This multi-purpose kit contains drugs for resuscitation, sedation and local anaesthetic. It could also assist in the delivery of a baby. The kit holds a selection of pharmaceuticals that would most likely have been used by a general practitioner anywhere between the 1950s and 1980s.Square cardboard box containing 100 separate ampoules of pharmaceuticals. Each ampoule is held in place by a cardboard cover with a round cut-out to match the ampoule. There are ten rows of ten.Handwritten in blue ink on side of box: OCTAPRESSIN Handwritten in blue ink on top of box: 5 units / 100mls saline Handwritten in blue ink on side of box: OCTAPRESSIN / PLV2 Stamped in black ink on manufacturer's label on side of box: Physician's Sample / not for sale / Batch 62 164mestinon, chlorpheniramine maleate, lobeline-hydrochloride b.p.c., adrenalin tartrate, isuprel hcl, vandid, alupent, plv2, ephedrine hydrochloride, atropine sulphate, metaraminol, pituitrin, ergometrine maleate, procaine, largactil chlorpromaz, roche, glaxo-allenburys, boots, boehringer & ingelheim

Cocaine was the first topical anaesthetic. It quickly numbs the area after application. Synthetic drugs provide better local anaesthesia without negative side-effects of cocaine. It is now only used for nasal surgery to prevent bleeding.Small clear glass vial with cork stopper and discoloured [white] manufacturer's label with black printing. There is a small amount of white powder in the vial, presumably hydrochloride of cocaine as per label.Black print on manufacturer's label: Hydrochloride of Cocaine / POISON / T. MORSON & SON / London Englandlocal anaesthetic, hypnotic, cocaine, sedative, morson & son, london

Novocaine is a local anaesthetic for dentistry. Its first known use was 1906. Square brown glass bottle with round neck and organ rubber stopper. A strand of wire has been wound around the stopper. A discoloured white manufacturer's label is stuck to the front of the bottle with black and red printed text. There is approximately half the liquid remaining in the bottle. Moulded into the bottom of the bottle: J282novocaine, drug, liquid, the saccharin corporation ltd, london, melbourne, j.l. brown & co, local anaesthetic

The glass phial contained liquid ethyl chloride, little pressure being required to liquefy the gas at room temperature. By directing the nozzle downwards at the skin or mucous membrane to be analgesed, a stream of liquid squirts out, vaporising on contact, thus producing transient local temperatures of approximately -10 qc. Ether's unpleasant smell agitated patients. Ethyl chloride's pleasant odour reduced agitation. It could be used for induction and worked quickly without irritating respiratory passages. Ethyl chloride spray could also be used as a local anaesthetic. Faded rectangular burgundy box containing a glass phial with metal and rubber lid that forms a spray nozzle. The lid of the box had a mustard coloured manufacturer's label wtih burgundy writing. The phial has a discoloured white label with red writing and a blue label with white writing.Printed in white ink on blue label: IMPORTANT / NOT DESTROY THIS TUBE, IT CAN / BE REFILLED FOR / 2/10bengue & co. ltd., london, ethyl chloride, 1900, local anaesthesia

Ketamine is useful for inducing anaesthesia in shocked patients. It is also commonly used in low doses or infusions for the management of chronic pain. It can produce a state of 'dissociative anaesthesia', where patients are pain free, but not necessarily unconscious. Three small glass vials with different colour print labels on each containing 10ml Ketalar (Ketamine Hydrochloride).local anaesthetic, ketalar, ketamine hydrochloride, shock, parke davis

Propofol is an induction agent for anaesthesia and also used in intensive care to induce unconsciousness. Propofol doesn't dissolve in water so it comes in a white, oily solution and must be refrigerated before it’s used. The solution consists of soybean oil, fats purified from egg yolks, and glycerol. Propofol is used as an “induction agent”—the drug that causes loss of consciousness— for general anaesthesia in major surgery. In lower doses it is also used for “conscious sedation” of patients getting procedures on an outpatient basis at ambulatory surgery centres. The main reason propofol is the agent of choice is because it allows for very rapid recovery, is the perfect drug for insertion of laryngeal masks and is the agent of choice for infusions. It has largely replaced thiopentone, the original drug of choice, but this is still available in Australia and used in specific situations. Propofol was linked to the death of Michael Jackson. Large clear glass ampoule with adhered manufacturer's label blue on white label containing the milky liquid of Propofol BC, 20mls.propofol, local anaesthetic, intensive care, jackson, michael, biochemie australia (novartis)

