General anaesthesia relaxes muscles around the airway which can result in the airway becoming obstructed. Holding the jaw open or keeping the tongue out of the way were crucial. Often, brutal devices were used to open the jaw or pull the tongue forward to clear the airway.Set of four chrome plated metal tongue depressors of different sizes. Each depressor has been engraved with a number (1 - 4). Numbers 2 - 4 also have a metal tube that could be used to administer anaesthesia simultaneously. Numbers 2 - 3 also have cross-hatched grooves in the depressor and all have finger grips engraved into the handles.boyle-davis, airway management

This pharyngeal airway was captured at Tripoli, Syria in 1941 during World War II. It was a piece of equipment at the Italica Gens hospital.Metal airway device consisting of eight curved strips of metal joined together at the top and bottom by a flattened circle of metal. There is an additional metal circle joining the eight strips of metal approximately one third from the top.lumbard, mayo, pharyngeal, world war ii, italian, tripoli, second world war

This is an example of an early airway management device for anaesthesia. Hollow curved metal tube with flat plate at one end and two tube coming out of it, one curved to the left, one curved to the right.Engraved by hand on curve of tube: POE'S / ASA 1940 Engraved by hand on flat plate: Wood Stamped into flat plate: REGGERairway, poe, american society of anesthesiologists

Metal tube with a flat plate across the top with two additional metal tubes coming out of it and curved toward the right. The main tube is covered in rubber.airway, insufflation, gilbert brown, pharyngeal

The first pharyngeal tube was manufactured in 1913. This is a very early example of a curved modification of the original design. Metal tube with a flat plate inside a rubber tube. The rubber tubing extends much longer than the inner metal tube. There is a hole cut into the side of the outer tube through which the inner tube can be seen.Stamped into metal on flat piece: BT Stamped into metal on flat piece: ALLEN & HANBURYS LTD / LONDON Stamped into metal on underside of flat piece: JGairway, pharyngeal, phillip's, allen & hanburys, alfred hospital, melbourne, london

Captain Arthur Guedel was an American anesthetist who arrived at the Western Front with the American expeditionary force prior to America's official entry. He trained students in airway management and the monitoring of dept of anaesthesia using his chart board description of the signs and stages of anaesthesia. Black plastic tube, flattened and squared off, with a flat mouth plate. There is a metal inner tube which also has a flat plate.Stamped into metal flat plate: KING / 1 Moulded into plastic flat piece: KINGguedel, airway, pharyngeal, gilbert brown

Following the development of an ether mask that would exclude the inhalation of air, Ferguson has been attributed with the modification of a Hewitt's airway. Single aluminium tube with mouth prop covered in red rubber tube that has now adhered and not removable without damaging the rubber. There is a section cut out of the side of the rubber tubing through which the metal tube is visible.pharyngeal, frederick hewitt, alfred hospital, robert ferguson, airway

Mark Cowley Lidwill was awarded an Honorary Fellowship in 1954 after his retirement to honour his working life.Mark Cowley Lidwill was born in England in 1878. His family moved to Melbourne in 1894. Lidwill studied medicine at the University of Melbourne, graduating with honours in 1902 and achieving a Doctorate in Medicine (MD) in 1905. Soon after graduation he moved to Sydney and in 1913 was appointed as the first lecturer in anaesthetics at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. That year Lidwill became the first person in the world to catch a black marlin with rod and reel. The event was celebrated in newspapers throughout the country and the marlin skeleton is now on display at the Australia Museum. Lidwill was also the designer of a machine which could deliver anaesthesia mechanically. Compact and portable, the machine delivered precise, although variable, concentrations of ether. Lidwill is also credited with developing the world’s first pacemaker. In a letter he wrote to Harry Daly in 1955, Lidwill was ambivalent about the fate of the machine: “No one would be bothered with it and they thought I was mad”.Printed certificate from the Faculty of Anaesthetists of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) awarded to Mark Cowley Lidwill as an Honorary Fellowship. Printed in black ink at the top of the certificate is the RACS coat of arms. The certificate is dated 26 June 1954 and has been signed by Harold R Dew, President of the College, and other members of the executive.mark cowley lidwill, faculty of anaesthetists, honorary fellowship, royal australasian college of surgeons, cardiology, pacemaker, royal prince alfred hospital, doctorate in medicine

