THERMOGRAPH

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Some disorders such as breast cancer or soft tissue injuries cause local heating of the tissues, and areas of raised temperature may be detected at the surface by a variety of methods. Apart from direct-contact thermometers there are two main alternatives. One (the thermograph or Heat camera) involves the remote detection of infrared radiation enabling the construction of a map of surface temperature, and the other employs liquid crystal technology to provide a colour map of temperature. This latter may involve the spraying or painting of the skin with materials which display temperature as different colour bands, or by bringing the skin surface into contact with a special flexible screen coated with liquid crystal materials which can be viewed optically or photographically from the other side. See also Radiation thermometer and Heat camera.