Patent attributes
When a surgery and a remote control room in a remote location are connected through a communication circuit to perform an endoscope operation, image information is not encrypted and is sent as it is. Patient data including identification information, a name and so on relating to a patient is encrypted in an encrypting portion and then is sent. In the remote control room side receiving the patient data through the communication circuit, the patient data is decrypted by a decrypting portion when it is determined, based on the header portion, that the received data includes the patient data. Thus, the patient data is restructured and a structure, which can be displayed in a display device, including the image information can be obtained. As a result, the privacy of the patient data can be reserved, and the fast transmission can be achieved at low costs.