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Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (RANZCOG)
Tool - Guy's tongue forceps used by Dr Mitchell Henry O'Sullivan, 1930 (approximate)
During surgery under general anaesthetic, these forceps were used to pull the tongue forward to keep the patient's airways clear from obstruction. This tool was in general use from the 1930s onwards in teaching hospitals, and became a standard piece of equipment on all anaesthetic trolleys. In the majority of teaching hospitals, the blades of these forceps were smooth and wide to cause less trauma to the tongue. This particular style of tongue forceps is known as Guy's tongue forceps.Dr Mitchell Henry O'Sullivan worked in the Victorian country town of Casterton as a general practitioner from 1919 until his death in 1977. He also practiced obstetrics. His son, Dr David More O'Sullivan donated his obstetric bag and its contents to the College in 1999. The bag and contents are a unique time capsule of the type of instruments and pharmaceuticals used in the inter-war period.Pair of metal forceps. Similar in appearance to a pair of scissors, and other surgical forceps, but with rounded teardrop shaped tips. There is also a notch clip for the handle to keep the forceps open. Inner aspect of both forceps blades engraved with the number '3'. The left hand blade is also engraved with a 'P'.anaesthesia -
Forests Commission Retired Personnel Association (FCRPA)
Pye TRP-1, Transmitter-Receiver-Portable Radio, Pye Industries in Melbourne, circa 1950
After the 1939 bushfires, the Forests Commission invested heavily in a radically new communications network. After suffering some inevitable delays due to the War, radio VL3AA switched into full operation in October 1945 proudly beaming out 200 watts across the State. The communication systems were regarded at the time to be more technically advanced than the police and the military. Pye-Electronic Pty Ltd (which had taken over Radio Corporation after the war) decided to design a transceiver to replace the RC16B. Designated the TRP-1, it was considerably lighter and used less power than the earlier RC16B while offering similar or better performance. This radio was used in the Mt Wombat fire tower which overlooks the Strathbogie Ranges and surrounding farmland.Portable Radio PYE TRP-1. radios, forests commission victoria (fcv) -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Digital Photograph, Alan King, Blue Lake, Plenty Gorge Park, 2008
A quarry was transformed into the Blue Lake. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then / Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p179 The dramatic steep-sided Plenty Gorge lies along the divide of two geological areas, and separates the Nillumbik Shire and the City of Whittlesea. On the Nillumbik side are undulating hills and sedimentary rock, and in Whittlesea, lies a basalt plain formed by volcanic action up to two million years ago. This provides the Plenty Gorge Park with diverse vegetation and habitats, making it one of Greater Melbourne’s most important refuges for threatened and significant species. The park, established in 1986, consists of around 1350 hectares, and extends 11 kilometres along the Plenty River, from Greensborough to Mernda. It provides a wildlife corridor for around 500 native plant and 280 animal species. The area’s plentiful food and water attracted the Wurundjeri Aboriginal people and then European settlers. By 1837 squatters had claimed large runs of land for their sheep and cattle. The Plenty Valley was among the first in the Port Phillip District to be settled - mainly in the less heavily timbered west - and was proclaimed a settled district in 1841.But by the late 1880s, the settlers’ extensive land clearing for animal grazing, then agriculture, depleted the Wurundjeri’s traditional food sources, which helped to drive them away. Many Wurundjeri artefacts remain (now government protected), and so far 57 sites have been identified in the park, including scarred trees, burial areas and stone artefacts. Pioneer life could be very hard because of isolation, flooding, bushfires and bushrangers. Following the Black Thursday bushfires of 1851, basalt was quarried to build more fire-resistant homes. Gold discoveries in the early 1850s swelled the population, particularly around Smugglers Gully; but food production made more of an impact. In the late 1850s wheat production supplanted grazing. In the 1860s the government made small holdings available to poorer settlers. These had the greatest effect on the district, particularly in Doreen and Yarrambat, where orchards were established from the 1880s to 1914. Links with a prominent early family are the remains of Stuchbery Farm, by the river’s edge bounded by Smugglers Gully to the north and La Trobe Road, Yarrambat, to the east. The Stuchberys moved to the valley in 1890, and the family still lives in