Assay apparatus and handheld specimen collection tools therefor

A handheld specimen collection tool for use with assay apparatus including:

• a drum having a transparent, generally cylindrical, hollow drum body with a horizontal longitudinal drum body centerline, the drum body having an internal drum body surface and an external drum body surface,
• a backlight illuminator inside the drum body for backlighting the drum body, and
• an elongated scanner outside the drum body and co-extensive therewith for scanning at least some of the backlighted drum body for acquiring a bodily specimen scan,
• the handheld specimen collection tool comprising:
• (a) a handle;
• and
• (b) an elongated hollow specimen collection tip mounted on said handle,
• said elongated hollow specimen collection tip having a longitudinal specimen collection tip centerline and including an internal peripheral specimen collection tip surface and an external peripheral specimen collection tip surface for bearing bodily specimen therealong
• the arrangement being such that snug sliding insertion of said elongated hollow specimen collection tip into the drum body, said elongated hollow specimen collection tip deposits bodily specimen on the internal drum surface and the backlight illuminator is simultaneously snugly slidingly inserted into said elongated hollow specimen collection tip such that the backlight illuminator is in intimate contact with said internal peripheral specimen collection tip surface.