Kelene is the proprietary name used for ethyl chloride in France which became synonymous with the agent in Europe. The manufacturer, Gilliard P. Monnet and Cartier of Lyon, also supplied Redard with his ampoules in 1890. Ethyl chloride was discovered by the French chemist Guillaume-Francois Rouelle in 1759; however it was not until 1901 that Frederic-Henri Basse manufactured sufficient for scientific study. Marie Jean-Pierre Flourens, Professor Comparative Anatomy at the University of Paris, first reported the effect of the inhalation of ethyl chloride after some experiments with and other agents in dogs. He described three experiments in which the dogs died, however death followed a period of insensibility as with ether although of much faster onset.Ten large glass phials containing 3g Kelene (Ethyl Chloride) stored in their original packaging. The box originally had twelve phials with now only ten remaining. Of the ten, 8 still contain the Kelene, 1 phial is empty but intact and 1 phial is broken. The cardboard box has a maroon paper cover, removable top with the product label and literature pasted across the base and top of the package. All product information is in French.ethyl chloride, kelene, local anaesthetic, gilliard p. monnet and cartier, france

This Boyle’s machine was made by the British Oxygen Company (BOC) in the 1950’s. The original Boyle's machine was invented by the British anaesthetist, Henry Boyle in 1917. His machine was a modification of the American Gwathmey apparatus of 1912, and became the best known early continuous flow anaesthetic machine. The Boyle’s machine was first made by Coxeter and Sons, under the direction of Lord George Wellesly, which was later acquired by the British Oxygen Company (BOC). Though a lot of changes have been made to the original design of the Boyle’s machine, the basic structure remains the same today.Green trolley on casters with flowmeter and vaporiser bottles attached to a stainless cross bar. There is a glass shelf at top of the trolley and a second glass shelf at base of trolley, above a pull out drawer. The pull out drawer contains 4 x black rubber masks, 3 x black rubber tubing connectors, 4 x seals, 1 a black corrugated rubber hose with red rebreather bag, red tube and masonite support board.Tin plate attached to upper portion of trolley: THE / BOYLE / apparatus / BY THE BRITISH OXYGEN CO. LTD.henry boyle, anaesthetic machine, gas, oxygen, flowmeter, nitrous oxide, british oxygen company, boc, coxeter and sons

Recognising that warmed ether was less irritating to the airway and patients receiving it were less likely to experience shock, Francis Shipway developed the Shipway's apparatus which was used during World War 1 and continued to be used through to World War 2. Reduction of shock for patients who had experienced trauma was crucial to their later recovery, particularly during war times. This example of the Shipway's apparatus also has the facility for administering chloroform.A triangular metal stand with two glass jars sitting in a metal tub and a green metal jar that looks like a thermos, also sitting in a metal tub. A metal pole has been screwed into the centre point of the stand, with a circular top to act as a handle. One of the jars has a rubber stopper in the neck with metal tubing attached to the stopper. The other glass jar has a metal screw top with a dropper spout. The two glass jars are connected via red rubber tubing. The apparatus has been sectioned in parts to show the inner mechanisms.Typed in black ink on white paper and adhered to metal bath: SHIPWAY'S APPARATUS •Typed in black ink on white paper and adhered to metal bath: ETHER VAPORISER •Typed in black ink on white paper and adhered to metal bath: THERMOS WITH HOT WATER •Typed in black ink on white paper and adhered to glass bottle: CHLOROFORM VAPORIZER •Typed in black ink on white paper and adhered to metal connector: TO AIR BELLOWS •Typed in black ink on white paper and adhered to tube in thermos: DELIVERY TUBE •Moulded into base of thermos: THERMOSshipway, world war i, warmed ether, endotracheal, chloroform

In 1913, Mark Cowley Lidwill designed a machine for the purpose of mechanical or insufflation anaesthesia. The Lidwill machine was a portable machine weighing 7kg that could easily be packed into two small bags. The machine involved compressed air being delivered to an ether vaporiser. An ether/air control device allowed varying concentrations of ether to be delivered. The ether vaporiser could be immersed in hot water to prevent cooling and the ether temperature was measured. From the vaporiser, the ether/air mixture went through a trap bottle, then to a crude mercury blow-off valve and subsequently to the patient.Large leather suitcase style bag divided into two levels containing and insufflation anaesthesia machine.insufflation, mark cowley lidwill, thoracic surgery, positive pressure