the area. In 1890, Alfred and Ada first lived in a tent where four children were born, then Alfred built the house and outbuildings around 1896. They planted an orchard, then a market garden, and developed a dairy. The family belonged to the local Methodist and tennis communities. Their grandson Walter, opened the Flying Scotsman Model Railway Museum in Yarrambat, which his widow, Vi, continues to run. Wal was also the Yarrambat CFA Captain for 22 years until 1987. Walter sold 24 hectares in 1976 for development - now Vista Court - and in 1990, the remaining 22.6 hectares for the park. Remaining are an early stone dairy and remnants of a stone barn, a pig sty and a well. Until it was destroyed by fire in 2003, a slab hut stood on the Happy Hollow Farm site, at the southern end of the park. The hut is thought to have been built in the Depression around 1893. This was a rare and late example of a slab hut with a domestic orchard close to Melbourne. Emmet Watmough and his family first occupied the hut, followed by a succession of families, until the Bell family bought it around 1948. There they led a subsistence lifestyle for 50 years, despite encroaching Melbourne suburbia. The Yellow Gum Recreation Area includes the Blue Lake, coloured turquoise at certain times of the year. Following the 1957 bushfires, this area was quarried by Reid Quarries Pty Ltd for Melbourne’s first skyscrapers, then by Boral Australia. However in the early 1970s water began seeping into the quarry forming the Blue Lake and the quarry was closed. The State Government bought the site in 1997 and opened it as a park in 1999.This collection of almost 130 photos about places and people within the Shire of Nillumbik, an urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north, contributes to an understanding of the history of the Shire. Published in 2008 immediately prior to the Black Saturday bushfires of February 7, 2009, it documents sites that were impacted, and in some cases destroyed by the fires. It includes photographs taken especially for the publication, creating a unique time capsule representing the Shire in the early 21st century. It remains the most recent comprehenesive publication devoted to the Shire's history connecting local residents to the past. nillumbik now and then (marshall-king) collection, blue lake, plenty gorge park -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Digital Photograph, Marguerite Marshall, Stuchbery Farm dairy, 14 March 2008
Stuchbery Farm was situated on the Plenty River bounded by Smugglers Gully to the north and La trobe Road, Yarrambat, to the east. Alan and Ada Stutchbery moved to the valley in 1890, first living in a tent where four children were born. Alfred built a home and outbuildings around 1896. They planted an orchard, then a market garden and developed a dairy. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then / Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p179 The dramatic steep-sided Plenty Gorge lies along the divide of two geological areas, and separates the Nillumbik Shire and the City of Whittlesea. On the Nillumbik side are undulating hills and sedimentary rock, and in Whittlesea, lies a basalt plain formed by volcanic action up to two million years ago. This provides the Plenty Gorge Park with diverse vegetation and habitats, making it one of Greater Melbourne’s most important refuges for threatened and significant species. The park, established in 1986, consists of around 1350 hectares, and extends 11 kilometres along the Plenty River, from Greensborough to Mernda. It provides a wildlife corridor for around 500 native plant and 280 animal species. The area’s plentiful food and water attracted the Wurundjeri Aboriginal people and then European settlers. By 1837 squatters had claimed large runs of land for their sheep and cattle. The Plenty Valley was among the first in the Port Phillip District to be settled - mainly in the less heavily timbered west - and was proclaimed a settled district in 1841. But by the late 1880s, the settlers’ extensive land clearing for animal grazing, then agriculture, depleted the Wurundjeri’s traditional food sources, which helped to drive them away. Many Wurundjeri artefacts remain (now government protected), and so far 57 sites have been identified in the park, including scarred trees, burial areas and stone artefacts. Pioneer life could be very hard because of isolation, flooding, bushfires and bushrangers. Following the Black Thursday bushfires of 1851, basalt was quarried to build more fire-resistant homes. Gold discoveries in the early 1850s swelled the population, particularly around Smugglers Gully; but food production made more of an impact. In the late 1850s wheat production supplanted grazing. In the 1860s the government made small holdings available to poorer settlers. These had the greatest effect on the district, particularly in Doreen and Yarrambat, where orchards were