Tube, Endotracheal, Kuhn, Circa 1900

Historical information

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 Kuhn's tube, is a flexible metal one inserted on a stilette which was then withdrawn.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.

Physical description

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.

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