[Medical equipment at the Leipzig Fall Fair of 1977].

An analysis of the most interesting exponents of the Leipzig autumn fair of 1977 served as a groundwork for an attempt to outline the major orientation and trends in the development of the biomedical engineering. The advantages of the functional units method of designing are taken notice of on an example of some groups of devices manufactured both in the countries members of the Council for Economic Mutual Assistance and in western countries. Emphasis is placed on the good prospects offered by medical devices for ultrasonic location of the heart with the type M scanning, of the X-ray units intended for solving concrete diagnostic objectives within a narrow branch of medicine (apparatus for mammography, for use in urology, etc). Particular attention is paid to the medical equipment utilizing the elements of computer technique, in the form of built-in units and also in that of complex setups in which small computers ensure the most effective realization of the diagnosis and treatment.