established from the 1880s to 1914. Links with a prominent early family are the remains of Stuchbery Farm, by the river’s edge bounded by Smugglers Gully to the north and La Trobe Road, Yarrambat, to the east. The Stuchberys moved to the valley in 1890, and the family still lives in the area. In 1890, Alfred and Ada first lived in a tent where four children were born, then Alfred built the house and outbuildings around 1896. They planted an orchard, then a market garden, and developed a dairy. The family belonged to the local Methodist and tennis communities. Their grandson Walter, opened the Flying Scotsman Model Railway Museum in Yarrambat, which his widow, Vi, continues to run. Wal was also the Yarrambat CFA Captain for 22 years until 1987. Walter sold 24 hectares in 1976 for development - now Vista Court - and in 1990, the remaining 22.6 hectares for the park. Remaining are an early stone dairy and remnants of a stone barn, a pig sty and a well. Until it was destroyed by fire in 2003, a slab hut stood on the Happy Hollow Farm site, at the southern end of the park. The hut is thought to have been built in the Depression around 1893. This was a rare and late example of a slab hut with a domestic orchard close to Melbourne. Emmet Watmough and his family first occupied the hut, followed by a succession of families, until the Bell family bought it around 1948. There they led a subsistence lifestyle for 50 years, despite encroaching Melbourne suburbia. The Yellow Gum Recreation Area includes the Blue Lake, coloured turquoise at certain times of the year. Following the 1957 bushfires, this area was quarried by Reid Quarries Pty Ltd for Melbourne’s first skyscrapers, then by Boral Australia. However in the early 1970s water began seeping into the quarry forming the Blue Lake and the quarry was closed. The State Government bought the site in 1997 and opened it as a park in 1999.This collection of almost 130 photos about places and people within the Shire of Nillumbik, an urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north, contributes to an understanding of the history of the Shire. Published in 2008 immediately prior to the Black Saturday bushfires of February 7, 2009, it documents sites that were impacted, and in some cases destroyed by the fires. It includes photographs taken especially for the publication, creating a unique time capsule representing the Shire in the early 21st century. It remains the most recent comprehenesive publication devoted to the Shire's history connecting local residents to the past. nillumbik now and then (marshall-king) collection, ada stuchbery, alan stuchbery, dairy, stuchbery farm, farm buildings, yarrambat, plenty gorge park -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Letter - William Ferrier, 14th November 1905
The letter to William Ferrier of South Warrnambool from the Prime Minister and the Parliament of the Commonwealth recognised the significance of William’s brave and courageous lifesaving act to the people of Australia; “They all feel that your conduct was worthy of the best deeds done by British sailors in the past and they are proud to know that Australia can produce such as you.” The story of that brave rescue follows on below … The ship from which the sailors were rescued was the three-masted, iron and steel barquentine the La Bella, built in Norway in 1893. She was one of two iron and steel ships by Johan Smith, The company was one of the leading shipping families in Tvedestrand, Norway. She was significant to Norwegian shipping, being one of only 27 iron and steel ships ever built in Norway. She was registered in New Zealand and engaged from 1902 in inter-colonial trading of timber in the Pacific, between New Zealand and Australia and was often in Port Phillip Bay, Victoria. On 5th October 1905, the twelve-year-old La Bella left Lyttleton, New Zealand carrying a cargo of timber bound for Warrnambool, Australia. She was manned by a crew of twelve: the Master, (Captain Mylius, previously 1st Mate of La Bella, appointed Captain to La Bella on 6th February 1903) 2 Mates, Cook, six able seamen, one ordinary seaman and a boy. Bad weather en route caused her to shelter at Burnie on Tasmania's North West coast. On November 10th, the 37th day of her journey, La Bella approached Warrnambool. Captain Mylius steered her towards Lady Bay Channel in heavy south-west seas and evening mist. He ordered the helmsman to steer for the light. As the ship came round, a tremendous sea struck her on the port quarter, causing her to breach broadside in a north-westerly direction into breakers. The helm was brought round twice more, but each time heavy seas broke over her, the third time throwing the La Bella on to a submerged reef in Lady Bay now known as La Bella Reef (about 100 yards from the Warrnambool breakwater). The sea was so rough that it even wrenched a one-and-a-half ton anchor from its fastenings and into the sea. As Captain