrumentation

Abstract

For broad studies of biomedical applications of lasers, including basic research on the laser reaction in living tissue, there is no one single laser which can be used for all these investigative studies. Often as many different lasers as possible should be used for each phase of work. Conflicting opinions are heard about the relative merits of developing new instrumentation or modifying and trying to perfect those lasers now available. Fortunately, there is now a calm reflective period in which those seriously interested in lasers, not in headlines, can plan for specific goals for investigation. For biomedical research, the lasers used are among the solid-state type—ruby, neodymium, and among the gas lasers, argon, carbon dioxide, krypton, nitrogen, ultra-violet and helium-neon.