Sir Frederick William Hewitt was a great advocate of nitrous oxide anaesthesia, mainly for short procedures. In 1885, he reviewed the methods of administration and concluded that accurately fitting valves were essential at the commencement of the inhalation, in order to ensure the rapid washout of air from the lungs; and there was a distinct advantage in allowing some rebreathing of nitrous oxide towards the end of inhalation. He thus devised the stopcock. The stopcock consists of a cylinder with two rotating sleeves and two rubber flap valves. The arrangement allows air to be breathed either through the valves or rebreathed to and from the bag; nitrous oxide to be breathed either through the valves from the bag and out to the atmosphere or rebreathed to and from the bag. Soon after the introduction of this stopcock, there was an increased interest in administering oxygen in combination with nitrous oxide.Amber coloured ether inhaler, with leather mask, celluloid shield and inflatable cushion with attached Hewitt's stopcock.hewitt, stopcock, celluloid, ether, inhaler, mask, rebreathing

This small, neat, domette covered mask was widely used throughout Australia for the administration of chloroform anaesthesia.Triangular shaped mask with hinged arm at point of triangle that connects to upper frame section via a hook. Used for the administration of chloroform.chloroform, facemask, foldable, anaesthesia, anesthesia

The Bellamy Gardner mask was in use by 1905 and was the first British mask for the open administration of ether. This mask combines the features of the Bellamy Gardner mask with a tower frame designed by Ogston. The Museum's "Penn catalogue", circa 1970, describes this mask: "this followed closely upon Ferguson's lead, but has an enormous amount of "dead-space" contained within the apparatus."Open wire ether mask with inner dome (Bellamy Gardner mask) and outer wire frame tower (Ogston frame).Moulded into connector clip: BRITISH MAKEbellamy gardner, ogston, open ether administration, henry peter penn

Picrotoxin is a bitter crystalline compound derived from the seed of an East Indian woody vine (Anamirta cocculus). It is a central nervous system and respiratory stimulant formerly used in barbiturate and other anaesthetic poisonings. Hexagon shaped amber glass bottle with red rubber stopper. There is an ivory coloured manufacturer's label with black printed text adhered to the front of the bottle, along with some handwritten notations. The bottle has powdery contents.Handwritten on manufacturer's label: PURE FIRST USED 8/10/64 •Moulded into base of bottle: T195respitaroty stimulalnt, t and h smith, barbiturate poisoning, edinburgh, blandfield chemical works

This is a simple metal mask with an ether chamber surmounting it. The patient breathes air down through the variable orifice over the surface of ether and in through the variable orifice over the surface of ether and in through the inspiratory valve. Exhalation was by means of the expiratory valve placed in the centre of the mask. All channels are extremely small and would offer considerable resistance to respiration.Metal inhaler with shaped rim edgeEngraved by hand into side of mask: DEWEE'S ETHER / INHALER.. 1901. Stamped into side of mask: J.E. LEECO / PATD. NOV. 12-1901 / 400ether, inhaler, ramsay, dewee, leeco

Blood was long thought to be the essence of life and the centre of the soul; it was believed to provide a person with physical strength and mental abilities. In 1677, Richard Lower and Jean Baptiste Denis, in separate experiments, attempted animal-to-man transfusions to treat mental disorders. They had mixed success but didn't appear to cure the ailment. In 1818, James Blundell became interested in blood transfusion after witnessing the many deaths resulting from post-partum haemorrhage. He began with experiments in dogs and soon established it was possible to transfuse using a syringe if he worked quickly. Blundell established that cross-species transfusions didn't work and were dangerous. The early part of the 20th Century saw major developments in blood transfusion. Blood groups were identified by 1907 and the Kimpton Brown vessel (see 3675) slowed coagulation. These transfusion needles were used to collect and administer blood for transfusions.Two glass tubes, one with straight and one with a curve at the base. The tubes, known as cannualae, were used to facilitate blood transfusions.transfusion, cannula, kimpton brown, blood, blood transfusion, blundell, lower, denis