Mylius headed to the steel wheelhouse, intending to send up a rocket flare, a huge sea slammed the steel door into him (resulting in massive bruising front and back) Despite his injuries he still managed to set off a blue light, which he held up in his hands. La Bella’s lifeboats were filled with seawater and broke up on their chocks. The blue light was the first indication to people on the shore that there was a ship in distress. The Harbour Master, Captain Roe (who lived in the Harbour Master’s House opposite Flagstaff Hill), organised a group of volunteers to crew the lifeboat because the trained crew was unavailable; the crewmen were working on a steamer in Port Fairy at the time. He then poured oil onto the water to try and smooth the sea. At around 11 pm three of the crew took shelter in the steel forecastle but the sea crashed into it and broke it up. While the rest of the crew and onlookers watched helplessly in the moonlight the bodies were washed away into the sea, never to be seen again. Some of the crew lashed themselves to the weather rail to keep from being washed away. Watson, the ordinary seaman, became tangled in the rigging lines and was too weak to move, so the 2nd Mate, Robertson, put a line onto him so that he wouldn’t wash off. Around 11 pm three of the crew were unconscious from exhaustion. The situation on La Bella was becoming dangerous. The 2nd Mate moved to the ‘house’ and soon afterwards the ship slipped in the heavy sea. The lashings of the 1st Mate and the ‘boy’ Denham had kept them safe until about 2 am when they were washed overboard; no one was able to help. One by one, the exhausted crew were being washed overboard, too weak to hold on any longer. During the night the La Bella had broken into two and the deckhouse ran out towards the sea. Two more men drowned when trying to reach the lifeboat. By sunrise, the only survivors of the twelve were the Master, 2nd Mate and three seamen. Early in the morning, Captain Roe used the rocket apparatus on shore to try and shoot a line to the ship for a safer rescue but each attempt fell short of the target. Several attempts were made by the lifeboat to rescue the stricken sailors, but the rough conditions made this difficult for the boat to get close enough to the ship and the lifeboat had to return to shore. During a final attempt to reach the ship Captain Mylius ordered his men to jump into the sea. Leonard Robertson, 2nd mate, jumped and swam towards the lifeboat, taking hold of the boat hook offered to him. Oscar Rosenholme managed to reach the boat floating on a piece of timber from the ship’s load and a third survivor, Noake, also made the boat. Along with the lifeboat rescue crew, 25-year-old William Ferrier rowed his small dingy through the heavy seas and managed to rescue the Captain, whom he landed on the breakwater. Ferrier then returned to the ship to attempt a final rescue, losing his oars and rowlocks into the high sea. Using just a spare paddle he skulled towards the La Bella, reaching her stern in time to cut loose the lone surviving sailor, Payne, from the lashing that held him to the ship; the terrified sailor dropped from the ship and into the dingy. Shortly after the last man was rescued, the La Bella was lifted by a huge wave and crashed back down on the reef; she broke up and sank. The ordeal had lasted ten hours. The survivors were taken to the nearby Bay View Hotel and gratefully received warm food and clothing, medical attention and a place to sleep. In the following days, an unidentified body of a young person has washed ashore; it was either Watson or Denham. The body was buried in the Warrnambool cemetery with an appropriate gravestone and inscription. William Ferrier became a national hero as news of the daring rescue spread. In recognition of his bravery in the two daring rescues, he was awarded the Silver Medal for Bravery by the Royal Humane Society and was honoured in the letter from the Prime Minister and the Parliament of the Commonwealth, telegrams and a cheque for £20 from the Governor-General, over £150 subscribed by the public, including Warrnambool and district and readers of The Argus, and a gold medal from the Glenelg Dinghy Club of South Australia. Ferrier’s rescue efforts are one of the most heroic in Victoria’s shipwreck history. (William Ferrier’s son, Frank, received a similar award almost fifty years later when he helped rescue four members of the crew on the yacht Merlan after it ran on to a reef near the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse. ) The wreck of La Bella now lies on her port side in 13 metres of sheltered water inside the reef she struck. The bow section is relatively intact and part of the stern has drifted north-easterly towards the mouth of the Hopkins River. The reef the La Bella struck now bears its name. Those five rescued from the La Bella were Captain George Mylius, Leonard Robertson (2nd Mate, 21 years