Chloroform was a popular anaesthetic agent in the early period of medical anaesthesia.Empty brown bottle of chloroform, with brown glass stopper.Printed on manufacturer's label: CHLOROFORM / B.P. / ANAESTHETIC / POISON / CHLOROFORM SHOULD BE KEPT IN A COOL / AND DARK PLACE. / W. J. BUSH & CO., LIMITED / MANUFACTURING CHEMISTS / ASH GROVE, HACKNEY, LONDON / MADE IN ENGLANDchloroform, anaesthesia, w.j bush & co., london

Chloroform was a popular anaesthetic agent in the early years of medical anaesthesia. Brown glass bottle with smooth face and vertical ridged reverse. The front has a white manufacturer's label with another smaller label on the reverse. There is sealing wax over the lid. There is also a brown cardboard box and lid for storing the bottle. Moulded into side of cardboard box: BUSH Moulded into top of cardboard box: W.J. BUSH / & CO. LTD / LONDON E8 [partially obscured by manufacturer's label stuck over top]chloroform, anaesthesia, w.j bush & co. limited, london

Patient controlled analgesia, or PCA, was developed in the 1960s. This mode of opioid administration allows patients to directly respond to their individual levels of pain. It is estimated there are now somewhere between six and 15 million uses annually.Two parallel sections enclosed in cream coloured metal casing and joined in the centre via a brown metal section that also forms the base and stand. The left side has a dark brown perspex cover with a small brushed metal latch and handle. The right has a grey metal panel with dial, knobs and a rolled paper dispenser. A clear plastic intravenous bag is attached to the device by a clear plastic tube.There is also a black plastic coated wire attached to a handle with a red button on top. This is used for the patient to administer the analgesia. analgesia, intravenous, flinders medical centre, janssen scientific instruments, patient controlled

Methoxyflurane Hydrogenated ether (ether with one or more hydrogen atoms replaced with a halogen atom). It is a powerful analgesic although is also a respiratory depressant. The use of Penthrane foreshadowed the patient controlled analgesia devices.Empty brown glass bottle with green manufacturer's label, with white writing and a white plastic lid. Green liquid measures have been printed on the side of the bottle.White sticker stuck to manufacturer's label: Expiration Date / Feb. 1, 1976 / Lot 854-1663analgesia, hydrogenated ether, self administration, methoxyflurane, abbott laboratories, penthrane

Blue transparent plastic tubing with a clear plastic laryngeal mask attached. There is an additional fine tube threaded through the blue tubing toward the mask opening.Printed in black ink on blue plastic tube: SIZE / 2.5 / MALLINCKRODT LaryngoSeal TM / Single Use Only 20 - 30kglaryngeal mask airway, brain, archive, england, mallinckrodt, laryngoseal, endotracheal intubation

Set of brown and orange cuffed rubber tubes with an second, finer, rubber tube extending from the cuff. The tubes are all for use in oral endotracheal intubation.Versions of the following are printed in black ink on each of the tubes: [size] MEDICAL AND INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT MAGILL'S TUBE / MADE IN ENGLAND or; [size] ORAL Medishield / MAGILL / CUFFED / MADE IN UNITED KINGDOMmagill, ivan, endotracheal, intubation, oral, cuffed, tube

The Laryngeal Mask Airway was invented in 1983 by British anaesthetist, Archie Brain.Yellow plastic tubing with a pink rubber laryngeal mask attached. There is an additional fine yellow tube threaded through the base of the rubber mask. Printed in black in along side: #4 LARYNGEAL MASK AUTOCLAVABLE INTAVENT 3:1laryngeal, brain, archie, endotracheal intubation, autoclavable

This endobronchial tube was invented by Sir Ivan Magill. It can be identified as pre 1948, as from that time on the wire spiral was eliminated from the body of the tubes. Sir Ivan Magill is famous for his involvement in modern anaesthesia. He worked closely alongside plastic surgeon Harold Gillies in the treatment of facial injuries sustained in World War 1. He was responsible for many items of anaesthetic equipment, but most particularly the single-tube technique of endotracheal anaesthesia.Tightly wound wire spiral tube with metal 'T' nozzle at the opposite end.magill, endotracheal, tube