Dr James (Jim) Villiers went to Vietnam as an anaesthetist with the Australian Surgical Team (civilian) during 1963. He used this bag for carry-on luggage. Despite assurances about the quality of resources available on arrival, he carried an essential part of the breathing circuit for an EMO vaporiser in his carry-on. The actual vaporiser was packed in his check-in luggage. In 1963 the Vietnamese government sought training in Australia in anaesthetics for several medical technicians. Australia was not able to meet the request as anaesthesia training in Australia is restricted to qualified doctors. Instead, the Dean of the Faculty of Anaesthetists at RACS suggested sending a team of anaesthetists to Vietnam to conduct training for technicians there. However, they requested a preliminary survey be undertaken in order to determine the abilities of the prospective trainees and establish contacts with medical authorities in Vietnam. James (Jim) Villiers was one of the people who undertook the survey and made a report. Training of Vietnamese medical technicians was undertaken using the Epstein MacIntosh Oxford Anaesthetic Apparatus (EMO). This equipment was robust, portable and relatively cheap, there are few moving parts for servicing, it requires only ether and air for operation.Brick-red vinyl bag with white Qantas branding including the flying kangaroo printed on both sides. The bag has a zipper opening and contains an anaesthetic apparatus mounted on a piece of wooden particle board. There are two black hoses, a white hose, a black plastic connector, a metal t-bar connect, a green resuscitation bag and black face mask.james villiers, malignant hyperthermia, vietnam, qantas, australian surgical team, long xuyen, bien hoa, anaesthesia training

The Epstein, Macintosh, Oxford vaporizer (EMO) was designed in 1952 by Dr H. G. Epstein and Sir Robert Macintosh of the Nuffield Department of Anaesthetics at the University of Oxford, with the aid of their technician, Mr Richard Salt. It was essentially a refinement of their earlier Oxford vaporizer and designed specifically to deliver ether in known concentrations, irrespective of the temperature of the ether. Robert Macintosh was born at Timaru New Zealand in 1897. In December 1915 he travelled to Britain and was commissioned in the Royal Scots Fusiliers, soon transferring to the Royal Flying Corps. He was shot down behind enemy lines on 26 May 1917 and taken prisoner, escaping several times. When the war ended he returned to medical school and qualified in 1924 as MRCS LRCP. Macintosh's initial intention was to be a surgeon, but soon after qualifying he developed an interest in the field of anaesthesia. Macintosh became the first professor of anaesthetics at Oxford although the university was at first against the appointment. He recruited the scientists Dr Kurt Mendelssohn and Dr H G Epstein and together they designed and built the Oxford vaporiser, a simple, portable, and accurate means of delivering varying concentrations of ether which was to see service in the second world war. He was knighted in 1955 and died at Oxford in 1989.The apparatus is a round, barrel style object with three small rubber feet and a moulded handle over the top. It consists of a vaporising chamber, wick, ether level indicator, temperature compensating value, air bypass chamber and mixing chamber. Manufacturer's label on reverse: EMO, Longworth Scientific Inst. Co. Ltd. England. Serial No. 5878macintosh, epstein, oxford, vaporiser, nuffield, ether

Dr Alan Holmes á Court enlisted in the Australian Army in 1916 as a medical officer with the rank of Captain. In 1918, Holmes á Court was promoted to Major and attached to the 4th Australian Field Ambulance on the Western Front. As the front advanced, the Casualty Clearing Stations became further removed from the battlefield, creating an urgent need for immediate resuscitation prior to transfer back to the CCS. In June 1918, Holmes a Court and his colleagues established a forward resuscitation team. The team consisted of one doctor trained in surgery, blood transfusion and resuscitation, another doctor trained in anaesthesia, resuscitation and blood classification, and four other assisting staff. This team moved out to the wounded, rather than waiting for them to be stretchered back. They provided on-the-spot, life-saving resuscitation. The wounded were then transported back to the Casualty Clearing Station or Regimental Aid Post for further treatment. Among the assorted surgical and resuscitation equipment carried by the forward resuscitation team, were a number of Kimpton-Brown flasks. Blood was collected from patients with minor injuries using the flask. It was then administered to those in need, after establishing their blood type. Citrated blood was introduced by the Americans in 1917. This allowed blood administration to be delayed for up to two hours but there were many problems with transport, storage and infection in these early experimental days.Round, clear glass bottle with white [discoloured] paper label, with red printed, and metal screw-top lid.Handwritten on white [discoloured] paper label: Phillip HARRIS Moulded into the top of the screw-top lid in red ink: RED CROSS BLOOD TRANSFUSION SERVICEblood transfusion, red cross, world war one