old), R. Payne, Oscar Rosenholme and Jack Noake. Those seven who lost their lives were Mr Coulson (1st mate), Charles Jackman (cook) Gustave Johnson, Pierre Johann and Robert Gent (all able seamen), Harry Watson (ordinary seaman) and Jack Denham (ship’s boy), Captain Mylius was found guilty of careless navigation; he had sailed into the bay without the services of a pilot. His Master Certificate was suspended for twelve months. Later he was also charged with the manslaughter of one of the crew who had died when the La Bella was wrecked but found not guilty. The event’s adverse publicity and damage to his career took a toll on his health and he died of a heart attack six months after the wreck; he was only thirty-seven. His body was buried in the Melbourne General Cemetery. The La Bella was “the best documented of all sailing ships owned in New Zealand”. Her record books, ship logs, correspondence and supporting papers are still available. At the time of the tragedy, she was owned by Messers David C.Turnbull and Co. of Timaru, New Zealand timber merchants and shipping agents, who had purchased her on 13th December 1901. A detailed account of the last journey of La Bella can be read in “Leonard Robertson, the Whangaroa & La Bella” written by Jack Churchouse, published in 1982 by Millwood Press Ltd, Wellington, NZ. As well as this letter, Flagstaff Hill’s La Bella Collection includes a photograph of the wrecked La Bella, a brass rail holder and a postcard of William Ferrier with four of the survivors. Some 15 – 17 ships are believed to have sunk in Lady Bay, but only two have been discovered on the seafloor; the “La Bella” and the “Edinburgh Castle”. Both wrecks are popular diving sites and are preserved as significant historical marine and marine archaeological sites. This original congratulatory letter sent to William Ferrier by the Prime Minister and Government of Australia demonstrates the importance attached to his efforts for Victoria and to Australia. The letter is part of the La Bella Collection and is significant at both a local and state level. Its connection to the La Bella shipwreck and the rescue of five survivors highlights the dangers of Victoria’s Shipwreck Coast. The letter to William Ferrier from the Australian Government acknowledges the bravery of ordinary Australians who risked their lives to save victims of shipwrecks along the coast. The letter is significant to the history of Warrnambool as it honours William Ferrier, a local fisherman whose descendants continue to live in the area. It highlights the way of life of people who lived in coastal towns in 19th century Victoria and the effects of shipwrecks upon them. The letter connects to the postcard of William Ferrier with four of the five rescued crew, the photograph of the wreck of the La Bella and the artefact from the wreck, the rail holder. This letter is significant because of its association with the sailing ship “La Bella”. The “La Bella” is of local and state and national significance. It is one of the only two shipwrecks discovered in Lady Bay, Warrnambool, out of the 15-17 shipwrecks in the bay. Letter to William Ferrier of South Warrnambool from the Prime Minister and Members of Parliament commending him on his bravery. The printed letterhead includes a coat of arms in the top centre and the official address. The letter is very neatly hand written in black pen and includes 4 signatures of Members of Parliament. The rectangular paper is cream coloured with some yellow/brown discolouring. It has the letterhead on the right hand side of it and the written letter begins below the letterhead. The paper has been folded so that the right side becomes the cover page of the letter. The writing is continued onto the inside right hand page of the folded paper and the writing ends here. There is more recent writing on the bottom right hand corner of the back page. The paper has been officially folded in half a total 3 times and there is heavy discolouration on the sections that form the front and back of the folded letter. There is a 4th fold line that is less pronounced that the other folds and would make the paper the size to fit into a pocket. At several fold creases the paper has worn through. The edges of the paper have minor tears. The printed coat of arms is that of the House of Representatives. Underneath is printed “The Parliament of the Commonwealth, / Parliament House / Melbourne”. The hand written, letter is dated “14th November, 1905” and addressed to “Mr. William Ferrier / South Warrnambool” The letter begins “The Speaker, the Prime Minister and Members of the Ministry and its supporters, the Leader and Members of the Opposition, the Leader and Members of the Labour Party, being all the Members of the House of Representatives of the Federal Parliament of Australia” … It continues “desire to express to you their appreciation of your bravery in skulling out to the wreck of the “La Bella” at