[COOPERS & LYBRAND LETTERHEAD]
 
                                                                    Exhibit 23.1
 
                       CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
 
    We  consent to the inclusion  in this Registration Statement  on Form S-1 of
our report dated March 4, 1996, except for  Note 14, for which the date is  June
4,  1996,  on our  audits of  the financial  statements and  Financial Statement
Schedule of Norland Medical Systems, Inc. (formerly Ostech, Inc.) as of and  for
the  years ended December 31, 1995 and 1994. We also consent to the reference to
our Firm under the caption "Experts".
 
                                          /s/ Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P.
 
Hartford, Connecticut
June 4, 1996