Francis Percival de Caux invented this endotracheal tube which was devised for use during nitrous oxide/oxygen anaesthesia. Though he wasn't the first to use a two-tube method of anaesthesia, de Caux's invention was particularly effective; in 1930 he reported having given 20,868 nitrous oxide/oxygen anaesthetics in a four year period without a fatality. A long flexible metal tube formed from tightly wound metal with a small bulbous introducer at the distal end. The tube is mostly encased in a metal and rubber sheath. The proximal end has a finger ring and screw clamp.endotracheal, de caux, airway, nitrous oxide, anaesthesia

This is the first iteration of a pharyngeal tube devised by Hewitt in 1913.Round metal tube with a brown rubber tubing sleeve around the outside.Engraved on flat portion of metal tube: MEDICAL SUPPLY / LONDONfrederick hewitt, pharyngeal, intubation, medical supply, london, alfred hospital, melbourne

The evolution of endotracheal intubation for anaesthesia was a slow process. Franz Kuhn (1806-1929), a head and neck surgeon working in Kassel, Germany, between 1902 and 1911, is said to have done more than any other to obtain general recognition for endotracheal anaesthesia. Kuhn's tube, is a flexible metal one inserted on a stilette which was then withdrawn. The tube was then secured with an elastic neck strap and connected by a rubber tube to a Trendelenburg cone. The glottis was packed with oiled gauze. Metal spiral tube with elaborate handle at one end and rounded at the other. There is a metal clasp at the base of the handle which all forms part of the endotracheal tube. Inside the tube is a curved metal piece that functions as an introducer.kuhn, endotracheal, airway, intubation

This is a recent example of a Laryngeal Mask Airway (LMA). The LMA was invented in 1983 by British anaesthetist, Archie Brain. The LMA revolutionised anaesthetic practice and by 1995 had been used in excess of 100 million patients and was available in more than 80 countries throughout the world. Green transparent plastic tube connected to a laryngeal maskPrinted in black ink on green plastic tubing: Ambularyngeal mask, brain, archie, airway, ambu

This is an early example of an endotracheal tube (c.1932) invented by Ivan Magill. The shattered faces and jaws of wounded soldiers presented real difficulties for the administration of anaesthesia. Ivan Magill and Stanley Rowbotham developed endotracheal tubes for these procedures that were more efficient and practical than the earlier insufflation catheters.The attached safety pin was used to prevent the loss of the tube down the patient's nose. Orange/brown rubber tubing with a bevelled edge at one end a safety pin stuck through the other end. This tube was used for nasal endotracheal intubation.Printed in black ink on tube: NO. 5 NASAL A. CHARLES KING LTD. MAGILL'S TUBE 27 / BRITISH MADEmagill, endotracheal, intubation, nasal, a. charles king ltd, england

This is an early example of an endotracheal tube invented by Ivan Magill. The shattered faces and jaws of wounded soldiers presented real difficulties for the administration of anaesthesia. Ivan Magill and Stanley Rowbotham developed endotracheal tubes for these procedures that were more efficient and practical than the earlier insufflation catheters.The attached safety pin was used to prevent the loss of the tube down the patient's nose.Brown rubber tubing with three pairs of holes at one end and a bevelled edge at the other for nasal endotracheal intubation. There is a large safety pin stuck through the first pair of holes.magill, ivan, endotracheal, intubation, nasal, airway

This is an unused example of a Double Lumen Endotracheal Tube. This tube would be used to achieve the selective one sided ventilation of either the right or the left lung. Clear plastic tube with a "v" shaped connector at one end that holds two tubes, one blue one and one clear plastic. There are two finer plastic tubes on either side of the central tube, one blue one and one clear plastic. Blue plastic cuff and a clear plastic cuff are wrapped around the tube at the other end.Printed in black ink on the side of the central tube: Mallinckrodt R 35Fr. LEFT Brocho-Cath TM 27 Do Not Reuse 29 31cm Printed in black ink on blue plastic tube: BRONCHIAL Printed in black ink on clear plastic tube: 35Fr. TRACHEALendotracheal, intubation, double lumen, mallinckrodt, magill, united states of america