Warrnambool on Saturday, 11th November, 1905, and recovering therefrom two of the crew who were in imminent danger of their lives. They all feel that your conduct was worthy of the best deeds done by British sailors in the past and they are proud to know that Australia can produce such as you.” The letter is “Signed on behalf of the Members – Speaker (Frederick Holder ), Deputy Leader of the Opposition (Joseph Cook ), Prime Minister (Alfred Deakin), Leader of the Labour Party ( J.C. Watson)” On the back of the letter is blue ink handwriting “OWNER / G. FERRIER / TO. BE. PHOTOGRAPHED / 27-4-76”la bella, william ferrier, bill ferrier, lady bay, 1905, 10th november 1905, 11th november 1905, parliament of the commonwealth, prime minister, australian government, new zealand, flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village -
National Wool Museum
Textile - Australian Open Sportwool Top, CSIRO Division of Textile and Fibre Technology, c. 2000s
Sportwool® was developed to combine the physical performance attributes of synthetics with the comfort and breathability of a natural fibre. It is a lightweight, composite fabric consisting of a layer of machine-washable superfine Merino wool next to the skin and a layer of tough, easy-care polyester on the outside. As a result of this construction: - the wearer feels cooler more quickly and formation of liquid sweat is delayed - liquid sweat is carried away from the skin to the outside of the fabric, leaving - the inside dry and resulting in less ‘clammy’ garment cling - the wearer stays cooler when exercising - ‘post-exercise chill’ is reduced. In addition, Sportwool® is elastic, provides UV protection and does not retain odours. Sportwool® is constructed in weights ranging from ultra-light for jogging, to thicker, heavy-duty fabric for football jerseys. It is easily printed in bright colours and designs, including information about sponsors and players. Sportwool® can also be dyed in solid colours. The development of Sportwool® was funded by The Woolmark Company (now Australian Wool Innovation Limited). Source: https://csiropedia.csiro.au/sportwool/9095.1 - Long sleeve blue sports top with with orange and navy striped detail. 9095.2 - Clothing label tag featuring a black silhouette of a tennis player, with organe and white text and orange and blue graphics on a black background. 9095.3 - Four page fold out clothing label tag, front features printed text, silhouette sports graphics and a background of an orange and blue landscape.9095.1 Australian Open / Sportwool / Sportwool 9095.2 - front: [printed] Australian Open / OFFICIAL / LICENSED / PRODUCT 9095.3 - front: [printed] SPORTWOOL / Vapour Management Technology / www.sportwool.comsportswool, australian open, athletes, clothing, the woolmark company, csiro division of textile and fibre technology, uniforms -
Geoffrey Kaye Museum of Anaesthetic History
Weapon - Blow pipe, Mah Meri, c. 1936
... Guyana. Blowpipes from Malaysia appear to be less common. More ...Used by the Mah Meri people, Kuala Langat, Selangor (Malaysia), 1936. While Malaysian, this blow-gun is analogous to that used by Indigenous groups from South America with curare. The gun is of bamboo, with a highly polished inner tube of the same. The darts are reeds, made directional by knobs of a tudor wood, with poison made from the ipoh tree and the Strychnos vine The blowpipe examined in this report consists of a long bamboo tube with engraved floral motifs on the outside and a second bamboo tube inside. The mouthpiece is attached to the inner tube and the whole piece can be removed from the outer casing. There is a quiver, filled with darts, a small poisons receptacle, and a single dart and hollow bamboo tube, stored outside the quiver. The objects were donated as a whole to the museum in 1948 by Dr Thomas Edward Marshall. The engravings on the outer case originate from the Mah Meri community in Kuala Langat, Selangor, Malaysia. The floral ‘motif is of a vine with small incisions to reflect the properties/identity of the plant (poisonous/harmful)’. These motifs are generally handed down through the generations and can be used for kinship identification. They are also believed to enhance the performance of the blowpipe. The outer casing is made up of several pieces of bamboo fused together. Broken or damaged blowpipes were not discarded. Broken sections of a pipe could be removed and replaced as required, and the observably different bamboo sections suggest this has taken place at some point. Sap from the perah tree is used to seal or glue the pieces together and the glue is reversible by heating. The Mah Meri created a poison from the ipoh tree for use in hunting. The poison acted swiftly to kill the animal and did not result in secondary poisoning. The way in which the Mah Meri hunted is analogous with other blowpipe hunting practices elsewhere in the world. Blowpipe hunting practices represent a starting point