Nitrous oxide has been used for anaesthesia in dentistry since December 1844, where Horace Wells made the first 12–15 dental operations with the gas in Hartford. Its debut as a generally accepted method, however, came in 1863, when Gardner Quincy Colton introduced it more broadly at all the Colton Dental Association clinics, that he founded in New Haven and New York City. Hospitals administer nitrous oxide as one of the anaesthetic drugs delivered by anaesthetic machines. Nitrous oxide is a weak general anaesthetic, and so is generally not used alone in general anaesthesia. In general anaesthesia it is used as a carrier gas with oxygen for more powerful general anaesthetic drugs.Medium size empty blue coloured cylinder with rounded base and painted white neck once containing Nitrous Oxide. A large blue on white diamond shaped label is adhered onto the main cylinder body.Printed on manufacturer's label: 'CIG [logo] / [blank weights table] / DRY / NITROUS OXIDE / C.I.G. (Victoria) PTY. LTD. / 50 LA TROBE STREET, MELBOURNE C3 / Telephones: FJ 6681 / FJ 4164 / USE NO OIL / OR GREASE'nitrous oxide, dental anaesthesia, dental anesthesia, gardner quincy colton, colton dental association

The Soulevac sterile glass drip tube was used for blood transfusions.Clear glass bulb with rubber caps at each end and blue manufacturer's information stamped onto bulb. Drip tube is housed in original packaging.blood transfusion, world war i, first world war

Prior to the introduction of halothane, most anaesthetic agents were flammable or had other limitations such as nausea, arrhythmias or slow recovery. It was clear there was a need for a new, non-flammable anaesthetic agent. Fluothane is a brand name for halothane.Amber glass bottle with white rounded manufacturer's label and green printed text, with white metal screw top lid. The bottle is housed in its original cardboard packaging. Bottle has been decanted.halothane, fluothane, non-flammable, nausea, fluorinated

In Australia, the wholesale druggists Fenton, Grimwade and Company, established in 1876, were producing small quantities of oxygen for medical and industrial purposes(11,11). In 1910, they produced a booklet promoting the therapeutic use of oxygen, suggesting it's use in pulmonary and cardiac affections, asphyxia, and morphine poisoning(9). Eventually, oxygen was to play a more significant role in medicine following two significant events. In 1895, Karl Von Linde succeeded in liquefying air, and then fractionally distilling its individual components, including oxygen. This new technique for the production of oxygen from air was revolutionary, but large demand for it did not develop in the wider community until Claude and Hess managed to compress acetylene into cylinders safely in 1897, keeping the highly explosive fuel stable by dissolving it in acetone. By 1900, the oxy-acetylene welding technique was born, and the demand for oxygen for industrial purposes accelerated worldwide. In Australia, Russell Grimwade, working for his father's company, ordered the first oxygen plant to be built in Australia in 1910. (George Kantianis, 2013)Medium sized black coloured cylinder with rounded base once containing oxygen with a large black on white diamond shaped manufacturer's label adhered to the front. Much of the label has been degraded with missing bits, and rust stains.Printed on to manufacturer's label: OFFICIALLY PREPARED FOR MED? / AUSTOX [in logo] / COMPRESSED / OXYGEN / CONTENTS / 33 [handwritten in pencil] Imperial Gallons / KEEP COOL / Australiand Oxygen and Industrial ? / Pty. Ltd. / MELBOURNEoxygen, cylinder, therapeutic, russell grimwade

The advent of anaesthesia posed immediate problems for the oral surgeons and dentists who were used to operating on awake patients with intact airway reflexes. Early anaesthetics were very light and often created an uncooperative patient. Dentists were quick to complain they had trouble opening the mouth quickly enough and dental props soon made an appearance. Gags and tongue depressors proliferated, all initially devised to improve surgical and anaesthetic access, not to protect the airway. Other instruments for opening the jaws included the somewhat fearsome devices known as mouth openers. Heister's mouth opener was incorporated in anaesthetic practice but was not designed for this purpose. Lorenz Heister (1983 - 1758) used his device for mouth inspection and for operations on the palate, tonsils and teeth in the pre-anaesthesia era. He was not impressed with the way it was used by others in his life time and believed that it overstretched the jaw when used inappropriately. Despite its apparent brutality, the Heister mouth gag was still advertised for sale in 1983 and its useful mechanism has been incorporated into modern surgical retractors.Steel cork-screw shaped object with a twist top handle which will force the two arms apart. Each arm has ribbing toward the end to create friction when inserted in the mouth.Stamped into the twist top handle: MAYER & MELTZERheister, mouth gag, mouth opener

