PROPRIETORSHIP:

Robert A. Chase, M.D.
VideoSurgery of Stanford
Stanford University, California, USA

Original use permissions granted by:
Mrs. Lucile Bassett

DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION:

The previous edition, SLICE OF LIFE VI, with the permission of Dr. Robert Chase of the Stanford University School of Medicine, contained over 1500 images from the DAVID L. BASSET ATLAS OF HUMAN ANATOMY. All of these monoscopic, 2-D images were replaced on SLICE OF LIFE VII with stunning, higher resolution, digital transfers.

Digital stereoscopic versions of the 1500 images were also placed on Side 2 of the disc in the same videodisc frame locations. In order to view the stereoscopic, interlaced, NTSC video signal from the laser videodisc, a pair of LCD, 3-D Shutter glasses was required. A supplier of these glasses is the 3-D TV Corporation at the following website: http://www.3dmagic.com.

The SLICE OF BRAIN I videodisc included 700 images from the Bassett Collection. The anatomy related to the Central Nervous System, The Head and Neck, and the Back were placed on the disc. As with Slice of Life, Side 1 contained the monoscopic images and side 2 contained the stereoscopic images in the same videodisc frame locations.

TRIBUTE TO DR. DAVID L. BASSETT:

David L. Bassett graduated from Stanford University School of Medicine in 1934. As a faculty member in the Department of Anatomy, Bassett proved hemself to be a valued teacher whose elegant dissections helped students build a foundation for their medical education.

David L. Bassett, M.D.

His genius attracted the attention of William B. Gruber, the photographer who invented the View-Master. The combination of Bassett's beautiful dissections and Gruber's precision 3-D stereo photography resulted in the production of the Stereoscopic Atlas of Human Anatomy. Begun in 1948 and not completed until 1962, the original "Stereoscopic Atlas of Human Anatomy" consisted of 221 View-Master Reels with 1,554 color stereo views of dissections of every body region. Each stereo view was accompanied by a black and white labeled drawing and explanatory text, and the entire work was assembled into 23 printed volumes grouped into eight sections by body region.

After 17 years of work on the project and his faculty advancement at both The Leland Stanford University and The University of Washington, Dr. Bassett succumbed to amyloid disease. William Gruber, a notable photographer and inventive genius, also died before all objectives of the project were met.

Since then, the 35mm slide transparencies have been made available by Mrs. Lucile Bassett, widow of David L. Bassett, through VideoSurgery, Stanford University, under proprietorship of Robert A. Chase, M.D.

The work has been revived by Dr. Chase in several forms. One is a book containing 83 of the 1,554 View-Masters

A Stereoscopic Atlas of Human Anatomy
The Bassett and Gruber Legacy
by Robert A. Chase, M.D.
Hardcover book with 12 View-Master Reels

Additionally, a series containing the complete drawings and View-Master reels has been updated by Dr. Chase. Barcodes were added that would access the corresponding frames from the SLICE OF LIFE VII and SLICE OF BRAIN I videodiscs. Students used 3-D stereoscopic LCD glasses to experience the stunning three dimensional images.

Readers interested in more information on the development of the Bassett Collection are referred to The Wonderful Legacy of David L. Bassett (The Journal of British and American Associations of Clinical Anatomists, 5: 151-156 (1992)).

SLICE OF LIFE VII & SLICE OF BRAIN I VIDEODISC FRAME LOCATIONS:

• Side 1 of the discs contains the monoscopic versions of the images.
• Side 2 of the discs contains the stereoscopic versions of the images in the same videodisc frame locations.