for the introduction of standardised muscle relaxants into surgery during the 20th Century. In parts of South America, plant poisons were used to tip the darts and kill prey. These poisons are known as curare. The crucial ingredient in curare was Chondrodendron tomentosum root. Raw curare formed the basis for Intocostrin, the first standardised, mass produced muscle relaxant. The introduction of muscle relaxants dramatically changed surgery, allowing for more precise surgery and better patient outcomes. Bamboo blowpipes can be found in many museum and heritage collections, particularly those with strong colonial origins or influence. Blowpipes from Borneo seem to be well represented, along with those from Guyana. Blowpipes from Malaysia appear to be less common. More research is required to establish the rarity or representativeness of the blowpipe. Ownership of the blowpipe can be traced back from the museum to Dr Thomas Marshall. It has also been established the blowpipe’s point of origin is among the Mah Meri people of Kuala Langat, near Kuala Lumpur. There is no information regarding the way in which Marshall came into possession of the blowpipe. Provenance cannot be fully established. Despite these difficulties, the blowpipe represents a full set of hunting implements. It is accompanied by a quiver, also decorated with a floral motif, a set of bamboo darts, and a poison receptacle. The quiver also has a waist strap which enabled the owner to strap it to themselves, preventing its loss while hunting. Each object within the set is in good condition, although the inner tubing is beginning to split lengthwise and should not be removed from its outer casing. While the blowpipe and accompanying objects are not of South American origin, the techniques and poisons used are analogous and this object has high interpretative capacity. Hollow bamboo blowpipe with mouthpiece at one end. Two different types of organic fibre have been used at difference points along the shaft to secure different segments of the blowpipe. The item consists of two tubes a thin and unpolished inner tube that has degraded and can no longer be removed, and a polished and decorated outer casing. The outer casing is made up of different sections of polished bamboo, some pieces have developed a deep red hue which is likely the result of prolonged polishing and regular heating over many years, other sections are a lighter yellow indicating that they are newer pieces of bamboo. The entire outer tube is covered in a varied sequence of genomic patterns. The exact meaning of these patterns is unknown however they are passed down through family lineage, the exact family of origin is unknown. Connected to the mouthpiece if it is removed from the inner casing is a piece of cloth with the numbers 2241 written in black ink, their purpose is unknown.curare, malaysia, bamboo -
Geoffrey Kaye Museum of Anaesthetic History
Container - Ampoule, Hypnotic 8064
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 -
Geoffrey Kaye Museum of Anaesthetic History
Equipment - Resuscitator Unit, c. 1960
Mechanical resuscitation devices, such as the Pulmotor and Lungmotor, were popular in the early part of the twentieth century. Their use waned in the 1920s as significant bodies like the British Medical Research Council and American Red Cross refused to endorse them. The most popular of the resuscitators to emerge in the 1930s was the E&J (Ericson and Johnson) resuscitator. The device was soon widely available, vigorously promoted with support from many medical practitioners. They were soon to be found in hospitals, emergency services like the ambulance and fire brigade, and voluntary life-saving organisations. In Australia, Norman James, director of anaesthesia at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, developed an interest in equipment for ambulances and the resuscitation of drowning victims. Little in the way of practical, portable equipment was available to either the ambulances or the voluntary life-saving organisations, such as Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA); American resuscitators, like the E&J, were expensive and bulky to import. James designed a simple portable resuscitation device for local use after being approached by Jack Conabere, secretary of the Elwood Life Saving Club (ELSC). The resulting Royal Melbourne Hospital resuscitator, or the R.M. resuscitator as it was marketed, was a simpler, manual version of those available overseas. It was gas driven with a plunger, marked “Press”, and a safety valve. The small working unit attached directly to the facemask. Once the patient was positioned facedown and the airway cleared of debris, the mask was placed firmly over the face. The plunger allowed gas to flow and lung inflation; releasing the plunger allowed expiration. This simple resuscitator was marketed by Commonwealth Industrial Gases (CIG) and became very popular in Australia