Computerized Thermal Imaging

The use of body temperature as a health indicator has been practiced for centuries. Early biblical texts contain references to fever as an indication of sickness. As early as 64 A.D., the Roman physician Celsius used heat as one of his four basic signs of inflammation. Today, the most common tool used to measure an individual's health is the simple thermometer. More sophisticated measurement devices use heat-sensitive pads, patches, or electrodes to measure temperature. The most advanced instruments use heat-sensitive, infrared cameras to record patterns of heat waves. The engineering and scientific communities refer to the use of these cameras as "infrared imaging," while the medical community uses the term "thermal imaging".

While similar in concept, it is inappropriate and misleading to equate computerized thermal imaging with the "thermography" popularized in the late 70's and earlier 80's. Thermography has been around for many years and covers a broad range of devices and applications.  Most of these applications captured relative differences in temperature, but lacked the sophistication or resolution for detailed measurement.  

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