This is an example of a Double Lumen Endotracheal Tube. This tube is used to achieve the selective one sided ventilation of either the right or the left lung.Clear plastic tube with a "v" shaped connector at one end that holds two tubes, one blue one and one clear plastic. There are two finer plastic tubes on either side of the central tube, one blue one and one clear plastic. Blue plastic cuff and a clear plastic cuff are wrapped around the tube at the other end.Printed in black ink on the side of the central tube: Mallinckrodt R 41Fr. RIGHT Brocho-Cath TM 27 Do Not Reuse 29 I.T. 31cm Printed in black ink on blue plastic tube: BRONCHIAL Printed in black ink on clear plastic tube: 41Fr. TRACHEALendotracheal, magill, intubation, mallinckrodt, united states of america, airway

This is an early example of a cuffed pharyngeal tube. The cuffed airway was a significant development in pharyngeal tubes as it helped to protect the airway from blood and secretions. Black rubber tubing with spiral metal inner tube and red rubber pump mechanism attachedMoulded onto rubber bulb: Tycos Moulded onto rubber connector: MADE ONLY FOR PATENTEE / INDIA TYRE AND RUBBER CO / INCHINNAN / SCOTLAND Moulded into metal connection: Tycos / LONDONpharyngeal, ndia rubber & tyre company, airway, cuffed, scotland, tycos

Until suction became available in the 1930s, maintenance of a clear airway during oral and nasal surgery relied on posturing of the patient, mopping with sponges or the temporary placement of swabs or throat guards. Removal of surgical debris such as polyps, blood clots or foreign bodies could only be effected by the finger or devices such as probangs. The Probang is inserted blind (perhaps guided by a finger), the main shaft can then be held in the left hand whilst the right hand withdraws the inner tube. This results in a fanning out of the linear strands which are visible proximal to the tip. Held in this position the instrument is withdrawn and is supposed to scoop out the offending mass. Long flexible metal rod covered in gum resin sheath with a ring grip at the proximal end and a smooth metal rounded edge tip for insertion into the airway for clearing of obstructive matter.Stamped onto gum resin sheath: MADE FOR / CARL ZOELLER BRISBANE / GERMANY Stamped onto gum resin sheath in gold leaf: [indecipherable - presumably manufacturer's label]probang, flexible, oral, airway, horsehair, anaesthesia, obstruction, dr sharkey, lidcombe state hospital

Amber coloured glass bottle with moulded ridges along the outer sphere. Bottle has cork stopper with metal top. White manufacturer's label is adhered to front of bottle with blue and red printed ink.Stamped in red ink onto metal lid: WOOLWICH / ELLIOTT Stamped in black ink on manufacturer's label: JAN 1964ether, woolwich elliott, sydney

Ether in oil was used for rectal anaesthesia. Rectal anaesthesia offered a way to administer anaesthesia when using a mask was impractical, such as oral or respiratory tract surgery. Undiluted ether was irritating to the bowel and even proved to be fatal. Ether in oil, developed in 1913, minimized irritation with no reported deaths.Empty clear glass bottle with cork stopper which has become dislodged and is now inside the bottle. The bottle has a white label with handwriting on the front. The bottle has been decanted.Handwritten in ink: Ether in Oil / = parts Stamped in red ink on top left corner of label: CAU... [faded and almost indecipherable]ether, ether in oil, rectal administration, anaesthesia

Introduced by Bayer in 1963, Propanidid is an ultra short-acting general anaesthetic. It was withdrawn because of anaphylactic reactions.Set of three clear glass ampoules with product details printed in red ink. There is a clear liquid retained inside each of the ampoules.Printed in red ink: Eponotol / 0,5g Propanidid / in 10ml inj. sol.propanidid, anaesthetic, anaphylaxis, bayer

Thiopentone was known as Hypnotic 8064 prior to its release onto the market. Thiopentone became popular during the inter-war years as a fast acting, short duration anaesthetic. It is used less frequently now as propofol is more popular. Also known as Pentothal sodium.Thiopentone has also been embroiled in controversy since being linked to deaths following the bombing of Pearl Harbor.Large clear glass ampoule containing powdered Hypnotic 8064. A small white label (now discoloured) with typed information is stuck on to the ampoule.Typed on label: HYPNOTIC 8064thiopentone, propofol, pearl harbor, short duraction, fast acting