with volunteer and professional rescue organisations. It represents one of the many innovations in resuscitation equipment that resulted from cooperation between volunteer life savers and medical practitioners. Norman James worked closely with Jack Conabere and the Government Pathologist to develop the equipment. ELSC was the first life saving club to use the resuscitator on the beach. While conducting an early training exercise on 23 December 1951, they used it to successfully resuscitate a man who had drowned after capsizing his home made yacht. The R.M. resuscitator was also used in more inventive ways. At Fairfield Hospital in Melbourne, a group of physiotherapists and doctors did some innovative work with polio patients, teaching them glossopharyngeal (or “frog”) breathing, as a means of becoming less dependent on ventilators. In 1981, the Australian Standards Association stated that the RM head failed to meet its revised standards and it was withdrawn from the market. Red leather suitcase with black leather trim with metal studs. There are clip locks for locking the suitcase in the closed position. The suitcase contains equipment for oxygen resuscitation. There is a space allocated for two oxygen cylinders, however there are no cylinders present.Embossed into metal plaque: The C.I.G. / Oxy-viva / PORTABLE UNIVERSAL OXYGEN RESUSCITATORresuscitation, portable, surf life saving australia, royal melbourne hospital, rm resuscitator -
Alfred Hospital Nurses League - Nursing Archive
Book, F. B. Smith 1932-2015, Florence Nightingale: reputation and power, 1982
This book challenges the traditional view of Nightingale as a saintly figure, presenting a more complex and critical portrait. The book analyzes how Nightingale leveraged her personal relationships and influence to advance her public health and nursing reforms, highlighting her achievements and less savory tactics.Book with dustjacket and protective covering. The dustjacket has a purple background, with title and author's name in grey print on front and spine. Front of dust jacket also has a black and white photograph of 12 women and a man. 10 of these women are in dressed in nurses uniforms, another wears a white cap, and the woman in the centre is wearing a white scarf on her head (Florence Nightingale with a group of nurses from London Hospitals at Claydon. Standing behind her are her brother in-in-law Sir Henry Verney (owner of Claydon) and the matron Miss Crossland)non-fictionThis book challenges the traditional view of Nightingale as a saintly figure, presenting a more complex and critical portrait. The book analyzes how Nightingale leveraged her personal relationships and influence to advance her public health and nursing reforms, highlighting her achievements and less savory tactics.florence nightingale, nurse administrators-great britain, nurrse-history, nursing-history -
Alfred Hospital Nurses League - Nursing Archive
Book - Illustrated book, Elspeth Huxley 1911-1998, Florence Nightingale, 1975
Florence Nightingale lived to be over 90 yet spent less than two years in the military hospitals in Scutari, where the legend of the Lady of the Lamp was created. The "ministering angel' was in reality a tough domineering and brilliant administrator, scholar and writer of government reports. Elspeth Huxley concentrates on the contradictory personality of this woman, by turns a bullying martinet, a loyal and emotional fried, a compassionate nurse, a witty companion, a writer of sermons and masterly manipulator of men =, who at 17 turned her back on London society when she heard a call from God to serviceIllustrated book with dustjacket and clear protective cover. Book has a pale blue cover with tile author's and publisher's names embossed in gilt on spine. Dustjacket has a cream background with a contemporary colour engraving of Florence Nightingale on the front with tile printed above and authors name below. These are framed with a floral border. Title, author's and publisher's names are also printed on the spine of the dustjacket. On the back of the dust jacket is a photograph of a full-length Staffordshire porcelain model of Florence Nightingale standing, a veil on her head. To her right an officer sitting, bare headed, his left arm in a sling [ca.1855]non-fictionFlorence Nightingale lived to be over 90 yet spent less than two years in the military hospitals in Scutari, where the legend of the Lady of the Lamp was created. The "ministering angel' was in reality a tough domineering and brilliant administrator, scholar and writer of government reports. Elspeth Huxley concentrates on the contradictory personality of this woman, by turns a bullying martinet, a loyal and emotional fried, a compassionate nurse, a witty companion, a writer of sermons and masterly manipulator of men =, who at 17 turned her back on London society when she heard a call from God to serviceflorence nightingale, nursing-history, crimean war