The advent of anaesthesia posed immediate problems for the oral surgeons and dentists who were used to operating on awake patients with intact airway reflexes. Early anaesthetics were very light and often created an uncooperative patient. Dentists were quick to complain they had trouble opening the mouth quickly enough and dental props soon made an appearance. Gags and tongue depressors proliferated, all initially devised to improve surgical and anaesthetic access, not to protect the airway. Other instruments for opening the jaws included the somewhat fearsome devices known as mouth openers. Heister's mouth opener was incorporated in anaesthetic practice but was not designed for this purpose. Lorenz Heister (1983 - 1758) used his device for mouth inspection and for operations on the palate, tonsils and teeth in the pre-anaesthesia era. He was not impressed with the way it was used by others in his life time and believed that it overstretched the jaw when used inappropriately. Despite its apparent brutality, the Heister mouth gag was still advertised for sale in 1983 and its useful mechanism has been incorporated into modern surgical retractors. This Heister heavy patterned mouth opener was acquired from an Italian Army medical unit at Tobruk in 1941 and donated to the museum in 1946.Scissor-like metal device with a screw mechanism at the top which allows for the open or closed position to be locked.heister, lorenz, mouth opener, gag, heavy patterned

The Bird ventilator Mark 7 is driven by medical compressed air or oxygen. It is not suited for anaesthesia unless using a special anaesthesia assistor controller attachment, which is essentially a “bag in a bottle” device.Apparatus attached to four castor stand with attached white wall connecting tubing.anaesthesia attachment, bag in a bottle

Doctors trained in blood transfusion were essential to the development of Forward Resuscitation Teams during World War I. In 1918, Dr Alan Holmes a Court and his colleagues established a resuscitation team and, following their remarkable success at the battle of Hamel on July 4, teams were permanently established at each of the five Australian divisions. Each team consisted of one doctor trained in surgery, blood transfusion and resuscitation, another doctor trained in anaesthesia, resuscitation and blood donor classification, and four other assisting staff. This team moved out to the wounded, rather than waiting for them to be stretchered back. They provided on-the-spot, life-saving resuscitation. The wounded were then transported back to the Casualty Clearing Station or Regimental Aid Post for further treatment.A selection of metal cannula of various designs and sizes.blood, transfusion, intravenous, cannula

Citrated blood was introduced by the Americans in 1917. This allowed blood administration to be delayed for up to two hours but there were many problems with transport, storage and infection in these early experimental days. This bottle contains ACD Solution (Anticoagulant Citrate Dextrose Solution) for ensuring blood doesn't coagulate during storage.Clear glass bottle with white [discoloured] label on the front with red printed text. The bottle contains a yellowish solution. The metal screw-top lid has been covered with brown paper and a black rubber tie is draped around the shoulder of the bottle.anticoagulant, citrate, dextrose, transfusion

Early cylinders were coloured as their maker saw fit, usually black, perhaps with a white top for oxygen. The Americans first achieved standardisation, but other countries do not follow American Standards. Australia follows the colour-scheme of the British Oxygen Corporation. The body is coloured individually for each gas, viz: compressed air, grey; carbon dioxide, brown; oxygen, black; nitrous oxygen, blue’ cyclopropane, primrose-yellow’ ethylene, mauve. Panels of other colours may appear on the body, but indicate technical points of cylinder-design and do not concern the anaesthetist. (Penn catalogue entry)Empty small pale green painted cylinder with rounded base and attached outflow valve with circular 'On-Off' knob.Handwritten in red paint across the main body of the cylinder: ST. VINCENTS 32510 Printed on manufacturer's label: 'KEEP CYLINDER COOL / CIG [logo] / MADE IN AUSTRALIA / MEDICAL AIR COMPRESSED / DO NOT ALLOW OIL OR GREASE ON VALVE / OPEN VALVE SLOWLY CLOSE AFTER USEcompressed air, cylinder, colour standardisation

Charles Gabriel Pravaz (1791-1853) was a French orthopedic surgeon and inventor of the hypodermic syringe. In 1844, Irish physician Francis Rynd (1811-1861) invented the hollow needle. In 1853, French physician Charles Pravaz developed the first practical metal syringe. Pravaz added a fine, hollow needle to the end of his syringe instead of the tube. This was an important innovation. Yet in the pre-antiseptic era it was a mixed blessing. The use of injections rather than oral drug administration can more readily promote the spread of disease as well as facilitating its cure. An understanding of the germ theory of disease - and the cardinal importance of using sterile needles - awaited the discoveries of Lister, Pasteur and Koch. But intravenous injection allows extremely rapid pain-relief - and the induction of general anaesthesia when suitable agents were developed.Small ornate metal syringe with raised ridge at either end and in the middle. Tapers to a point at the distal end with pencil like extrusion. Finger ring at the proximal end.pravaz, intravenous, hyperdermic, subcutaneous, syringe, needle